By Myriam Clerge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Eastern and Southern Africa
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Yesterday, the UN Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs, John Holmes, concluded a one-week tour of the Horn of Africa, which included Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia. Holmes visit only reiterated the desperate and devastating conditions that are continuously issued in news reports. Somalia and Ethiopia’s Somali region, Ogaden, are in desperate humanitarian need, mainly the result of “serious international crimes.”
Conflict between the Ethiopian government and the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), a rebel movement that claims it is fighting for self-determination for the region, continue to mount. For several months the ONLF has urged the UN to investigate allegations of man-made famine and genocide. According to Human Rights Watch, governmental officials, such as Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, are ignoring the rampant violations of human rights. Reports and interviews by the humanitarian group has found that the Ethiopian troops are burning villages, sexually abusing women and girls, imposing trade and commercial blockages, and stealing livestock, a vital asset for the predominantly pastoralist community.
Despite such claims and the urge by Human Rights Watch for the UN to follow-up on the allegations, Holmes responded by passing the request to the Ethiopian government. After his visit to the region, Holmes said the humanitarian crisis in Ogaden is not catastrophic and could be averted, although 953,000 are in need of help. After meeting with Meles, Holmes received assurance from governmental officials that the needs of the people will be addressed. Following the meeting, allegations were released that troops were employing terror tactics such as hanging civilians to crackdown on insurgents. The ONLF spokesman, Abdulrahman Mahdi, says Holmes visit was “stage-managed” by the government to hide the truth that 99% of the people in the country-side are starving and soldiers were killing people “like goats.”
Prime Minister Meles dismisses all claims of a humanitarian crisis, saying a crisis “didn’t exist. Doesn’t exist. Will not exist” in the region. The Ethiopian government accuses the ONLF of being terrorists funded by Eritrea, its rival and neighbor.
For more information, please see:
AllAfrica.com- UN- Atrocities Fuel Worsening Crisis in Horn of Africa – 3 December 2007
CNN- Ethiopians Says Soldiers Killing Villagers ‘Like Goats’ – 29 November 2007
AllAfrica.com – UN Presses Country t o Probe Ogaden Allegations – 30 November 2007
BBC- Ethiopia Assures No Ogaden Famine – 28 November 2007
Yahoo News- Ethiopian Rebels Claim Army Hanging Civilians in Ogaden – 29 November 2007
