The President of the Somali regional state Mustefa Omer has demanded an apology from officials of the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) for the “mass killings” that took place in various parts of the state during the TPLF-led Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) rule.
“This is the place. It is one of the places where grave human rights violations were committed to Somali people by TPLF officials. Here is one of the graveyards where nine members of a family were murdered by the TPLF,” said the president in a video message.
The president was speaking while his leadership was paying a visit to various places where “the mass killings” were reportedly committed during the ruling of EPRDF which collapsed two years ago.
“In general, over the last 30 years, some members of the TPLF within the federal administration and military generals including General Abrha committed unspeakable massacre and human rights violations on the Somali people,” he said adding “the massacres were committed by the leadership of TPLF.”
According to the president, at present, TPLF is either engaged in intimidation to keep the facts of the atrocities committed on the Somali people uncovered or belittling the issue altogether.
“We are asking the TPLF to apologize to the people of Somali for the killings its leaders had committed,” Mustefa said.
He said there is no enmity between the peoples of Somali and Tigray, nor has there been any conflict between the two people.
“We ask TPLF leaders and military officers to make an official apology for the massacres and violation of human rights on the Somali people,” the president said.
He said he was not raising the issue for political purposes. However, he claimed 25 people were killed in JigJiga, the state’s capital, another 90 Somali people were massacred and laid to rest at a place called Bekeka, and 50 Somalis were killed and buried in other places.
“We ask the killers to make formal apology so that the people of Somali will be relieved from such trauma,” he added.
Mustafa Mohoumed Omer nickname Cagjar was born in 1972 in Degehabur. In August 22, 2018, the Ethiopian Somali People’s Democratic Party, the region’s ruling party, executive & central committees, unanimously approved Mustafa Omer to be the acting President of the Somali Region until elections are held in 2020.
Mustafa Muhumed Omer, a writer, and a human rights activist, was also active in the region’s politics before the deposed Abdi Iley chased him and many other educated Somalis from the region. He has also been working for the UN before he was nominated for the post of Acting President.
Ezega
