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By Bileh Jelan @Bilejelan
Addis Ababa, October 21, 2020 – The Somali regional state police have detained at least three senior officials from the opposition party, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), between last night and this morning.
Mohammed Jigre Gamadiid, president of the ONLF Korahay area chapter, and his deputy, Tamam Mohammed Mahmoud, were arrested last night, while the president of the ONLF Godey Town chapter, Mohammed Garaad, and the member of the party’s central committee, Mohammed Ibrahim Mursal, received arrest warrants. Abdulrahman Mahdi, President of ONLF, said Addis Standard. Since then, Mohammed Ibrahim Mursal has been arrested this morning.
Last night’s arrests came just two days after a massive demonstration was held on Sunday, October 18, in the city of Qabridahre to celebrate the second anniversary of the historic peace agreement signed between the Ethiopian government and ONLF officials on October 21. 2018 in Asmara, capital of Eritrea. ONLF had since returned home and is currently a political party registered by the Ethiopian National Electoral Board (NEBE).
“We have been talking about the bullying we were being subjected to for the last two years. The regional government is using intimidation and harassment tactics to provoke and push us to break the peace agreement that we signed two years ago, “said Abdulrahman Mahdi, adding:” We signed a peace agreement with the government and we intend to maintain our part of the deal, the question remains what is the regional government doing to maintain its end?
The arrests also came in the context of reports of police violence and repression of dissent in the region. Addis Standard reported that in early September 2020, 7 civilians were killed in Rasso, Afdheer Zone, Somali region. Accounts of the incident were in conflict with activists who blamed the Liyu police, while the regional administration blamed the clan conflict for the incident.
A similar incident occurred in Qabridahare, Korahye area, where 11 civilians were injured at the hands of the police, according to eyewitnesses; the regional government avoided commenting on it.
Last night, Farouk Warafa, deputy director of the Somali regional state in charge of the General Coordination, Monitoring and Evaluation Department of the Regional President’s Office, quoted the Korahe Zone administration as saying that “two ONLF officials charged with vandalism assault are arrested [Qabridahare] village.” In a Twitter postFarouk also quoted the regional government’s Communications Office as saying that “defending the rule of law is not subject to negotiation or compromise.”
The ONLF president responded by saying, “These are the same tactics and claims that they used against us and others for two years because they know they can’t win. I think they weren’t happy with how people celebrated us at this great turnout. They know that we have the base and the support that they do not have in the region ”.
Addis Standard Repeated attempts to obtain comment from Abdulrezak Awol, mayor of the city of Qabridahare, were unsuccessful.
The ONLF is one of the oldest rebel groups established in 1984 in search of greater autonomy and self-management in the Somali region. The group had been on Ethiopia’s terror list until 2018, when the Ethiopian parliament removed its name from the list, allowing its members to return and transition to a political party. HOW
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