Council Member Abdi Warsame speaking at the Chamber after the resolution was passed.
Minneapolis City Council Members passed Friday a resolution calling on the Ethiopian government to take concrete action to immediately halt the communal violence between Somali & Oromo communities. Massacre is accelerating in the Somali region of Ethiopia. Hard to watch videos of mass killing are emerging. The Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed seems is silent while his ethnic group, Oromos, are dumping bodies in large graves and burning some alive. Very sad the things are getting worst in the region.
The resolution passed by the Council on Friday was written as follows,
Expressing Concern and Condemnation over the Humanitarian Crisis and Communal Violence in Ethiopia.
Whereas: The Somali and Oromo ethnic groups have struggled for over a century for their self-determination and have been historically marginalized since the inception of modern Ethiopia; and
Whereas: Since 2015, there have been mass demonstrations led by the Oromo and other communities to bring about civil rights, justice, and a more equitable Ethiopia; and
Whereas: Dr. Abiye Ahmed Ali was recently appointed Prime Minister of Ethiopia and articulated a reform agenda centered around love and unity to combat hatred and division; and
Whereas: Recently Ethiopia has seen an increase in communal violence, which has resulted in the loss of hundreds of lives and the displacement of thousands of ethnic Somalis and Oromo’s from their homes; and
Whereas: This continuing humanitarian crisis has affected communities notably in Tulli-Guled, Baabili, Moyale, Walgo, and many other towns; and
Whereas: The Human Rights Watch in July 2018 published a detailed report about the horrific situation many Somali prisoners encounter at the notorious prison known as “Jail Ogaden” and discussed the lack of accountability by the Ethiopian Government; and
Whereas: The City of Minneapolis is home to the largest concentration of Somali and Oromo communities in the United States living side by side in peace and harmony; and
Whereas: Residents of Minneapolis are alarmed at the ever-increasing death and displacement, continued incarceration of political prisoners, and the mob justice many innocent civilians are facing in Ethiopian cities;
—NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED—
That the Mayor and City Council do hereby urge the government of Ethiopia to respect the Somali and Oromo people’s right to their land, self-determination, and to safeguard their human rights and dignity. We call on Prime Minister Dr. Abiye Ahmed Ali to take concrete action to immediately halt violence and return all displaced civilians to their homes.
This is a resolution that affirms our commitment to human rights and justice. Passed this the twentieth Day of July, 2018
Lisa Bender, President of the Council
Approved: Jacob Frey, Mayor
Attest: Casey Joe Carl, City Clerk
