Ogaden – the eastern part of Ethiopia – has long been the site
of a long-running, low-intensity conflict between the Ethiopian government and
the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) who identify themselves as Somalis.
After Ethiopian troops went into Somalia last summer to prevent the
transitional government from being overtaken by Islamist militias, the conflict
in Ogaden seems to have escalated once again.[1]
The Ethiopian government, running under the auspices of the
United States and the European Union, claim to be fighting an insurgency and
terrorism campaign backed by Al-Qaeda.
ONLF militias now seem better organized and have returned the favor with
several attacks – the first in a Chinese-run oil exploration site and the
second, an attempt to assassinate the regional president.
In response to the resurgence of activities aimed against
the government, the Ethiopian army has increased its presence in the region and
tightened its efforts against the rebels. These efforts, however, have been
especially hard on the civilian population despite its alleged success against
the rebels.
Human Rights Watch has reported civilian displacement,
burning of villages and crops, seizure of property, confiscation of livestock,
and in several occasions firing upon fleeing civilians. In addition, the
authorities have imposed a trade blockade on the region, expelled humanitarian
organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, and have
prevented independent research and reporting. Efforts by the government are
aimed at forcing civilians out of the rural areas into larger towns to deny the
ONLF a support base.
But the government is not the only one alleged to have violated international humanitarian
law. The ONLF is also responsible for similar atrocities against the civilian
population, including the kidnapping of families in an effort to recruit them
to the rebel cause.
The most worrisome aspect of these activities is the fact that
while other conflicts in Africa continue to
meet disapproval, this one seems to get the support of the West. By justifying
its actions as a broader counterterrorism effort against Somali Islamist
militias, Ethiopia gets approval by the U.S. and other western donors,
who are happy to continue sending aid – aid that apparently never reaches those
who need it the most.
“The Ethiopian government appears to be pursuing an illegal
strategy of collective punishment of the civilian population and the ONLF has
targeted civilians for attack.”
International humanitarian law prohibits military actions directly targeting
civilians and requires that parties to a conflict take steps to minimize the
harm on civilians. Policies and actions on both sides to the conflict clearly
violate these principles of international humanitarian law and by preventing
humanitarian organizations to have access to affected civilian populations;
they are augmenting the harm done to these populations.
While these civilians continue to be starved, displaced,
kidnapped, or killed, both parties remain hindering the efforts of NGOs to
provide food, healthcare, and other aid to these people. The West must discern
and separate what is a genuine effort against terrorism and what are just illegal
actions against innocent civilians in violation of humanitarian law that only
fuel separatist sentiment in the region.
Id. Quote by Peter Takirambudde, Africa director of Human Rights Watch.
IW Podcasts
Comment on this post
Comments