Date: July 20, 2025 Location: Somali Region, Ethiopia
🚨 New Attacks in Dakasoftu Signal Escalation
On July 19, 2025, Somali civilians in Dakasoftu (Liban Zone) suffered fatal attacks reportedly carried out by Oromia regional police and militia, with direct coordination from the Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF). Health staff in the region confirmed numerous casualties and injuries.
📍 Chain of Systemic Attacks Across Border Regions
This violence follows previous attacks in:
Biyo-Kulul village (Sitti Zone)
Bika (Biki) local administration
Moyale and Hudhud (Liban Zone)
Community leaders in Dhakasuftu revealed that one day before the attack, Oromia regional officials, the ENDF, and local administrators held a meeting where they demanded the forced displacement of Somali residents from three kebeles. The residents refused, stating that land transfer by force was unconstitutional and unacceptable.
🧩 A Coordinated Strategy Exposed
Former Somali Border Commissioner Ali Samira Sigad exposed this pattern three years ago. His whistleblowing revealed a strategic effort by Oromo PP (Prosperity Party) elites to forcibly displace Somali populations from five zones—a plan allegedly backed by the federal army and rubber-stamped by Oromo-aligned Somali officials.
This has led to the erosion of Somali territorial control in Liban, Daw, Fafan, Sitti, and even Dire Dawa—historically shared or Somali-administered regions.
⚠️ The Dire Dawa Crisis
Dire Dawa’s Oromo PP mayor, Khadir Jowhar, continues efforts to annex Somali kebeles into Oromia. Most recently, he illegally arrested the head of Marmarsa kebele, located in Shinile Woreda of Somali Region. This was done without jurisdiction or coordination with Somali authorities.
Sources from JigjigaOnline reported that Adam Farah, deputy leader of the national Prosperity Party, visited Dire Dawa after several Somali civilians were reportedly killed. Farah instructed Sitti Zone officials to align with Khadir’s expansionist directives and warned them against speaking to the media. He allegedly stated, “I serve Oromo interests, not Somali grievances.”
📉 Failed Leadership, Rising Displacement
Criticism also targets Somali region leadership:
Mustafa Omer – Somali Region President, accused of being hand-picked by Oromo elites.
Ibrahim Osman – Vice President, silent on displacement crises.
Under their leadership, over 200,000 Somalis have been displaced due to coordinated military and political pressures. In some areas, including parts of the Afar border, the ENDF was directly involved in expelling Somali communities—verified by EthioForum and eyewitness testimony.
📜 Historical Context & Broken Promises
This is the third opportunity for peaceful coexistence that Somali people have offered Ethiopia’s central government, notably through ONLF’s demobilization and reintegration into politics post-2018. Instead, the result has been renewed violence, land seizures, and systemic marginalization.
Since British withdrawal in the 1940s, Somali territories have faced continuous encroachment, often erased from public memory and national discourse.
🕊️ Call for Unity & Action
The Oromo and Somali people have long-standing economic, cultural, and communal bonds. These current attacks, orchestrated by a narrow political elite, do not represent the Oromo population’s will. Instead, they exploit ethnicity for corrupt expansionist goals.
If unchecked, this conflict risks spilling across the Horn of Africa, worsening humanitarian crises and igniting ethnic warfare.
📢 Final Appeal
We urge:
The international community, including the U.S., EU, and African Union, to investigate and mediate urgently.
Oromo intellectuals and opposition leaders to speak out against PP’s actions.
Somali youth to remain alert and organized in defending their rights lawfully.
Peace is still possible — but it requires truth, justice, and the courage to challenge tyranny.
🗓️ Conflict Timeline
Year
Event
Impact
2022-2024
Gradual Oromia expansion into Somali kebeles
Land disputes and community tensions rise
2024
Afar region conflict
200,000+ Somalis displaced
2025 – July 19
Moyale & Hudhud attacks
Confirmed civilian deaths, injuries
2025 – July 20
Revelation of ENDF coordination in Liban zone attacks
Alleged plans to annex Somali villages
Looming Conflict Between Oromo and Somali Communities: Orchestrated Expansion or Ethnic Cleansing?
