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Ethiopia: Unjust Somali Land Transfer by Unpopular Cadres Breeds Conflict Approximately a delegation of twenty Somali elders from the Somali National State of Ethiopia (comprising inhabitants from Wardheer, Jigjiga and Babili) led by Garaad Abdul Malik Garaad Cusman Garaad Cali had returned from Dir Dhabe after they delivered their stern multifaceted complaint to the ruling party of the Somali region. The ruling party of the Somali National State is holding an extra-ordinary session and did not feel safe enough to hold its meeting in Jigjiga due to the tension caused by what most residents called the regional interim administrator's “secret deals” with the Oromo National State . In his zeal to quickly wrap up a land transfer to the Oromo National State, the interim administrator of the Somali National State of Ethiopia, Mr.Cabdi Jibriil, has reportedly threatened and then warned several Geri elders who wanted more transparency about any land transfer from Somali hands. He did so after they questioned his secret decision to authorize such a transfer to the Oromo National State .
If they fail to heed his order, it is reported, he vowed to denounce them as anti-peace forces, or "nabad diid," or, in Amharic, “sare selam,” and would put them in jail. Such type of intimidation is a common charge in the region often invoked against people who attempt to question any position that government operatives propose. It is perfect ammunition for Cabdi Jibriil who, prior to his employment in the region, was a mid-level security officer in Djibouti during the reign of the late Xasan Guleed. Similar naked intimidation tactics and pogroms of local leaders and community advocates were common practice in the Soviet era of Russia , the Barre days of Somalia and Mengisu's Red terror of Ethiopia . Somali [Geri] elders have (1) decided to file a law suite at Ethiopia's higher courts in Addis Ababa; (2) doubled up and joined the efforts already mounted by other Somali [Ogaden] elders who are bound to present complaints to the Prime Minister of the Federal government of Ethiopia; and (3) decided to boycott the upcoming regional elections in August and vowed to par any farce elections to take place in their regions. As such, they withdrew their members from the ruling party led by Mohamuud Dirir who is a staunch ally of the interim administrator.
To show their resolve in fighting back what they called a “gross human rights violation,” Geri elders in particular have informed all levels of the regional government that they are not ready to pass over an inch of their land without being consulted. To this effect, Jigjiga is braced for a massive demonstration against the ruling party and a self-aggrandizing interim administrator. Both Cabdi Jibriil and Dirir are members of the executive committee of nine members of the party in power in the region. In general, mainly inexperienced twenty-something-year-old young men who behave like Barre's victory bearers and Mangistu's Saded cadres populate the party. One may ask why does the federal government in Addis Ababa tolerate this kind of group to suffocate the Somali region? Dirir and Cabdi Jibriil have succeeded to manipulate the Federal government in Addis Ababa by the simple stroke of invoking the name of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) (see a recent interview that Dirir gave to Waltainfo in which ONLF was invoked to our boredom). ONLF is waging a taxing war of “resistance” in the region. As long as these cadres keep telling leaders of the Federal government in Addis Ababa of their “determined” fight against the ONLF, power is wrongly secured in their hands, notwithstanding that Ogaden civilians and Qabri Dahar zone residents in particular are locked up in a real and bitter war with ONLF without any support from the Somali National State. Mr. Jibriil, who was in a semi-seclusion state, or what fanatic Muslims call “Khalwo,” until he agreed to hastily authorize the transfer of Somali districts to the Oromo National State only a few months in to parliamentarian elections, is now enjoying some sort of renewal in stature. This elevated status, however, is visible not in the Somali region but in Addis Ababa and among leaders of the Oromo Peoples Democratic Organization (OPDO). The OPDO is a junior member of the ruling coalition of the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Front (EPRD), led by the sitting Prime Minister, Mr. Meles Zenawi. The land transfer is believed by many to be Cabdi Jibriil's only ticket to become the region's new president for the next five years. However, there is a lot of dissatisfaction with him and with Dirir in the region. If Addis Ababa helps engineer the coming back of Cabdi Jibriil and Dirir to their respective positions, the region is bound to experience a protracted and wider conflict hence stability and development will further be hindered. That is something, at least publicly, the Meles Government does not want to see happen. The leadership of the ruling party and the interim administrator of the region are said to have extremely worried of a possible scenario where the Geri clan (one of the main inhabitants of Jigjiga zone) wins the support of the Jidwaaq clans in Jigjiga zone. If Geri-Jidwaaq cements an alliance with the vast Ogaden clan, the Somali national State's ruling clique would be in a serious jeopardy. If Addis Ababa decides to erroneously stand by these two corrupt individuals who have so far proven to be more of a liability to the transformation of the region, then the future holds a grim picture for the Somalis and conflict may exacerbate. The interim administrator, Cabdi Jibriil, and the flamboyant party boss, Mohamuud Dirir, are spoiling a lot of resources, often rewarding individuals with positions and embezzled monies, to divide Somali clans to impact the upcoming elections. In the mean time, this type of politics seems to inadvertently fan conflict in the region. Such politics puts an unnecessary pressure on the federal government and retards its programs for peace and development. It is about time that the federal government gets serious about the Somali region and step up its efforts to: (1) Stop illegal land transfer from Somalis to Oromos. (2) Move away from dealing only with weaklings and seek to work with the true representatives of the entire region. (3) Start listening more to what the region's resident want. If Girma Nawie decided to get serious about integrating Somalis into the bigger picture of Ethiopia in 1962 (as recorded in his famous report to the late emperor Haile Sellassie in which he chided the government for forgetting the Somali region), we do not see any reason why Meles Zenawi should do less. On the contrary, given the world's democratization process, Mr. Meles shall show, if not less, an equal zeal and sincerity to the Somalis. Spending Addis Ababa 's energy on promoting a more participatory government is much more worthwhile and less problematic than what could result from standing by unpopular individuals for almost a decade. WerdheerNews calls upon Ethiopia 's leadership to seek cooperation with those who can foster inter-clan peace and help implement badly needed peace and development programs in the region. News (WDN)Update Jan. 28, 2005
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