Press Release
To: His Excellency, Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed
To: His Excellency, President Abdi Mohumed Omar, president of DDSI
To: His Excellency, President Lamma Megersa, President of the Oromia Region
To: Her Excellency, Speaker of the Parliament of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia
CC: Amnesty International
CC: Red Cross.
A Call for Action by the Geri Kombe Diaspora to Stop Weaponized Ethnic war
We, the Diaspora community of Geri Kombe clan (Geri Clan) call attention of the Federal Government of Ethiopia, the leaders of the Somali regional government, DDSI, and Amnesty International to take immediate measures on the on-going massacre and mayhem meted against the Somali people, particularly the Geri clan, in the self-governing region of DDSI. The Geri clan occupies the agriculture land that is located to the Southwest, West and Northwest of Jigjiga.
In recent months, relentless attacks have been carried out to target against many centres that surround Tuli-Guuleed. Of the 15centers and 93 villages or Kabales of the District of Tuli-Guuleed, 25 of them are under constant attacks by militia armed and abated by the leaders of Oromia administration.
The intensity of the attacks has picked in intensity in the months of May and June. Some of the latest attacks, which resulted in massive population displacement and destruction of private properties, were committed on June 8, and June 10, 2018. Both the perpetrators and places of mayhem are information that we have and some of them are here to publicly publish them.
The attacks carried out by heavily armed and agitated militia, guided and abated by the leaders of Oromia and its much feared fadno militia have mercilessly ambushed residents of Darbiga, Dabylweyn, Jafi-Golosha, Jafi-Baadi, Ulaa-ul, Hariira, Godane, Tuur-Qaylo, Dhagaxya Cad, Harbicidd,Gurikhayre,Sandacare,Uusweyne, Qaansokaroor, Dharcaseeye and others. In the case of Darbiga, Tuur-Qaylo, Dhagaxya-Cad and Golmaayo, houses have been burned to ashes. The fires ablaze in the districts and centers where the Geri live is a reminder of what had happened during 1952, also known as the time of Cannons. This was a war of occupation emperor Haile Selassie and his feudal government waged against Somalis, the Geri Kombo, in particular. The submission of the Geri to the cannons of Haile Selassie usher in the full occupation of the Somali region known as DDSI.
Without any reservations, we blame and doubly hold responsible the administrators of Eastern Oromia and the entire leadership of killil 4, which has mustered the killing of our people and then make louder noises and orchestrated propaganda as if truth can be hidden forever. We cannot fathom why Oromia leadership is let kill Geri at will but restrain Somali local militia to even protect its people.
The attacks against our people are planned, armed by and executed from Jinacsani, where both the federal army and the Oromia troops are stationed. We resent and defiantly stand tall against all types of aggressions, particularly weaponized Oromia ethnicity. The Geri have defended themselves since the 16th century in this very regions and history speaks to that.
We call upon the Somali regional administration to immediately approach administrators in Oromia and seek resolution to this brewing and potentially large scale massacre against the Geri clan. We have seen previous massacres, and the federal government either took one side or entirely ignored the massacre.
With Abiy as the Prime Minister and the highest echelon of the federal government in the hands Oromo elites, Oromo militia have become ever more bold and the Geri is only one several groups targeted. Despite all this, we have in our people that they will defend themselves to the extent possible. But peace is always superior to conflict.
Therefore, we the Geri Diaspora, yes the Geri Diaspora for we are keenly aware of the Somali disease which play politics on matters as serious as this, call to your attention to stopping this conflict.
1. We call upon the administration of DDSI and its community leaders not to watch but to immediately find a way to stop the devastation and destruction Oromia militia met against our people.
2. We call upon peace loving Oromos to denounce the recent weaponized Oromia ethnicity that has been targeting against Somalis, in this case the Geri clan.
3. We also register our dismay with the new federal government and its zeal to protect the Oromo masses but not the Somali people. This is in total contravention to the rule of law.
4. We call upon all Somalis in DDSI to keep their unity, minimize clan politics and fight for what is their rightful place in the federal arrangement of Ethiopia.
In the end, the Geri clan will survive as it has always done against serious odds. This latest attack will be stopped soon or later.
Waa Bilaahi Towfiiq
Hassan Duale, Spokesperson for the Geri Diaspora
