- South Ethiopia security apparatus is to be under Command Post due to security challenges in Sidama region
- Ethiopian Citizens For Social Justice Party calls sees the constitution as one of the roots causes of the problem in the country, demands an amendment to ital amendment
borkena
July 23, 2019
After five days of violence that took away the lives of over 60 civilians, not to mention the destruction of property worth millions of birr, Ethiopian Federal Security Forces took over security duties in Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s Region – a region that has been rocked by radical Sidama ethno-nationalists who declared an ethnic Sidama Federal state on July 18, 2019 casting aside all the legal and administrative procedures.
It is in effect as of Tuesday and remains in place indefinitely, according to a report by government media outlets.
According to a statement by Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s Region (SNNPR) media on Tuesday, the security arrangement was asked for by the regional government as violence escalated in the region.
A Command Post, a body which will be overseeing security operations – among other things, is established.
Under the latest arrangement, all zones in the region, not just Sidama zone, that is put under Federal government security forces in addition to Ethiopian Defense Forces.
The statement from SNNPR did not explain why security forces needed to be deployed in the parts of SNNPR which were not affected by Sidama radical nationalists’ attack against non-Sidama ethnic groups.
However, it has stated the new, and temporary, security arrangement is intended to enforce the rule of law and protect the lives and properties of citizens.
Detail of the arrangement is yet to be disclosed to the public.
Ethiopia has gone through at least two similar security challenges in South-Eastern and Western part of the country since Abiy Ahmed took over the office of the prime minister in April 2018.
Many citizens are questioning if crisis management approach is the right way to address Ethiopia’s problem.
Hopes were high when Prime Minister Abiy took over office that he would fix conflict breading political arrangement and unify the country.
Meanwhile, Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice Party, one of the new opposition groups in the country, on Tuesday called for legal measures against those who are behind the latest attack and destruction of properties of citizens in Sidama zone, South Ethiopia.
The party also called for an amendment of the Ethiopian constitution which divides Ethiopia into nine ethnic-based states.
The party believes that the constitution is one of the root causes of the political problem in the country.
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