March 09, 2008 Reports reaching our service desk from Garabciise indicate massive looting of businesses in the town. Most of the business looted belonged to Ogaden Somalis. The looting is said to have been organized and carried out by the Ethiopian military. The objective is said to forcefully remove the local Somali entrepreneurs from the environs of the road that connects Djibouti and Addis Ababa. Garbciise is a business town. Locals familiar with the business in the town estimate the value of the businesses there at around one hundred million Birs.

This looting follows mass murder carried out recently by the Ethiopian military in the town of Cambule, which is also in the vicinity of the road between Djibouti and Addis Ababa. So far eyewitnesses confirmed the detention of up to 37 civilians. 25 of these 37 are said to have already been transferred to Addis Ababa. Only 12 remain in the Havana prison in Jig Jiga

--Ogaden Online News