Ethiopian Regional Leader said to Admit Role in Ethnic Killings
Peter Heinlein | Addis Ababa
. January 17, 2012
The president of a volatile Ethiopian regional state has been fired from his
party leadership position after reportedly admitting involvement in a 2003
ethnic massacre. The leadership of the southern Gambella region is coming
under increasing scrutiny for corruption and abusing the rule of law.
Two privately-owned Ethiopian newspapers are reporting Gambella Regional
President Omod Obang Olum has been removed from his post as head of the
ruling Gambella Peoples' Democratic Movement. The GPDM is affiliated with
the country's ruling party, the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic
Front.
It was not immediately clear whether Omod Obang would retain the post of
regional president, but in Ethiopia's de-facto one-party system, party
positions are considered more important than government titles.
Several other GPDM executive committee members were also reported to have
lost their jobs.
The dismissals followed a week-long self-evaluation of the government's
performance. Among the issues raised were corruption, the controversial
practice of leasing huge tracts of land to foreign investors, and a
December, 2003 massacre of more than 400 members of the minority ethnic
Anuak community.
Sources contacted by VOA's Amharic language service in Gambella say the
normally secret proceedings caused an uproar after the testimony was
surreptitiously recorded and made public. Omod Obang reportedly can be
heard on the recording admitting a role in the mass killings, and arguing
that if he is to be held accountable, so should Ethiopian Prime Minister
Meles Zenawi.
A 2005 Human Rights Watch report accused Ethiopia's military of widespread
murder, rape and torture of ethnic Anuak in Gambella in December, 2003. But
a subsequent government investigation largely absolved the military of
wrongdoing.
Coincidentally, Human Rights Watch is releasing another report about
Gambella on Tuesday. That report criticizes the Ethiopian government policy
of forced villagization, the resettling indigenous people from land that is
being leased for commercial agriculture. Many of the estimated 70,000
people being relocated are Anuak pastoralists.
In a telephone interview, Human Rights Watch researcher Ben Rawlence said
Omod Obang's apparent confession should prompt a reopening of the
investigation into the 2003 massacre.
"Human Rights Watch investigated the events of 2003 and 2004 in Gambella and
we called for an investigation of that at the time, so if he is now talking
about his role, I would hope that that might provide an opportunity to
investigate what happened back then and to hold some of those people to
account," Rawlence said.
In an apparent coincidence, U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia Donald Booth made
what officials called a long-planned two-day visit last week to Gambella.
An embassy press release said the ambassador spoke to Regional President
Omod Obang to share views on regional development and commercial farming
issues. The statement said Booth had also met representatives of the U.N.
refugee agency.
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Received on Tue Jan 17 2012 - 11:59:50 EST
