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WAR CRIMES AND
CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY IN OGADEN |
By Ahmed Shine
Nov 29, 2007
Deep in the throbbing heart of horn of
Africa there are many wounds some of which
have healed and others which have become
less painful with the passage of time.
However, there remain a few, which continue
to bleed and call for immediate remedy. One
such wound, which instead of healing,
continues to bleed to death, is the plight
of the people of Ogaden in the hands of the
brutal Tigray clique in Addis Ababa.
Ogaden Somalis continue to struggle against
a malignant black colonialism, which has
lasted for nearly one hundred years like
some vile pestilence. The Tigray clique has
nothing but total domination of the poor
Ogaden pastorals in mind. Instead of
democracy and development, Tigray
colonization in Ogaden has so far brought
only torture, mutilation and death and from
it flow an anguished stream of refugees who
leave behind the bodies of their relatives
hidden away from the gaze of the
international community by the catafalque of
global indifference. Yet this wretched
Ogaden Somalis are every bit human and have
the right to determine their own destiny.
Ogaden Somalis suffer in the hands of a
Tigray clique led by some one with
democratic pretensions-Meles Zenawi- but who
is every bit, if not worse, as brutal as the
former Derg regime. Despite the United
Nation's loft goals of prosecuting those who
instigate war crimes or commit crimes
against humanity, Zenawi’s clique subjects
Ogaden Somalis to genocide and war crimes
while the world watches with indifference.
Ogadenis Somalis are victims of a
well-perpetrated cover-up brought about by
misrepresentation, fear mongering on the
part of Zenawi’s clique and lack of voice
strong enough to reach the ears of the human
family. It is estimated that thousands, if
not a million, Ogaden Somalis were killed in
Ogaden in the past few months alone. The
so-called ‘crack down Against ONLF’ resulted
the hanging of hundreds of women from trees
and the maiming of hundreds of school age
children to prevent, as was said by one
sagacious Ethiopian militia leader recently,
them from becoming potential ONLF
fighters.
The number of burnt down and deserted
villages in Ogaden are today testament to
the extent of death and destruction caused
by Zenawi and his marauding military
personnel in Ogaden. Many, who could, have
fled Ogaden entirely. The recent UN fact
finding mission that visited Ogaden briefly
have listened to harrowing accounts of gross
human rights violations and abuses committed
by Zenawi’s militia in Ogaden.
Although physically occupied and subjugated,
Ogaden Somalis continue to cling on to their
diverse culture, ethnicity, economic ties to
other places than to the rest of Ethiopia,
religion and socio-political life. If over
hundred years of colonization and constant
Ethiopian blockade could not bring the proud
Ogaden pastorals to their knees, I sure do
not think that Zenawi’s constantly shifting
subjugation tactics will result nothing
other than to kill, maim, and displace many
more innocent civilians while
hardening the rest.
Instead of watching human catastrophe unfold
in Ogaden it is about time the international
community come to the rescue of the Ogaden
Somalis. Taking up
the Ogaden cause may not be easy as the road
is not well traveled and may
be odious; there may be weighty objections,
numerous excuses, and jerry meandering of
records; too much pressure, subvert or
overt, may be applied by those such as
Zenawi’s clique and his paid lobbyists in
the West, but in the belief that justice
must prevail something needs to be done
irrespective of success or failure.
It is my conviction that there is a
fundamental problem to the essence of
humanity when thousands of Ogaden Somalis
are slaughtered and displaced while the
world watches. Delay in approaching the
Ogaden issue is only yet another signal to
Zenawi and his henchmen to accelerate their
ethnic cleansing exercises now underway in
Ogaden. The global community should seek a
just and proper solution to the Ogaden issue
for if we do not attempt to be part of the
solution today then we surely will be part
of the
problem tomorrow.
Ahmed Shine
Fort McMurray, Canada
shineshego2@hotmail.com
Npv 29,
2007 |
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