Ginbot 20 –a Sad Day for Somalis in the Ogaden

Ginbot 20 – the 9th month of Ethiopian Calendar corresponding to 28th May G.C –is the day former Ethiopian dictator was overthrown and his regime fell apart. This day is a historic day for some parts of Ethiopia, particularly the Tigrayans who are since then enjoying relative development and freedom, but unfortunately not for so many Somalis who were also the victims of the Derg regime and still to date remain the target of neglect and collective punishment by Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) led government. While there has been a tangible change in other parts of Ethiopia that is favored by TPLF, all Somalis everywhere in Ogaden continue to pay the price of being a SOMALI. They are not allowed to exercise the right to choose, they are massacred in the name of rebellion, their villages burned down, hundreds of thousands forced to flee into neighboring countries, the figure of internally displaced being much higher than that. In short, the situation is as dire or worse as it was eighteen years before.

Despite all these hardships, TPLF and their cadres in Jigjiga and elsewhere in Ogaden are using this day as a propaganda tool and forcing people to come out for mass celebrations, as if they have changed the lives of the poor for the better!! They have employed a large number of spies to threaten the community. It is an open secret that anyone who does not participate activities intended to glorify this day will be considered a member of anti-peace elements, and as a result risks unlawful arrest and extreme torture.

Last year there was a huge loss of lives in Jigjiga and Dhagaxbur when simultaneous explosions hit crowds forced to attend Ginbot 20 event. Some of the casualties went to TPLF stooges including Abdulahi Hasan Lugbuur –a selfish and ignorant man claiming to be president of the people while he is only one of the real enemies. However, the majority of the victims were people from the street who were forced to attend the show. The TPLF blamed ONLF for the attack; but the leadership of the latter distanced itself from such acts. In addition, some people interviewed pointed out that they have every reason to suspect the regime in power of executing the plot to mislead the international community against ONLF. The TPLF and its cadres are using the same tactics to organize people forcefully for this year´s Ginbot celebration. Many, including business people, are going to be present to show their faces to the organizers only to avoid consequences of being absent. But as the memory of last year´s explosions is fresh in the minds of the people, everyone is afraid of getting there again. And some prefer to stay home and instead expect the worst case scenario: a prolonged jail (which they say is better than dying by an explosion!)

Tomorrow´s celebration of Derg´s downfall is about celebrating a change. Probably, we have nearly seen this change in Ogaden the first two or three years. But since then either it was the same or worse than the Derg era for Somalis in Ogaden. So, it is very ironic as well as surprising that Ginbot 20 is popular only in among Somalis and not widely celebrated across other parts of Ethiopia especially where there is a change worth of celebrating such as in Tigray region where the ruling TPLF comes from, and who instead prefer to celebrate the day TPLF was formed in 1975 (Hidar 30, 1967 Ethiopian Calendar). For the time being our minds are too busy to find a way out of this dark era but for sure, my people, our day will also come, hopefully soon.