Tens of Thousands Displaced Following Communal Violence in Oromia and Somali Regions
Category: Unrest
Severity: 3 (Moderate)
Source: Drum Cussac
09/18/2017 (Ethiopia) - Media reports on Monday, 18 September, indicate that around 50,000 people have been displaced in the last week amid communal clashes along the border between the Oromia and Somali regions. At least 50 people are reported to have been killed in the violence with Somali region officials claiming that up to fifty were killed in the Aweday area of Oromia on Tuesday, although these claims were not independently verified. Tensions between groups in the two regions have historically been high with the area between the two having seen sporadic clashes over the past several decades. However, both sides have given different accounts of and explanations for the recent violence with Oromo claims of attacks by Somali region paramilitary forces being denied by the government and Somali region officials. Additional security forces, including military personnel, have since been deployed to the region in an effort to quell the violence and provide security along roads between the two regions.
Those in the eastern Oromia and northern Somali regions are advised to exercise a heightened level of caution given the clashes and elevated communal tensions. Travellers are further advised to minimise time spent in the vicinity of all demonstrations and political gatherings in Ethiopia due to the risk of exposure to potential crowd disturbances, incidental violence and security forces crowd control operations. Although some of the more repressive measures brought in under the state of emergency may now be relaxed, travellers should liaise with local sources to ascertain the status of security measures and restrictions in their particular area of operations. Travellers should heed all directives issued by security forces and avoid any activity which may be seen as contravening local and national decrees.
Copyright © 2024 Drum Cussac
Related
News Alerts and Safety Profiles are provided strictly for informational purposes and contain the best available data at the time of writing. While every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy, the information in this report has not been independently verified and HTH Worldwide therefore accepts no responsibility or liability for any inaccuracies in such information and any such liability is expressly denied, and no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made. Documents may be amended or withdrawn at any time without cause.