Letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao

Mr President,

The Somali people in the Ogaden didn’t choose to be a part of the empire-state of Ethiopia, but Ethiopia annexed their land without their consent in collusion with European colonial powers. The British Government handed over the last portion of the Ogaden to Ethiopia in 1954. Since then the Ogaden people are fighting for their basic human rights including their inalienable right to self-determination. In order to quench national resistance in the Ogaden successive Ethiopian imperial, military and civilian regimes including the current regime of Dictator Meles Zenawi has committed unspeakable atrocities against civilian population.

On May 10th 1994, the Regional Assembly in the Ogaden passed a unanimous resolution in accordance with the Transitional Charter, demanding a referendum on self-determination for the Ogaden people, under the auspices of international and regional bodies such as United Nations, Organization of African Unity, European Union, and other independent non-governmental organizations. But Ethiopian government reacted swiftly and severely by overthrowing and virtually disbanding all democratically elected national institutions in the region, including the Regional Parliament. Since then the Ogaden region has been a virtually closed military zone, where bloody battles are being fought between Ethiopian armed forces and combatants of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF).

Without the knowledge and consent of the Somali people in the Ogaden, the Ethiopian government signed agreements and gave concessions to foreign oil companies to explore oil, natural gas and other minerals in the Ogaden. As a result of the illegal and shady deals between the Ethiopian government and overseas companies such as; Chinese Zhongyuan Petroleum Exploration Bureau, the Ethiopian government forces evicted a large number of nomads from their ancestral grazing lands. Around the exploration sites the poor vegetation, which is essential for the nomads and their livestock was burned or removed.

Mr President,

Chinese financial and military assistance to the Ethiopian Government aggravates an already precarious humanitarian situation and contributes the deterioration of human rights situation in the Ogaden. The Ethiopian armed forces who are killing civilians, gang- raping women, torching villages and hamlets, starving out the civilian population and displacing them are using Chinese military equipment. The latest massacre carried out by the Ethiopian colonial army date back to November 15th of last year. The Ethiopian helicopters gun-ships annihilated a lot of civilian nomads and their livestock’s in Baarta and Ananu.

Since April 2007, when ONLF fighters attacked an oil exploration field run by a Chinese company, the Ethiopian government forces stepped up its human rights violations in the Ogaden by committing unspeakable atrocities against the civilian population. In an attempt to restrict people's movements, terrorize the civilian population and stop trade movements, the Ethiopian government has blocked up all commercial roads leading to the Ogaden. And confiscated lorries carrying food supplies in order to starve out the civilian population. It also depopulated and razed entirely to the ground many villages and hamlets.

Until the protracted struggle for self-determination in the Ogaden is resolved and lasting peace is negotiated, the Ogaden Communities in Europe call for the immediate cessation of all oil and other mineral exploration activities in the Ogaden, and urge the Chinese government to evacuate all its nationals from the Ogaden for their safety and well being and stop collaborating with the current Ethiopian government, which violates the basic human rights of the Somali people in the Ogaden.

Mr President,

The United Nations fact-finding mission, which visited the Ogaden between 30 August and 5 September of last year, received reports of serious violations of human rights abuses, and recommended an independent United Nations fact-finding mission to be sent to the Ogaden.

We the Ogaden communities in diaspora request you kindly to:

• Stop oil exploration in the Ogaden and military cooperation with the current Ethiopian government.
• Immediately withdraw of Chinese employees and their equipment from Ogaden
• Support setting up an independent fact finding mission recommended by the UN mission which visited the Ogaden.
• Help the oppressed Somali people in the Ogaden to get their right to self-determination as enshrined in the Ethiopian constitution; this will contribute the stability of the volatile region of Horn of Africa.

We are hopeful Mr President our request will get your full attention and consideration.
Thank you very much in advance

Your’s sincerely,
Ogaden Communities in Europe

Annexe: list of the classified victims (Ogaden Human Rights Committee)
Copies sent to:

The president of the European Commission
M. José Manuel Barraso
1049 Brussels
Belgium

Madame Louise Arbour
Haut Commissaire aux droits de l’homme
Haut Commissariat aux droits de l'homme
Office des Nations Unies à Genève
1211 Genève 10
SUISSE

African Union chairman H.E. Mr. Alpha Oumar Konare African Union Headquarters
P.O. Box 3243
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Commission on Human and People’s rights
Banjul, The Gambia
Tel: 00220 392 962
Fax: 00220 390 764

E-mail: achpr@achpr.org
Chinese Embassy in Switzerland
Par Email: chinaemb_ch@mfa.gov.cn