ConflictBarometer_2016

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
force, known as Liyu Police, into the region. According to
the OLA, its forces had killed 253 government soldiers and
wounded another 215 in fightings between January 5 and
September 10. The OLA seized light weaponry on numerous
occasions and destroyed two vehicles in shootings in West
and East Hararghe Zones on February 25 and September 10.
Additionally, military presence in Moyale district at the
Ethiopian-Kenyan border continued.
On July 28, the OLA allegedly shot at soldiers in two separate
attacks in Moyale, killing twelve and wounding eight. On
October 16, 100 soldiers reportedly entered Kenya in pursuit
of OLF militants, who they suspected of having killed
an Ethiopian police officer. In the process the soldiers shot
dead a Kenyan herder. The UN-supported implementation
of the ''Marsabit County of Kenya-Borana zone of Ethiopia
integrated Cross Border and Area-based Program” last year
allowed soldiers to enter into Kenya in order to pursue OLF
members.
jar
ETHIOPIA (ONLF / OGADEN)
Intensity: 3 | Change: | Start: 1984
Conflict parties:
Conflict items:
ONLF vs. government
autonomy, resources
Donan district, Shabelle. Throughout September, ONLF proclaimed
that they had conducted several attacks on government
troops in Gunagado and Dagahbur, as well as in East Ime
and Danan districts, Shabelle, killing 23 soldiers and wounding
31. The government did not comment on the incidents.
In 2015, Ethiopia had signed a bilateral agreement with Djibouti
to build a natural gas transit pipeline. The line would run
700 km from Ogaden to the port town Damerjog, Djibouti. In
the beginning of March, the Ethiopian army began to clear the
land for oil exploration, preventing civilians from returning
to their ancestral lands by confiscating their livestock. ONLF
warned all involved participants of being part of the illegal
attempts of the Ethiopian regime and threatened them with
consequences. According to the Unrepresented Nations and
Peoples Organization, up to 400,000 people from Ogaden
were internally displaced.
tsm
ETHIOPIA (OPPOSITION)
Intensity: 3 | Change: | Start: 2005
Conflict parties: Ethnic groups vs. government;
government vs. Semayawi Party,
MEDREK, Ginbot 7, Zone 9, OFC
Conflict items:
system/ideology, national power
The violent crisis over the autonomy of Ogaden region in Somali
state and the control of oil fields between the Ogaden
National Liberation Front (ONLF) and the government continued.
Throughout the year, violent confrontations between the
ONLF and government troops, supported by the governmentaffiliated
paramilitary group Liyu Police, took place all over
Ogaden, especially in the Jarar and Nogob zones.
On February 8, ONLF reportedly attacked two vehicles in
Dagahbur district, Jarar, killing seven people, among them
a member of the regional parliament, and injuring another
seven. On February 18, ONLF attacked a military base, killing
five and wounding eight soldiers in Gunagado district, Jarar.
On March 1, ONLF attacked military troops in Fiiq district, Nogob,
killing five and injuring three. On March 20, ONLF reportedly
clashed with government forces in three different
villages in Jarar, Korahe, and Nogob zones, killing nine soldiers
and wounding twelve. Between May 20 and 22, ONLF
conducted a series of attacks in Nogob and Jarar, as well as
Shabelle zone. Reportedly, ONLF killed about 50 soldiers
and wounded 65. During the attacks, two military camps in
Awaare district, Jarar, were destroyed. On June 5, Liyu Police
killed more than 40 civilians in Gashamo district, Jarar, and
destroyed all property, including food and water supplies, in
the village of Jama Dubad. This aggravated the situation of
the civilian population as Gashamo district suffered a severe
drought period. Liyu Police's actions were criticized by the
ONLF. According to Human Rights Watch, this had not been
the first incident of that kind in the region. On August 11, soldiers
reportedly detained and injured up to 30 civilians in the
town of Kebri Dehar, Korahe zone. One day later, ONLF killed
15 soldiers and wounded 18 in clashes with armed forces in
Barbarad locality, Doolo zone. On August 20, ONLF reportedly
killed seven soldiers and wounded six during fighting in
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The violent conflict over national power and the orientation
of the political system between various opposition parties
and the government led by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary
Democratic Front (EPRDF) continued. Throughout the
year, the government continued to repress the opposition and
arrested journalists, opposition members, and bloggers, and
put them on trial. In addition, this year, various civil society
and student-led groups joined protests all over the country.
In Oromiya State, protesters raised concerns that the government
would continue to displace Oromo farmers for the implementation
of the so-called Master Plan. The plan aimed
at expanding the capital Addis Ababa into Oromiya. Student
protests that had initially targeted the Master Plan at the end
of last year in different locations in the region, intensified
this year. In mid-January, the government cancelled the plan
due to the growing number of protestors. However, protests
still grew in number, in reaction to the alleged killing of 140
protesters by security forces between late December 2015
and mid-January. On March 16, 20 university students were
charged under the criminal code for protesting without approval
against the government in front of the US Embassy in
Addis Ababa. In July, protests took place in at least ten towns
across Oromiya, where 33 protesters were shot dead by security
forces and 26 protesters were injured during clashes. A
new wave of protests occurred after at least 52 people were
killed in a stampede during an anti-government protest at a
religious festival in the town of Bishoftu, Oromiya, on October
2. The mass panic was followed by heavy use of tear gas and
rubber bullets by security forces. Six days later, the EPRDF announced
a six-month state of emergency. In early November,
Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn reorganized the cabinet
by replacing 15 of 30 ministers.
In the city of Gondar, Amhara State, protests began after the