Photo of the displaced obtained from social media
ESAT News (September 15, 2017)
Thousands of people are being displaced from the Somali region in Eastern Ethiopia, a region that has seen deadly violence this week. Locals blame the TPLF regime for igniting the killings in arming both the Somali Liyou Police and Oromo militias.
There has been a lull in the killings today but ESAT sources say thousands of people were being displaced from the Somali region and heading to Dire Dawa and other towns in the Oromo region.
The funeral of 28 people was held today in Jijiga town amid reports of organized looting last night.
Prices of staples have skyrocketed in the town due to disruptions in freight transportation and trade.
At least 50 people, including members of security forces of the Somali Liyou Police and Oromo militias, both reportedly armed by the ethnocentric regime, have been killed in the two weeks of violence. Observers say the regime is pitting one group against the other in a bid to buy time and get respite from the political crises it has faced.
Reports say authorities in the autonomous region of Somaliland have given protection to people who sought refuge in camps to escape an attack.
Analysts fear the worst in the East African country where ethnic politics has been the guiding principle of a regime known for its abysmal human rights record. Indifference by the regime in the face of deadly violence, the analysts say, tantamount to complicity.