More than a dozen ethnic Somalis killed in fresh cross-border attacks by Oromo Militias

At least thirteen ethnic Somalis were killed, seven from one family, today in Babile, Tulli Guled and Chinaksen in east Hararghe zone of the Oromia regional state.

The killings are blamed on Oromo militias but there is no information as to what triggered the attack.

In a statement released on twitter, ONLF “strongly condemns the indiscriminate massacre of innocent Somalis,” and said “this occurred as Federal forces were stationed in the very locations where the brutal massacres took place.”  The 13 bodies are now in Jigjiga referral hospital, ONLF said.

But Juweria Ali, a doctoral candidate in politics and international relations in London’s Westminster University, who has families and friends in Somali state, told Addis Standard in a message that there were two incidents where around 20 civilians were killed.

“The families of the victims refused to bury their loved ones and asked the Somali regional president Mustafa Omer to meet them,” Juweria said. The killings were “committed by armed Oromo militias – No Liyu police [is] involved.

The federal military are stationed in those areas; so this happened right under their noses.” So far there has not been any official statement both from the regional and the federal government and establishing contacts with eye witnesses on the ground has been impossible for most of the day today.

But several social media accounts described multiple protests that took place in various areas of the regional state today, including key cities such as Degehabour and Gode. Addis Standard could not independently verify these protests, nor the reason for the protests.

Today’s killings of the ethnic Somali civilians came two weeks after the killing of 41 ethnic Oromos by members of the Liyu police in Babile and its environs. It is a sign of what is waiting for the newly appointed President of the Somali state, Mustafa Omer, who was touring places affected by the weekend of  August 04 carnage shortly before the resignation of former president of the region Abdi Mohamoud Omar, a.k.a Abdi Iley, who is now in federal custody waiting to be charged with multiple accounts of offenses.

Source: Adis Standard