By Kasembeli Albert
Many confirmed reports make clear that the Ethiopian regime “initiated a genocidal campaign against the Ogaden Somali population,” constituting “war crimes and crimes against humanity.”/ From File
Ethiopia government has finally released two Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) negotiators abducted from Nairobi last year during the third round of peace talks brokered by the Kenya government.
The move follows spiralling security tension along the two countries’ border in the wake of a stream of incursions on the Kenyan side by people believed to be Ethiopia military personnel. However, the Ethiopia government has refuted the claims saying the raids were works of criminals masquerading as Ethiopian soldiers.
Following a series of incursions by the Ethiopian army into Kenyan territory in last fortnight at Illeret area, relations between Kenya and Ethiopia have increasingly got cold with the Kenya government deciding to terminate an agreement signed with Ethiopia in 2012 under which Kenya undertook to import 400 MW of electricity for a period of 30 years, from the Gilgel Gibe III dam under constructed and slated for completion next year.
However, in what appears to a diplomatic language Kenya government justifies the termination of this contract by arguing saying the country now produces enough hydro-electricity. But the real reason for the withdrawal is explained by the rising tension between the two countries.
Those released are Mr Sulub Ahmed and Ali Hussein who were abducted in Nairobi last year. They were freed on June 1, 2015.
“Ethiopian security officials brought the two delegates to Moyale town, at Ethiopian-Kenyan border. The two delegates are now in Nairobi and have been reunited with their families,” says ONLF in a communique.
The two, who were abduction on January 26, 2014, by Kenya police officers and Ethiopia secret service agents were taken to Ethiopia and detained in an undisclosed facility for one year and four months. They were were abducted from outside a popular restaurant in Upper Hill, Nairobi.
They were abducted by men who were in three waiting cars. One of the cars, a black Toyota Prado was seized and detained at the Turbi police station on February 4, 2014 but the two were missing amid speculation they had been taken across to Ethiopia.
Two Kenya police officers have since been charged in court following the incident. They are Chief Inspector Painito Bera Ng’ang’ai and Constable James Ngaparini attached to Nairobi Area CID.
ONLF attributed their release to sustained diplomatic efforts by the Kenya government.
“The Ethiopian government released the two delegates after sustained diplomatic efforts by the Kenyan government and members of the international community in support of calls by the ONLF for their release,” said a statement from ONLF following inquiry by this reporter.
The Kenyan government is facilitating the ongoing dialogue between ONLF and the Ethiopian government. ONLF hailed the release and return of its two delegates as a positive development that removes an important obstacle to progress in the peace talks.
“ONLF is committed to continuing the peace process in pursuit of a just and durable political solution,” said ONLF statement.
The move by the Kenya government to terminate the electricity purchase pact has rubbed Ethiopia government the wrong way scaling up diplomatic tension between the two nations.
However, at risk is the 60 year Kenya-Ethiopia Defence Pact. Although ostensibly formed by the two countries to protect and come to each other’s aid if either were attacked, at the heart of the treaty was, and still remains, Somalia – their civil-war-troubled neighbour.
The release comes in the wake of reports that Ethiopian National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) has infiltrated the Kenya police service and established a unit within, which pays allegiance to NISS and executes orders from Addis Ababa.
Security pundits consider this an act of treason on the part of Kenya police officers involved.
Though officials at the Ethiopian Embassy in Nairobi declined to comment on the matter only referring us to Addis Abba, sources within the embassy divulged that close to 50 polices officers are on the pay roll of the Ethiopia Government.
The officers under the command of a senior police officer based in Nairobi receive a total monthly payment of 900,000 Ethiopia Birr (KSh4.5 million) monthly minus the allowances and money meant to facilitate specific operations. The officers are said to live a lavish life and are accessible to top of the range cars.
Even as Ethiopia appears to be using the old spying system. Questions are emerging as to why the government has never taken stern measures against officers involved, including charging them with treason because it is clear espionage.
It is worth noting that NISS is a very powerful and dreaded organ of Ethiopia’s totalitarian government. It is to protect national security by providing quality intelligence and reliable security services. It is accountable to the Prime Minister. The agency has a wide permit to lead intelligence and security work both inside and outside Ethiopia.
“The unit specifically compiles intelligence reports as to specifics missions as requests made by Addis,” said a source privy to operations of the unit. The unit too specifically monitors the operations of Ethiopian dissidents and refugees living in Kenya.
The unit is also said to be responsible for kidnappings of Ethiopian refuges and dissidents and their subsequent repatriation to Addis Ababa where they face death, brutality and long prison sentences. The unit has specific detail to trail their eyes on Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and the Oganden National Liberation Front (ONLF).
Early February last year, the Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa (HRLHA) wrote to President Uhuru Kenyatta expressing its deep concern regarding the safety of four Oromo refugees from Ethiopia who were arbitrarily arrested by Kenyan anti-terrorist squad fromEastleigh in Nairobi on different dates of operations and taken to unknown destinations.
“According documents in our possession, Mr. Tumsa Roba Katiso, (UNHCR attestation File#: NETH033036/1) was arrested by people claiming to by a team of Kenyan police, who arrived at the scene in two vehicles, on February 1, 2014 at around 10:00 AM from 2nd Avenue Eastleigh Nairobi on his way home from shopping. The other three refugees, Mr. Chala Abdalla,Mr.Namme Abdalla, and the third person whose name is not known yet were picked up from their home which is located in the same vicinity,” wrote HRLHA to President Uhuru.
They are alleged to have been picked by the special police squad on the payroll of Addis Ababa.
The government of Ethiopia routinely imprisons such persons and sentences them to up to life in prison, and often impose death penalty. There have been credible reports of physical and psychological abuses committed against individuals in Ethiopian official prisons and other unofficial or secret detention centres.
Under Article 33 (1) of the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (189 U.N.T.S. 150), to which Kenya is a party, “[n]o contracting state shall expel or forcibly return a refugee in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where his life or freedom would be threatened on account of his . . . political opinion.”
This obligation, which is also a principle of customary international law, applies to both asylum seekers and refugees, as affirmed by UNHCR’s Executive Committee and the United Nations General Assembly.
Though some government officials denied it is official government policy, the Kenyan government is well known for handing over refugees to the Ethiopian Government by violating the above mentioned international obligations.
Engineer Tesfahun Chemeda, who died on August 24, 2013 in Ethiopia’s grand jail of Kaliti due to torture that was inflicted on him in that jail, was handed over to the Ethiopian government security agents in 2007 by the Kenyan police.
Tesfahun Chemeda was arrested by the Kenyan police, along with his close friend called Mesfin Abebe, in 2007 in Nairobi, Kenya, where both were living as refugees since 2005; and later deported to Ethiopia.
The Ethiopian government detained them in an underground jail in a military camp for over one year, during which time they were subjected to severe torture and other types of inhuman treatments until when they were taken to court and changed with terrorism offences in December 2008. They were eventually sentenced to life imprisonment in March 2010.
HRLHA requests western countries as well as international organizations to interfere in this matter so that the safety and security of the arrested refugees and those refugees currently staying in Kenya could be ensured.
Ends…
No comments:
Post a Comment