ETHIOPIA
Ousted, Then Arrested
Ethiopia arrested the former president of the eastern Somali region on charges of human rights abuses Monday, following his ouster earlier this month.
Abdi Mohammed Omar was arrested in connection with recent ethnic strife that forced thousands to flee the region and left at least 20 people, including five priests, dead, Al Jazeera reported.
In his statement, the attorney general accused Abdi of “stoking disputes along ethnic and religious lines”, according to the Qatar-based news network.
“Hopefully, today’s arrest of Abdi is a start to justice for victims of serious crimes in Ethiopia’s Somali region,” said Maria Burnett, associate director for Human Rights Watch’s Africa division. Earlier, a report by the watchdog group accused Abdi of running a secret jail where suspected separatists were tortured.
Abdi’s arrest is further evidence Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed means to make good on his promise to root out such abuses, which have long been endemic among the Ethiopian security forces. Abiy’s reform-minded government also fired senior regional prison officials last month over accusations of torture.
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