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Ethiopia's HIV
Carriers and the Consequences for the Ogaden Populace |
The recent
news that Ethiopia's chief of
general staff is gravely ill with full blown
Aids and is being treated in the USA is not
a shock to those who know the promiscuity of
Ethiopian army personnel led by Tigrian
generals who see sex, both consensual and
gang rape, as a form of subjugation. It is
no secret in many parties of Ethiopia and
Ogaden that militias deployed there see
themselves as both judges and the juries.
These militias masquerading as army
personnel, many of whom are infected with
AIDS carryout gang rapes not only to
intentionally spread the virus but also to
instill unparalleled fear into the civilian
population especially the nomads in Ogaden.
These militias know full well that in Ogaden
one would rather die in slow death rather
than admit to having the Aids virus. The
consequences of a single Aids infection in
Ogaden are unimaginable.
Ogaden is a country where majority of its
society neither reads nor writes in any
language. Ogaden is also a land where the
most basic of health infrastructures is non
existent. Furthermore Ogaden is a place
where, due to ignorance and misconceptions,
it is taboo for one to admit having the most
curable of diseases such as tuberculosis.
Even when the signs of tuberculosis are
evident, it not unexpected to encounter an
Ogaden Somali who will always insist that he
has a bad flu or cold.
Part of this denial is the result of the
society's lack of medical knowledge which
causes one to think that to admit to a
disease is a sign of a major weakness. In
this closed, illiterate society with the
non-existent health infrastructure and under
colonial rule, one can imagine how a single
Aids infection may cause the demise and slow
death of many members of the society.
Ogaden Online reporters in Ogaden have
documented many gang rapes both women and
children especially boys. To our knowledge
none of the rape victims have come forward
to seek medical attention. It is not highly
unlikely that some of these gang rape
victims have been infected with the Aids
virus as Ethiopia and especially its army
personnel have one of the highest Aids
infection rates in the sub-Saharan Africa.
Ogaden Online editorial board sees Aids
tragedy in the making in Ogaden. Even though
we are not doctors, however we see and have
documented all the signs of an Aids outbreak
in Ogaden due to the regime in Addis Ababa's
dictatorial and colonial tactics of
deploying Aids infected militias in Ogaden.
We would like the world community to come to
the aid of the Ogaden populace.
The world health organization should
carryout mass medical examinations in order
to find out the true picture and impact of
the Aids infected soldier’s sexual
misconducts on the Ogaden citizenry. The
world community should make it clear to
Ethiopia's generals and the fascist but
pretentious 'democrat' in Addis Ababa, Meles
Zenawi that the deliberate infection and
spread of the Aids virus in Ogaden is to be
considered as an indictable war crimes
offence
editorial@ogaden.com
Ogaden Online Editorial
June 29, 2006 |
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