The afar and Issa conflict from an Afar Perspective and a response to Dr. Abdulmejid Hussien's interview with Addis Tribune (Posted May 03, 2002)Afar Association in North America (AANA) The recent conflict between the Afar and Issa tribes -the latter being a Somali tribe- is a continuation of a systematic and carefully orchestrated expansionist policy to achieve a long sought dream of Great Somalia. The sad aspect of this expansionist policy is that individuals, such as Dr. Abdulmejid, who have been given a position of power so as to advance the interests of Ethiopia are doing the exact opposite. We will give reasons why we strongly believe that Dr. Hussien is not being objective about this most unfortunate conflict. First, it is a fact that the Afars have never left their land to attack the Issas because of drought (or water shortage). The Issas' looting and their indiscriminate killing of Afars have occurred in the hinterland of the Afarland. These heinous killings have occurred (and are continuing to occur) in places like Gedamytu, Gawani, Adaytu, and Mateaka. Unlike the way Dr. Abdulmejid chooses to define this conflict as pastoralist, we will attempt to show that this conflict between the Afar and Issa people is none other than the Somalis' attempt to establish a Great Somalia. The culprits who are committing these violent acts are not nomads in search of water and grazing land; on the contrary, these individuals are well-armed army (which the Ethiopian government has failed to recognize). It is also a fact that the Djibouti government and some wealthy businessmen have joined together to finance this network of bandits, smugglers of untaxed goods, and looters of cattle and camels for the sole purpose of realizing their dream of a Great Somalia (i.e. establishing future framework and positioning themselves to realize their long-sought ambition and claiming that the Somali border ends at the Awash River). Everyone who is from the Eastern part of Ethiopia has witnessed the Somali forces invading Ethiopia, in an effort to incorporate the Hararagey province into Somalia. We all know that this objective failed when the Ethiopian army defeated these Somali invaders. We must wonder how Dr. Abdulmejid failed to remember the suffering and crime committed to then Hararagey province people during the Somali-Ethio war of 1977-1978. Contrary to what the world community is being made to believe, this current Afar-Issa conflict has absolutely nothing to do with grazing or a lack of water; rather, it is about the expansionist goals of Somalis. The Issas are Somalis. Not only are the Issas in conflict with the Afars, they are also having serious problems with Oromo farmers: Issas have committed mass murders in the Assabot and Miesso Mulu areas where Oromo farmers reside; these innocent farmers are unable to defend themselves because they have insufficient or inadequate weapons (compared with weapons of those Issas who have killed and displaced many innocent Afar people). Historically, Issas border with Afars started in Hurso near Eyrere. The Afars inhabited the area around Hurso and bravely fought against the invading Italian army. Up until the late 1960's, the Afars inhabited north of the Ethio-Djibouti railroad starting from Afedem, Mulu, north of Miesso (bordering the Assebot Mountain) to the city of Awash due to massive military incursion by Issas supported by Somali proper regime of Siad Bare. Today, the Issas wage war in zone five, Daawy, near Shawa Robit. Our question is this: Dr. Abdulmejid, how can you, in good conscience, describe this expansion of Somalis into the Afars' hinterland as a matter of water shortage in the Issa area? If the reason for this conflict is water shortage, then those armed Issas should not have crossed the Awash River into Mille and continued further into Daawy near Shawa Robit. We acknowledge that there are God-fearing Issas who believe in the rule of law and are in favor of a peaceful coexistence within regional demarcated border; what we object to is that group of Issas who are solely engaged in advancing, at all costs, the unattainable dream of a Great Somalia. We also object to the Djibouti government, which too has a hand in this conflict. Unlike Dr. Abdulmejid's claim, the Afars have captured several Issa fighters (with Djibouti identification) and handed them over to the federal government of Ethiopia. Reports from Djibouti indicate that the Djibouti government has ordered Issa government soldiers to go on leave with pay to fight the Afars in Ethiopia. There is a massive preparation to attack the Afars in the near future and Ethiopians, at that time, will have further evidence that these Issa bandits are not acting alone. Whenever the Issas aim to conquer a city or a region, and terrorize the Afars and Oromos in their own land, the