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Published on 2024-03-14 21:33:12
Former President of Ethiopia’s Somali Region Released from Prison After Five Years
After five years in prison, the former president of Ethiopia’s southeastern Somali region, Abdi Mohamed Omar, also known as Abdi Iley, has been released. He was arrested in August 2018 and charged with inciting violence in his volatile region. The charges stemmed from fighting in the regional capital of Jijiga and nearby towns that resulted in the deaths of dozens of people. On Thursday, the justice ministry announced that Abdi’s charges have been terminated “for the sake of people’s interest”, as reported by Ethiopia’s official press agency ENA.
The Somali region is the second-largest region in Ethiopia but is also known for being one of the most unstable. In 2018, clashes erupted when the Ethiopian military entered Jijiga, leading to looting and mob attacks on non-Somali residents. This violence marked the most serious incident in the Somali region since 2017 when clashes between Somalis and the neighboring Oromo people forced over 1.1 million people from their homes and resulted in hundreds of deaths.
The reasons behind the military intervention in Jijiga were unclear, but Abdi, who had been accused by rights groups of sanctioning abuses, was later arrested after resigning as the region’s president. Along with Abdi, Kinfe Dagnew, a former head of the military-run Metals and Engineering Corporation (METEC), was also released on Thursday. Kinfe had been arrested in 2018 on charges of corruption and human rights abuses.
The release of Abdi and Kinfe comes as a surprise to many, as both were facing serious charges related to violence and corruption. The decision to release them was made “for the sake of people’s interest”, according to the justice ministry. This move raises questions about the current political climate in Ethiopia and the government’s approach to handling individuals accused of serious crimes.
The Somali region has long been a hotspot for conflict and instability in Ethiopia. The clashes in 2018 and the events leading to Abdi’s arrest shed light on the complex ethnic and regional tensions that continue to pose challenges for the Ethiopian government. The release of Abdi and Kinfe could have wider implications for the country’s political landscape and the ongoing efforts to address corruption and human rights abuses.
As Ethiopia navigates through these complex issues, the release of Abdi and Kinfe marks a significant development in the country’s political landscape. It remains to be seen how this decision will be received by the Ethiopian people and whether it will have any repercussions on the country’s stability and future trajectory.
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