http://www.ozy.com/acumen/the-secret-war-in-ogaden/64422
The Secret War in Ogaden
By LAURA SECORUN PALETNOV
04-20-15
Ethiopia. Once synonymous with starving children and deadly droughts,
the country is today a bastion of stability in the turbulent Horn of
Africa. Landlocked between unruly Somalia and despotic Eritrea, it has
become a darling of Western powers and an paragon of economic
development. Except: According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring
Centre, because of a war you’ve likely never heard of, 413,400
Ethiopians are internally displaced.
Because of a war you’ve likely never heard of, 413,400 Ethiopians are
internally displaced.
Since 1994, separatist movements in the Southern region of Ogaden,
which borders lawless Somalia, have been waging war against the
Ethiopian government. What started as an attempt to unify Ethiopia’s
Somali region (Ogaden) with Somalia has ballooned with a handful of
other armed groups joining the action. Which makes determining the
battles lines difficult — multiple ethnic and separatist groups are in
play.
Maybe the international community isn’t ignoring the problem but has
bigger fish to fry. Somalia, their neighbor, has suffered an Islamic
insurgency from the deadly extremist group al-Shabab. Or maybe they
just have no idea what’s going on. The government has labeled
separatist groups like the Oromo Liberation Front as terrorists and
forbidden journalists and NGOs from visiting the region. Felix Horne,
Ethiopia researcher at Human Rights Watch, admits, “We don’t really
know about the scale of abuses, given lack of access.”
What is clear is that both sides appear to have blood on their hands.
Militant groups are known for bombing urban areas — in 2007, an Ogaden
National Liberation Front grenade attack killed four middle school
students. Meanwhile, whole villages in the Shilaabo district in Ogaden
were allegedly burned down by police earlier this year. Human Rights
Watch called the actions of some Ethiopian soldiers — who reportedly
participated in arbitrary killings, rape and torture — crimes against
humanity. “After an ONLF attack, the Liyu police often retaliate
against civilians in the area, who they accuse of providing support to
the ONLF,” Horne says. The Ethiopian government did not respond to a
request for comment.
Given that a substantial chunk of the country’s GDP comes from foreign
aid — almost 10 percent in 2012, according to the Global Humanitarian
Assistance database — the international community has leverage to get
the two sides to the negotiation table. Yet Western nations, including
the U.S., keep pouring donations into Ethiopia. Ethiopian expert and
professor at Roskilde University Tobias Hagmann calls it “organized
hypocrisy.”
But with the fight against al-Shabab spilling over borders, the West
may need Ethiopia. Obama has called the government of Prime Minister
Hailemariam Desalegn an “outstanding partner” in the fight against
terrorism (not a peep about human rights). If this sounds like the
perfect recipe for prolonging conflict … you’re right, says Getachew
Metaferia, expert in Ethiopia and professor of political science at
Morgan State University. Metaferia says that peace will come only
after a major political reform with a stronger democracy and more
economic opportunities. Read: Don’t hold your breath.
Received on Wed Nov 04 2015 - 21:36:50 EST