His Excellency the Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Ethiopia
The Embassy of the Federal
Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Ottawa 8/7/2016
#1501-275 Slater Street.
Ottawa, ON,
Canada K1P 5H9
Tel: (613) 565 6637,
Fax: (613) 565 9175
email: info@ethioembassycanada.org
consular Section:consular@ethioembassycanada.org
Canada K1P 5H9
Tel: (613) 565 6637,
Fax: (613) 565 9175
email: info@ethioembassycanada.org
consular Section:consular@ethioembassycanada.org
Attention: His Excellency the Prime Minister of the
Federal Government of Ethiopia
Dear Sir,
The
Somali Regional Government has increasingly become belligerent and aggressive.
It incessantly carries out coercion, torture, abduction, incarceration,
massacres, ethnic cleansing and assassination in the Somali Region. The most
recent massacre was perpetrated in the Jama Dubad village, in the vicinity of
Gashamo District. Recently, 21 people have been executed and hastily buried
without given proper respect or time for family members to grieve. The Somali
Regional Government continues to intimidate Ethiopian citizens in the Somali-Region
in their own backyards without regard to guilt, innocence, age or gender.
The
following are the names of Jama Dubad victims. There are 21 fatalities, who
were innocent civilians nursing their normal daily life routines, when they
were rounded up, taken out of the mosque, houses and streets, then cold
bloodily murdered.
1 Cabdi Aadan Dhuux 2 Cirobe
Xaashi Fuuraa
3 Dhabuke
Cabdi Guure Hibo Haaruun Yusuf
5 Farax Cabdi Aadan 6 Caasha
Jamac Fidhin
7 Indho Deeq 8
Casha Maxed Jamac
9 c/raxiim
ibrahin yusuf 10
Qorane Ismacil Carafe
11 maxed yusuf
xusen 12
Xamse Cabdi Axmed
13 Cabdi Ismacil
Diiriye 14
Cabdi Ismaciil Care
15 Maxed Salax Fidhin 16
Sayid C/lahi Cateye
17 Carab Xasan Biqirje 18
Maxed Axmed Jamac Afdabayl
19 Maxed Xarir
Faarax Fidhin 20 -
Farax Cirobe Fuuraa
21- Khadra Xirsi
Xusen Warsame.
Few
days ago, close to 40 Elders were abducted from three different villages
included Moholin, Gorgor and Booda dheere, all in the Gashamo district. The Elders
were brought to an unknown location in the city of Mersin. Few days later they
were brought back to Gashamo city where they were detained and held against
their will in a New Police location there for further mistreatment and
interrogation.
These
elders do not pose any threat to the Regional Authority, nor do they have links to
any terrorist group. The constant coercion and belligerence committed by the
Somali Regional Authority are in direct violation with the UN Universal
Declaration of Human Rights articles 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 11. All of which are prohibiting
torture, discrimination, imprisonment, violation of fundamental right, prejudice
to race, religion, sex, color and denial of life and liberty.
Therefore,
we ask the Federal Government to step in and to bring the killings of innocent ethnic
Somalis to an end. These terrible acts of violence are designed to ethnically
cleanse the region. Many citizens have already fled and left their homes, and
are now refugees in places such Durukhsi, Haji Salah and other border areas
between Ethiopia and Somaliland.
As
a first step, to express our grievances, and to underline the discontent of our
diaspora community with regard to these mass killings committed by the New Police,
we are planning to hold a peaceful demonstration in front of the Ethiopian
Embassy in Ottawa on July 8 between 14:00 – 16:00. Furthermore, we request an audience with the
Ambassador and Security officials at the Embassy at a time of their
convenience. It is our desire to present additional documents, and convey our
sorrow and alienation to the Federal Government of Ethiopia.
Likewise,
we seek to hear suggestion and solutions on how to explore ways to bring
justice and peaceful coexistence of the Ethiopian people. It is vital for any
reconciliation to find the perpetrators of Jama Dubad massacre and to bring
them to justice. It is in the interest of the Ethiopian Federal Government to
heed to the calls and to end the hemorrhage decreed by the butcher of the
Region Mr. Abdi Omer and his ruthless killing machine – the New Police. Cease
the torture, intimidation and massacre before it spills over to a more uncontrolled
armed struggle and quest for freedom.
To conclude, let me remind you a brief history of
Somali Ethiopian Territory.
The 1884 Egyptian withdrawal from Berbera, Zeyla, Bulhar, Harar and the Sudan unleashed a scramble over the evacuated areas between Great Britain, France and Ethiopia. The race was to three areas: Fashoda, Harar, and the Somali country. By 1885, the British had won the race to the Somali country, and had signed various treaties with Somali elders in which they agreed `never to cede, sell, mortgage, or otherwise give for occupation--save to the British Government--any portion of the territory presently inhabited by them, or being under their control'.
