By Ahmed Abdi
The Ogaden Regional President,Abdi Mohammoud Omar known as Abdi Ilay and his Vice
President Abdullahi Yusuf Werar better known as Abdullahi Ethiopia are under
investigation for alleged human rights abuses, a human rights activist, and former
Civil Servant defector,Abdullahi Hussein,who smuggled out over 100-hours of filmed
evidence notified the Ogadentoday Press’s Mohammed Farah Wednesday night.
“In the report is mentioned that the Regional President and his Vice President were
associated with acts which constitute a crime against humanity in which the film
shows,Villagers rounded up and burnt their villages to the ground,before they had
been demised,a large number of civilians were arbitrarily
arrested,detained,tortured,gang-raped,and extra-judicially killed and that these
measures were systematically targeted against members of one particular tribe as a
party of a deliberate policy targeting members accused of ONLF-Sympathizers”,he
said.
During his stay at Kenya,Mr. Hussein was at risk from the Ethiopian
authorities,following his escape from the region and smuggling out the evidence of
rape,killings itc.But Swedish Embassy to Kenya granted an asylum and gave him a visa
to enter a secure country,Sweden.
The details were first reported in the Swedish News Agency TT on Wednesday.
Chief Prosecutor, Krister Petersson,tells TT that additional people will now be
questioned.According to Petersson there is ” a vast amount of material” that needs
to be gone through,the report said.
According to Ogaden News Network,The Rights Groups such as Human Rights Watch,
Amnesty International,and Genocide Watch have been reporting the human rights
violations committed at Ogaden Region,but this is the first time an International
Criminal Prosecutors are conducting an effective investigations.
The Films are alleged to contain evidence of torture and abuse,The Swedish Radio
Reported.
Regional Commentators believe that the investigation will likely to brought in front
of Justice all those involved in the Genocide including in the Ethiopian Generals
such as General Abraham and Alias Quarter who are a close ally of the President Abdi
Ilay.
A fresh civilian killings was reported by the Somalilandsun, one of the leading
Regional websites citing a source from Ogadentodey Press.
Ethiopian Government made very difficult for Journalists and writers about the
region to enter into the region to cover what is going on freely. The Only way to
receive the news is to send calls to the people on the ground.
The Oil-rich Ogaden Region borders Djibouti, Kenya and Somalia and many of its
residents are ethnic Somalis. The region was Italian and British-colony, but in
1954, Britain handed over the region secretly to Ethiopia, a decision rejected by
the Ogaden Somali population who have since fought for full independence.
