According to The Reporter, a team investigating the border clash between the Ethiopian Somali and Oromia regions has presented its findings to the parliament. The report indicates that thousands of people have died, and millions have been displaced as a result of the conflict, and the tension between the regions has not yet subsided.
The investigating team, led by Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonen, conducted the investigation from November 5 to November 11, 2017, visiting 16 woredas (districts) in the two states. The victims interviewed by the team mentioned that regional special forces, militias, and some youths were responsible for the violence, but the report did not provide much detail about the perpetrators. It highlighted that there was a failure to deploy security forces in a timely manner, which worsened the situation.
The findings also reveal the challenges faced by displaced people, including sexual violence and a lack of adequate health and education services. The internally displaced people (IDPs) are scattered across vast geographical areas, making it difficult to determine the exact number of IDPs.
Members of parliament have urged the government to disclose the identities and roles of all the perpetrators and hold them accountable. However, the federal government has accused regional officials of obstructing justice, as reported by The Reporter on January 10, 2018.
Ato Siraj Fegessa, the Minister of Defense and Secretariat of National Security, stated in a press briefing that regional officials have failed to execute the arrest warrants issued for the perpetrators. Out of the 29 arrest warrants issued for suspects in the Somali region, only 15 arrests were made, while out of the 26 warrants issued for those in Oromia, only 3 were arrested.
