Confirmed reports received from the Ogaden reveal clashes erupted yesterday in the city of Diridhaba in Shiniile province between indigenous Somalis and Oromo settlers, leaving scores wounded and of a handful of civilians dead.
According to local contacts, the clashes erupted after Oromo settlers launched a premaditated attack on a Somali neighborhood, which quickly spread to surrounding areas. Eye witnesses also reveal the mobs of Oromo settlers where heavily armed with everything ranging from bats, machetes and guns. Dozens of Somalis where severely wounded with life threatening injuries and where rushed to nearby hospitals in the area.
The exact death toll from yesterday’s onslaught remains disputed according to eye witnesses that have been in contacted with Halgan Media over the past 24 hours as the number of dead range anywhere from two to four. The city of Diridaba, which is the second largest city in the Western part of Ogaden (after Jigjiga) has been relentlessly been under attacked on multiple occasions over the past few months. Xenophobic mobs of Oromo settlers have waged a bloody onslaught against the indigenous Somali population as thousands have been displaced from there homes, while the government of Abiy Ahmed turns a blind eye, which many say is a sign of complicity !
We will keep you updated with the latest developments and updates from the region.
Halgan Media.
