Ethiopia: ONLF Accuses Somali Region Security Forces of Disrupting Women’s Meeting, Reports Injuries and Detentions

Addis Abeba– The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), chaired by Abdirahman Mahdi, has accused security forces of disrupting a women’s meeting in Jigjiga, detaining its members and injuring others, in what it described as part of a “widening crackdown” on its supporters and political space in the Somali Region.

In a statement issued on April 24, ONLF claimed that “a peaceful meeting” of the Ogaden Women’s Association–held at what it described as its “regional office in Jigjiga”–was “violently disrupted by armed security forces.”

It alleged that “several ONLF members were injured,” a “renowned cultural figure” was hospitalized, and “a number of ONLF officers” were detained. The statement characterized the incident as “an attack” on “unarmed civilians and legitimate political actors,” and said it was indicative of “a dangerous pattern” of state repression.

“These are not isolated incidents,” the statement said, but part of what the party described as “a coordinated campaign to silence dissent, intimidate communities, and reverse the gains made under the 2018 Peace Agreement.” It further claimed that “the political space once promised to the Somali people is being deliberately closed through coercion and violence.”

The incident follows earlier allegations by the same faction that regional authorities had blocked “lawful meetings” and detained members in Garba district of the Somali Region.

The crackdown allegations come amid an internal split within the ONLF. A rival group recently claimed to have removed Abdirahman Mahdi as chair and appointed Abdikarim Sheikh Muse as acting chairman. The Mahdi-led faction rejected the move, describing it as “fraudulent” and “state-orchestrated,” and warned it constituted a “grave breach” of the peace agreement.

Criticizing international actors, the faction stated that “continued complacency is not neutrality–it is complicity,” and added: “Every time an atrocity is ignored, and every time a diplomatic relationship takes precedence over human suffering, the credibility of international actors erodes.”

While the party said it remains committed to “peaceful political struggle,” it added that it “will not remain silent while our people are attacked and criminalized.”