first thing they do is to fly the Djibouti and Somali region flag. So far, this has occurred in Dire Dawa, Miesso, Gedaymatu, and Mille areas. Hopefully, Dr. Abdulmejid will not deny this fact. If he does, it will show that our Ambassador to the United Nations representing Ethiopia is out of touch with the region and the people and/or that he is deliberately distorting facts. Instead of informing the Ethiopian people and the world community about this silent expansionist policy of the Somali people, the Ambassador (who happens to be a Somali) reduces the reason for this conflict to mere water shortage. In essence, he is refusing to inform the world community that the security of Ethiopia and its territorial integrity are seriously being undermined and threatened. We Afars believe that the federal government of Ethiopia should protect the Afar people from these bloodthirsty murderers and looters who are supported and financed by the Djibouti/Issa-dominated government. Dr. Abdulmejid suggests that the leadership of the region should have resolved the conflict. This suggestion is ineffective and useless: An aggression by warmongers and outlaws who are being financed by a foreign country should be dealt with by the federal government, not by the regional government. To further illustrate, to readers, how the Ethiopian federal government has remained indifferent to this delicate issue, consider the following incident: When the regional government jailed some Issas who killed innocent Afars, armed Issa bandits came to the prison, killed prison guards, and freed the killers. Is this the work of a pastoralist? No, it clearly is not. On the other hand, those Afars who have defended themselves against Issas are still lingering in prison by order of the federal government. We must also be careful not to forget Mr. Nienia Tahero: In April, 2000, near Mateaka, Issa thugs murdered this peace-loving public servant and member of the federal parliament after Nienia Tahero left a meeting to discuss the increasing number of killings by Issas with federal government officials in the city of Awash. Nienia Tahero's killers are still at large and they continue to brutalize and kill innocent Afars and truck drivers. We also wish to emphasize tat the federal government showed its indifference to the plight of Afars by prohibiting the regional government of Afarland from administering the city of Gedamitue (which is 600 km from the regional border of Issa). The government chooses not to pay attention to the needs of the Afar and the Afars are not allowed to live in the city. The city still remains a center for conspiracy to advance the interest of the Djibouti government, which took over the ambition of Great Somalia after the disintegration of Somalia proper. This is a fact! So when Dr. Abdulmejid asks for proof that the Djibouti government is involvement, it reminds us how Siad Bare, the then-Somali president, denied that the Somali army fought and occupied Ethiopian territory during the 1977-1978 war. These never-ending lies and vicious forms of propaganda are doing a great injustice to the Afar people. Moreover, Dr. Abdulmejid's statement that the Afar-Issa conflict is due to a lack of water is false: The Ethiopian people and peace-loving world community must understand that the Issas are actually engaged in the process of ethnic cleansing so as to achieve their long-desired dream of a Great Somalia. The Afars never left their areas and went to cities such as Bieke, Shinille, Dawele and Adigala to attack the Issas, the Issas are killing numerous Afars in the hinterland of Afarland. We Afars residing in North America condomn the genocide that is being committed against our people and we demand that the federal government stop its indifference and begin to protect the lives of innocent Afars and their property. The Afars have every right to be protected as citizens. We understand that there are Issas in Ethiopia. If the Issas in Ethiopia are advancing a foreign interest, the government should not turn a blind eye to the dangers that are emanating from this conflict. There is compelling evidence that the EPRDF military leaders who are stationed in Awash Areba are engaged in corruption and have amassed much wealth by supporting and condoning the vicious acts of Issa thugs and bandits. If this conflict continues, the consequences will extend far beyond the security of the Afar people; it will adversely affect everyone in the region. Before it is too late, we are asking that the Ethiopian government to act immediately to stop the heinous crime aginst the Afars, instead of insisting that we (Afars) coexist with murderous bandits (whose overriding objective is to push the Afars off their homeland and destabilize Ethiopia). Back to main page!
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