At least three Somali civilians were killed today while scores of others were wounded by the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) in Aysha, Sitti
At least three Somali civilians were killed today while scores of others were wounded by the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) in Aysha, Sitti Zone, Somali Region. The victims were peacefully protesting against ENDF’s tacit support for the Afar militia/paramilitary police units that had been fatally targeting and displacing Somalis from their homes in Adeytu, Garba Issa and Undufo for the last 5 years.
The incident took place in Aysha town after civilian protesters blocked the road connecting Djibouti and Ethiopia. The Somali civilians are protesting against the Ethiopian army together with Afar militias accused of taking part the massacres and displacement of ethnic Somalis in Sitti zone.
Early this morning, heavily armed Ethiopian military encircled the Aysha town, where protesters were blocking traffic on the Djibouti-Ethiopia highway. At beginning, residents peacefuly met with ENDF officers in order to negotiate the opening of the corridor; however, after negotiations failed, the army immediately started opening live fire on the protesters. Locals have told Daljir that at this moment at least three civilians are fatally shot and dozens wounded.
Other reports we are just receiving from Aysha indicate that the locals are now finding more fatalities showing severe signs of torture and thrown overboard and on to the road by the military.
“The Federal Government of Ethiopia isn’t acting responsibly and is not protecting the rights of the peaceful protestors. They are killing us deliberately and displacing our people on a daily basis in western Sitti. The violence must end. Our IDPs mjust be allowed to return to their homes in Adeytu, Garba Issa and Undufo,” said some of the protestors Daljir spoke with.
Aysha town, located in Sitti Zone of the Somali Regional State, is about 46 km or 29 miles south of the Djibouti border and about 20 km or 12 miles west of Somalia border.
Daljir Media | Contributed by Daljir reporters in Jigjiga, Djibouti and Aysha
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