Fate of young man kidnapped by army remains mystery

ESAT News (May 31, 2016)

Abel Hoso, born to an Ethiopian mom and a Cuban father was a cab driver and a mechanic in Harar, a historic city in eastern Ethiopia.

He was sentenced to ten years in prison for “stabbing and killing” a soldier in the town. He was released after serving two years up on discovery that the soldier whom he was accused of killing was in fact alive and was serving in Somalia as part of the African peace keeping mission.

His family says Abel was out of favor with the soldiers in town because he informed the regional commander about the embezzlement at the military clinic where soldiers were said to have stolen medical equipment and sold them to private clinics.

Four years ago he was taken by soldiers who said he had attacked the security guard of their commander. Abel has not been seen since then; and his mother and relatives have been pleading with regional military commanders on his whereabouts, but to no avail.