April 27, 2009

The Woyane regime has dislocated thousands of Ethiopian Somali from their home

galbeed.com (Washington,Dc) Land tenure security is intrinsically connected to political, social, and cultural identity in Ethiopia, and the conflict over land is symptomatic of the greater regional struggle for control over the Somali Region of Ethiopia. Land issues remain highly controversial: Agriculturalists and pastoralists have competing land claims, as do different ethnic groups such as Afar, Somalis, Oromo and other Ethiopian nationalities, but they used to settle peacefully their conflicts through time–honored traditional conflict management. However, the advent of Woyane regime has exacerbated the issues and pit one ethnic groups against the other so that hey can elongate its dictatorial and fascistic government and exploit the resources of the country.

The so-called Kilil government institutions in Somali Region are extremely weak, and it is currently unclear which administrative body, ministry, or agency has the responsibility to develop and implement land tenure and property rights rules, policies, and laws. In the absence of clear jurisdiction, the gang of federal government such as Abay Zehaye and its killing machine are the one deciding the land dispute. For example, they are annexing Somali land to Oromo and the Oromo land to Somali to flare up conflicts.

They set up kilil states, and local institutions which are competing over the right to distribute land. Furthermore, some groups and individuals have been forcing weaker ones off their land; this land grabbing “has a definite ethnic dimension and could undermine political cohesion in Ethiopian ethnics groups or pit ethnic groups against ethnic groups, which together have previously fought hard to create a new state,” said one Somali elderly who was made landless in the last two weeks, who warned also that this situation “could lead to widespread violence, killing, and population displacement.”

Ironically, the displacement of more than ten thousands Ethiopian Somali people last week in the decades-long conflict between the Afar and Somali on land dispute is an example how the Woyane regime is exploiting the land dispute. The Woyane government still demonstrates a fundamental disregard for the importance and urgency associated with land tenure and property rights. It is barely addressed the basic tenet of human right that every human being has the right to live peacefully in its land.

The Woyane government has called Mr. Mohamed Dirir, who is the surrogate Minister of Tourism in the Federal and the vice president of the Somali regional state Mr. Hassan Biyoleh and instructed them to demolish or remove about 30kg from where the pastoral people are situated from the villages:

Gadamaytu, Hido fiho and Adaytu, each of these villages are settled more than 3000-5000 thousand. Each permanent settler and the nomad population inhabiting around these villages are about 300-400 hundred thousand and they were forcefully moved about 30-40 kg away from the road connection of Djibouti-Ethiopia. The main reason is that Woyane gang has completely in control the goods coming from Djibouti.

The vice president has resigned after receiving many instructions from the authority and yet there is no a person who replaces him. According the existing constitution if there is a territorial claims and counter claims the provisional constitution is to engage referendum, but the woyane regime has violated all constitutional rights that the Ethiopian Somali has. Woyane gang leader Abay Zehaye and its cadre are the ones that ruling Somali Region. We are urging all peace loving people to pressure the Ethiopian government to return this people to their homes. Every human being has the right to have a house and place to live according to the Universal Declaration of Human rights.

sources galbeed.com

galbeed@galbeed.com