From: Biniam Haile \(SWE\) (eritrea.lave@comhem.se)
Date: Tue Jul 22 2008 - 18:14:49 EDT
PRESS RELEASE
July 22nd, 2008
The TPLF army continue killing civilians in Afar region, Ethiopia
(Afar Human Right Organization) - The TPLF army continues its terror and
intimidation on the Afar civilian. One of the latest victims was a 16
years old school boy Ibrahim Mohamed Suula. July 13, 2008 the army shot
dead Ibrahim at village of Urissi near Gewani. Ibrahim was one of
brilliant students in Gewani Boarding School and at the time he was
visiting his parents during the school vacation. He was watching over
the family's cattle there an unprovoked army sniper shot him to death.
The other boy with him got wounded but managed to escape.
The woreda officials made a claim to hold the perpetrators accountable
for the killing; however the army officials responded by stating "the
national army has the right to kill who ever they want to kill" The
magnitude of arrogance, disrespect for the human life and dignity, and
human right violation by armed forces has caused outrage and bitterness
among Afars.
The case of Ibrahim is the tip of the iceberg. The number of Afar
civilians that have been killed by the army since 1991 is estimated to
be more than 4000, but not a single case was legally tried and held
accountable. Consequently, the national army stationed a long the
Djibouti - Addis high way in Afar region is harboring more that 4000
individuals responsible for killing of innocent civilians. Some sources
from the local community reported that the army is using the Afar
pastoralists and their livestock to train their marksmen. A motiveless
assassination of Ibrahim was also believed to be part of this exercise,
which is against all international treaties and the code of armed
forces.
The question is which stand to take on the national army that intimidate
and terrorize its own rather than protecting them?
Afar pastoralists are on their native land and move around with their
livestock to make their livelihood on some of the harshest terrain in
the world. The huge army settlements in Afar region have exposed the
Afar community for daily confrontation with the army and, therewith for
brutal harassment and human right abuse as a result. An additional
factor that threatens the livelihood of the Afar pastoralists is the
confiscation of 120,000ht grazing land for state owned sugar plantation,
which displaced 500,000 pastoralists. Supplant Afars pastoralists are
now forced to move to the neighbouring agrarian communities such as
Amharas, Oromo and Tigreans; which in turn is instigating new conflicts
between Afar and their neighboring brothers.
Afar Human Rights Organization strongly denounces the killing of Ibrahim
and other civilians!
Afar Human Rights Organization (AHRO) calls up on:
United Nation, AU, EU, Arab league, Human Rights Watch and
Amnesty International to investigate human rights abuses in the Afar
region.
For further inquiry and support please contact "Afar Human Right
Organisation"
ahro2006@hotmail.com
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