Stop military aggression against civilians in Afar Region of Ethiopia!

Afar People’s Party (Qafar Ummattah Party)

PRESS RELEASE

The ongoing atrocities committed by the TPLF/EPRDF regime are reaching the limit in Ethiopia in general and that of the Afar region in particular. April 20, 2014 the regime instigated conflict flared around Awash killing 12 Afar civilians. This act of state terror was committed by the federal polis. Outraged by this act of terror, the civilians in Awash blocked Addis Ababa-Djibouti road causing stop for all gods coming from Djibouti port demanding the of removal corrupt army from the locality. Likewise, in March 2014 the militia of the Tigray Region besieged Konnaba district in North West of the Afar Region, which also ended in blocked road to Tigray Region until today. As usual, the Afar regional officials seem to be paralyzed to act on behalf of the Afar civilians. Hence, TPLF/EPRDF regime and its army should be held accountable for the brutal crime against humanity. Since Woyane seized power in Ethiopia, the Afar population is harassed, humiliated and hundreds of them have been killed by the army throughout these years.

In addition, displacement of thousands of Afar pastoralists continues due to land grabbing for Woyane affiliated investors in vicinities Afdera, Dallol, Teru and along the Awash Valley. The pastoralists have been evicted to desert areas without access to water and other facilities. Afar People’s Party condoms the killing of the civilians, forced displacement, land grabbing, social injustices with strongest possible terms. Afar People’s Party also shares the concerns of Horn of African analysts who indicate that the situation in the Afar region could lead to a civil war and destabilize Ethiopia. We encourage the civilian to continue their peaceful demonstrations to denounce the state terror in different places for the coming two weeks.

• We call on the army to immediately end the act of terror on civilian!

• We call on Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch and Journalists to investigate the situation in Afar regional state.