The Sitti Zone in Ethiopia, a part of the Somali region, is facing a significant threat due to the loss of thousands of lives and displacement over the past five years. The Ethiopian federal government, the Afar regional government, opposition parties, and the extreme diaspora have forcibly displaced residents, taking control of three towns, 11 villages, and vast pastoral land since January 2019.
The Afar regional government and militia have killed more than 6000 and displaced 150,000 people, including women, children, and Sitti Somali pastoralists, from 11 villages and 85 water bores and pastures. The loss of land, towns, and villages has threatened the livelihoods of these communities, leading to humanitarian catastrophes and a significant loss of belongings.
The Afar regional government and militia have been targeting West Sitti people with impunity, based on their identity as Somalis. They exploit the negative narrative against Somalis, claiming they are enemies rather than Ethiopian citizens. The Ethiopian media has reinforced this idea, leading to the eviction of Somali people, including women and children, from their homes, shops, and mosques on the A1 main road of Awash-Djibouti. Meanwhile, other ethnic groups like Amhara and Gurage have been allowed to live.
Town and village dwellers as well as pastoralists from this Sitti zone of the Somali region in Ethiopia have been dispersed across hundreds of kilometers, over the Sitti zone, Dire Dawe, and Djibouti. They do not have access to protection and humanitarian aid from Ethiopia’s federal and Somali regional administrations and humanitarian aid organizations.
The Afar regional force and militia destroyed thousands of people’s means of subsistence by invading the Sitti zone. Following five years of nonstop assault and open fighting on civilians in this zone, federal government soldiers have deployed in the middle of internally displaced people in the central Sitti zone in 2023 to prevent Somali residents from looking for grazing and water, this government force restricts the movements of people and livestock. Even Ethiopia’s national defense force was accused of human rights violations against IDPs.
The primary source of income for pastoralists, animals, continually flee away to their familiar pastoral territory, which is controlled by the Afar militia, and they usually never return. The federal forces and their government illegally allowed for the aggression of the Afar militia that occupied the towns and villages of other fellow Ethiopians.
The Afar militia and regional government have taken over cities, villages, and pastoral property illegally and violently. The inept Somali regional administration and its allies are working to legitimate this action.
Thousands of people were killed and injured because of repeated acts of sabotage against the Somali regional authority. This region dissolved its police force while trying to defend the displaced residents from the hostile attacks.
The unlawful occupation and eviction of West Sitti Somalis are not given any attention. Thus, Ethiopia faces nothing because of these people’s loss of life. Population changes have been happening in various towns and villages. This ethnic cleansing was authorized by the federal government, which has been always involved in it.
For decades, the Somali people have resided in the West Sitti region, yet they have been denied their constitutional rights because of a persistent hostile narrative. Due to this hostile Ethiopian political system, they have been unable to vote, get representation, or access essential social services for the last 30 years.
The West Sitti people, facing a hostile government and historical animosity, have been enduring human rights violations against Ethiopian institutions, including the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission. Local leaders have conspired with federal and regional authorities to suppress their struggle for survival in the region.
Competition over state resources and authority, non-state entities, and growing ethnic tensions have put Somali people in Ethiopia in a dangerous position. The Jigjiga government decided to ignore the murderous war, ethnic cleansing efforts, and humanitarian disaster facing the Sitti people. The people are on the verge of facing catastrophe, and the Somali Regional State is taking part in the massacre
