Jigjiga —Mareeg.com- Thousands of Jidwaq people—one of the largest Somali clans in the Somali Regional State (SRS) of Ethiopia— have taken to the social media, with many calling for the removal of Somali-Ogaden regional President, Abdi Mohamoud Omar (Abdi Iley).
In mid-December, Jidwaq community held an anti-Abdi Iley meeting in Minneapolis in which they stated on Facebook live video that they are “demanding justice”, without elaborating.
Khadar Abdi, a local minister for Trade and Transportation among other officials are touring in the United States of America to put down Jidwaq uprising against Abdi Iley.
Meanwhile, the local regional administration stage-managed a pro-Abdi Iley Jidwaq clan meeting in the regional capital of Jigjiga, drastically escalating tensions between the local government and Jidwaq clan.
The local government warned that their families back home would suffer severe consequences if cooperating with Oromo people continued and have already forced Jidwaq elders to defend President Abdi Iley against their sons in the diaspora on air.
Jidwaq, also pronounced Jidwaaq, says that they are not cooperating with anyone against Abdi Iley and called on the Federal Government to intervene in.
“We would pursue our interests in the region, like any other clan and nobody can stop us holding an event like this,” said one of the organizers.
Abdi Iley administration waged a propaganda war against Jidwaq clan expats in the U.S by calling anti-Abdi Iley meeting organizers as ‘Magafayaal’, the name for insatiable traffickers, from whom there is no escaping.
Abdi Iley’s mother hails from Jidwaq but his main concern is that Jidwaq remains the most Pro-Ethiopian clan in the country since TPLF took over the central government in 1991, therefore he can’t Persuade the Federal government to label his Jidwaq opponents as “anti-Peace elements”.
Ogaden commentators say, Abdi Iley will likely ignite conflict between his Ogadeni clan and Jidwaq to gain their support.
