Thousands displaced in Ethiopia raging land disputes
Ethiopia land conflict
from ADANE BIKILA in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
ADDIS ABABA, (CAJ News) – RENEWED inter-communal violence has displaced more than 68 000 people in Ethiopia.
It is the latest crisis from decades of fighting between the Gedeo and
Guji communities over land boundaries.
The violence along the borders of Gedeo and West Guji in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR) and Oromia region has displaced an estimated 40 000 people in Gedeo zone and more than 28 000 people in West Guji zone respectively.
The Guji and Gedeo have been at loggerheads since 1995 when boundary lines were drawn between the new SNNPR and Oromia administrative units during the Transitional Government of Ethiopia.
This is the third wave of violence since April when houses were burnt, damaged and looted. Civilian deaths, damage to properties and to public infrastructures, including schools and health facilities were also reported.
Some 274 550 people were displaced in Gedeo and 84 000 people also uprooted in West Guji.
The United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs raised concern that despite government security forces deployed to to prevent the escalation of conflict and for protection of civilians, the situation remained tense.
Regional authorities and hosting communities were providing first-line assistance to the displaced but it is significantly inadequate.
"The capacity of the hosting communities is also being stretched to the limit," said a spokesperson of the UN agency.
UN Department of Safety and Security last week issued a travel restriction on all UN missions to West Guji and Gedeo zones.
– CAJ News
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Posted by Admin on Jun 11 2018. Filed under Africa & World, Exclusive, Featured, News, Regional. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry