Opposition Scolds Ethiopian PM for ‘violent involvement’ in Somalia

Members of Somali’s opposition parties have expressed their grave concerns towards what they believe to be attempts by the government to use Ethiopian troops to mess with the upcoming elections in Galmudug State. Last December, similar interference in South West State led to the deaths of at least 15 people.

The Forum for National Parties (FNP) wrote an open letter to Abiy Ahmed, the Ethiopian Prime Minister. They sent a copy of that letter to the United Nations Security Council too. In it, FNP said that it felt heavily concerned by the ‘ill-timed decision by Ethiopia to get involved in Somali’s internal politics.’

FNP said, “The Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) have repeatedly taken part in illegal activities in Somali. These activities have only undermined fragile processes by Somalis to build their state and embrace democratic practices.”

The coalition referred to the activities that ENDF recently carried out in Gedo region. Multiple sources have stated that Ethiopian troops were responsible for arresting local officials. Additionally, Ethiopian forces blocked President Mohamud Sayyid Adan of Jubbaland from touring Belet-Hawo.

The decision to deploy Ethiopian troops in Dhuusamareb, which is outside their AMISOM mandate, clearly indicate that “Farmaajo’s administration is interested in hijacking the Galmudug elections, which it also did last year during the South West State’s elections. Last year, the interference caused massive rigging of elections and led to the arrest and imprisonment of several civilians,” a separate Wadajir Party statement said.

FNP issued similar sentiments when it said, “At the time of writing this letter, it’s emerged that ENDF has deployed well-equipped non-AMISOM combatants in Dhuusamareeb, which is Galmudug Regional State’s capital city. The aim of this deployment is to mess with the upcoming elections, thereby guaranteeing the predetermined candidate victory.”

According to reports that Goobjoog confirmed from its sources in Dhuusamareeb, Ethiopian forces have been deployed with the upcoming elections that begin on Saturday in mind. Polls for the parliamentary seats and the presidency will take place from December 9-23.