The 1884 Egyptian withdrawal from Berbera, Zeyla, Bulhar, Harar and the Sudan unleashed a scramble over the evacuated areas between Great Britain, France and Ethiopia. The race was to three areas: Fashoda, Harar, and the Somali country. By 1885, the British had won the race to the Somali country, and had signed various treaties with Somali elders in which they agreed `never to cede, sell, mortgage, or otherwise give for occupation--save to the British Government--any portion of the territory presently inhabited by them, or being under their control'.
Sir Rennell Rodd led the British diplomatic mission to Ethiopia with the
aim of regulating the eastern frontier of the Protectorate and safeguarding
British commercial and strategic interests. To achieve these objectives, the `conciliation
of Ethiopia during the last phase of the Khartoum campaign' was considered of
great necessity. Menilek was pleased with the conciliatory gestures of the
mission, as well as with its `no-nonsense proposals and the logic of British
non-involvement in Ethiopia'. The pawn in the `conciliation' of Ethiopia was
British Somaliland, a territory in which Lord Salisbury had little interest
because he considered it as part of the `light lands of Africa'. For his
neutrality, Menilek, who was at the time `reconstituting the ancient limits of
Ethiopia', demanded `nearly half of our Somali Protectorate'. After much
haggling, he settled for a `hefty third', which was ratified in the 1897
Anglo-Ethiopian Treaty.
The treaty consisted of six articles. The first article endorsed trade
across the borders of Ethiopia and British Somaliland. The second article
called for the demarcation of the frontiers of British Somaliland through
negotiations between Rennell Rodd and the governor of Harar, Ras Maconen.
Articles three, four, five and six dealt with the opening of the caravan route
between Harar and Zeila, gave both nations `advantage' in duties and taxes,
allowed for the transit of arms and ammunition for Ethiopia through Somaliland,
and prohibited the passage of arms for the Mahdists through Ethiopia.
The negotiations between Ras Maconen and Rennell Rodd produced three annexes to the treaty.
The negotiations between Ras Maconen and Rennell Rodd produced three annexes to the treaty.
The first annex recognized the need of the hitherto British `protected'
peoples of Somaliland to receive `equitable treatment' and `special care' from
the Ethiopian Government once it had taken over the territory. The second annex
demarcated the boundary between British Somaliland and Ethiopia. The `Rodd
line' subsequently defined the boundary of Somaliland. The third annex
recognized the right of the `tribes of Somaliland to graze and water their
livestock in their traditional areas. In other words, the `tribes occupying
either side of the line shall have the right to the grazing-grounds on the
other side, but during their migrations it is understood that they shall be
subject to the jurisdiction of the territorial authority.'
To insure peace and tranquility
in the region, the following demands should be met: -
1.
the rights of
the Somali pastoral communities to `cross the frontier for the purpose of
grazing, as originally set out in the Anglo-Ethiopian Treaty of 1897 and the
letters annexed thereto' should be respected and honored.
2. A separate local government should be setup for the
Haud and The Reserved Area. This new administration should receive special status
that falls under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government of Ethiopia –
independent from Zone 5 administration of the Somali Region.
3. Haud and The Reserved Area do not receive significant
investment and Somali Regional Authority does not inject any funds to support
development in that region. Thus, years of neglect and disregard has devastated
the infrastructure of the region. Therefore, the Federal Government of Ethiopia
should insure and make funds available for the purpose of improving education,
Water and Sanitation facilities, electricity, road networks and hospitals.
4. As have already mentioned, the culprits of Jama
Dubad massacre should be found and brought to justice. This will discourage any
similar acts to reoccur in the future.
5. Damages and compensations should be paid to all
those families who lost loved ones in that barbaric act as well as similar
atrocities in the region.
Media Links referencing to Jama Dubad Killings: -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TWiAm3jEQY (in this video, one could
see a 2-year-old boy who lost his mother and his grandmother. He has also
sustained bullet injury to a leg and chest. The Boy’s mother was a British
citizen, who went there to spend time with the boy’s grandmother.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrGpVw4yYKs (in this video, one could
hear an old-blind-man who reiterates what has been done to him and what he
could hear).
https://qarannews.com/daawo-waraysi-argagax-leh-nin-8-sanadood-ku-xidhnaa-jeel-ogaadeen/ (an interview of an
American man, who has been tortured and mistreatment in Jigjiga prison of the
Somali Ethiopian Region)
Sincerely,
Mohamed A. Elmigeydh
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