Protests erupt in Ethiopia’s Dire Dawa city after police stormed the home of a young Somali man who had rejected what he described as a fabricated claim by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
While addressing parliament last week, PM Ahmed, who is Oromo by ethnicity, said Dire Dawa was under the Oromia region based on the constitution.
“Dire Dawa was under the Oromia region in the constitution. It is the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) that put the city under the federal government, and made the arrangement for the Somali’s and Oromo’s to administer it in turn. But that is not in the constitution. That brought about peace,” he remarked during his latest parliamentary appearance.
The prime minister’s speech was widely viewed as an attempt to distort public perception and consolidate control under the ideology of Orommuma.
The remark seems to have embittered ethnic Somalis. There is no evidence if the sentiment is shared across the great proportion of ethnic Somalis.
“I have never heard before – or seen written anywhere – that Dire Dawa belongs to the Oromo. From what I have heard from our elders, what I know is that Dire Dawa is Issa and Gurgura,” a young man said in a video footage from an event which was shared on social media.
He added that “Dire Dawa has never been the Oromo region or administration.”
This young man whose name was not immediately disclosed thinks that the prime minister should apologise for it. He thinks that it was under the TPLF/EPRDF that the Oromos were privileged to administer the city in turns.
The gentleman who was speaking in the presence of ethnic Somali elders asserts that the Oromo’s used to come to the city only for selling milk and eggs, implying that “they are not native to Dire Dawa.”
“According to the prime minister, Dire Dawa belongs to ethnic Oromo , maybe he saw that in his dream.” The young man added.
However, the attempted arrest did not go as planned. Within minutes, angry residents flooded the streets, standing shoulder to shoulder to defend the young man. What began as a quiet police raid turned into a charged standoff, as the community united in protest and refused to calm down.
Witnesses told APA that the confrontation grew intense, with locals denouncing what they described as an attack on free speech, ethnic equality, and truth-telling.
Security forces attempted to control the crowd, but the sheer determination of protesters forced a temporary withdrawal. As of this update, local officials have not released a statement, and negotiations are reportedly underway to calm the situation.
MG/as/APA