- Somaliland transfers custody of Oromo man to Ethiopia

Somaliland transfers custody of Oromo man to Ethiopia

Garowe Online - October 23, 2008

Authorities in Somalia's self-declared Republic of Somaliland transferred custody of an Oromo detainee over to the Ethiopian government, a rights worker told Garowe Online.

The Oromo man, named Mohamed Ahmed, went missing from the Somaliland capital of Hargeisa where he lived on October 15.

Saleban Ismail Bulale, director of local human rights organization Horn Watch, told Garowe Online that Mr. Ahmed's relatives contacted him about the missing man.

He indicated that Horn Watch investigated the matter and discovered that Mr. Ahmed was in the custody of Somaliland authorities, who did not formally charge him with a crime.

"They [authorities] refused to discuss the matter with us," Mr. Bulale said, while condemning the Somaliland administration for extraditing a civilian over to the Ethiopian government, where he could be tortured.

The Oromo people are an ethnic group in Ethiopia, some of whom have been fighting against Addis Ababa for self-determination of Oromo. Read More.