Ogadenian despot Abdi Illey caught up by new Ethiopian reforms
Illey now invokes the ‘Somali course’ when ills committed against thousands of Somalis catch up with him
Ethiopian military Saturday entered the beleaguered town of Jigjiga, the capital of the Somali state in Ethiopia in a bid to tame unrest amid claims the regional parliament was planning to invoke article 39 of the country’s constitution to pursue self-determination.
Protests were reported in various parts of the city as supporters of the state president Abdi Mohamed Omar clashed with security forces. Earlier, state parliament speaker Mohamed Rashid Isaq confirmed the deployed of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) adding the whereabouts of Omar were unknown.
SYSTEMIC TORTURE
Omar, popularly known as Abdi Illey has recently at loggerheads with the Federal Government over the administration of the Somali state also referred to as Ogadenia. However, he has variously been accused of dictatorship riding on the tribal card to stay in power. Through the pretext of fighting for the ‘greater Somalia’ course, Illey has entrenched his dictatorship and ensured no opposition ever crops up or prevails in the region.
Illey has also been accused of suppression of dissent and running the infamous Jail Ogaden where several dissidents and activists have spent years in. In a report last month, Human Rights Watch accused Illey’s administration of ‘systemic torture, brutal and relentless pattern of abuse, torture, rape, and humiliation, with little access to medical care, family, lawyers, or even at times to food.’
Many children, the report released last month by HRW said have been born in Jail Ogaden, including some allegedly conceived through rape by prison guards. Female prisoners described giving birth inside their cells, in many cases without health care or even water.
PARAMILITARY POLICE
The Ogadenian dictator has also been accused of deploying the paramilitary police unit, Liyu police which directly reports to him to suppress dissent and sustain his dictatorial rule. On several occasions, Liyu police have crossed into Hiiraan region of Somalia and terrorized residents.
A local publication, the Addis Standard quoting a government sources said Illey had since Thursday instructed the paramilitary unit to move into Jigjiga. The publication added Illey declined invitation to Addis Ababa to discuss the prevailing security situation in his state.
The ongoing reforms championed by the newly elected Prime Minister Ahmed Abiy have caught Illey on the wrong footing.
When Illey was confronted with reports of torture and human rights abuses in Jail Ogaden, he flatly denied with his administration terming it ‘fabricated’. But the Abiy affirmed the torture claims and went ahead to relieve five top officials of the prison their jobs.
Illey has been in power since 2005.
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