DIRE-DAWA (Halbeeg) – International Media Watchdog has called for thorough investigation into the death of a News Agency staff who was reportedly killed by an Oromo notorious gang in Ethiopia’s Meiso town.
Last week, Oromo’s gangsters better known Qeerroo attacked a group of Journalists en route to Addis-Ababa town to cover the welcoming ceremony of Eritrea’ s President, Isaias Afwerki
Suleman Mohamed, who was a driver working for state-owned Dire-Dawa Mass Media Agency (DDAMMA) was seriously injured by the group and on Saturday he succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment.
According to journalists who travelling with Mohamed, the attackers associated the news crew with the Somali region. Mohamed who was of Somali ethnicity was apparently attacked and the group wanted him dead.
Mohamed recently graduated from a university in Ethiopia’s Somali region and was planning to pursue further education before the notorious gang cut his life short.
In a statement, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says the Ethiopian government should ensure the perpetrators of the killing are brought to justice.
“It is the duty of the government to ensure that the attack on the Dire Dawa Mass Media Agency crew is rigorously and credibly investigated,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Angela Quintal in Durban, “Those who killed media worker Suleiman Mahamed must face justice in court.”
The agency warned that the recent attack against members of the fourth estate would derail the efforts of PM Abiy to create a conducive environment for the media.
“The gains that Ethiopia has made in recent months, improving the media freedom environment under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, will vanish if journalists are violently attacked with impunity,” Quintal stated.
Oromo Female journalist
Those who were attacked also include: one cameraman, Amin Sherrif, a producer Amero Tesfaye, reporters Biftu Yesuf and Mussie Umer.
Mussie Umer who is Oromo female journalist working for DDAMMA was also seriously injured during the attack while fighting for Mohamed.
Journalists said Umer was beaten thoroughly after she pleaded with the group not to kill Mohamed.
“When the news crew reached Meiso, a group of people stopped their car, started to question them, accused them of being spies, and they hit them with sticks and their fists,” said one of the journalists.
Another one said they singled out Mohamed knowing that he was hailing from Somali and assaulted him badly.
Qeerroo
“Thought we were beaten all but the group was targeting Suileman Mohamed. They inflicted serious injuries on him,” Tesfaye.
Qeerroo is an Afaan Oromoo term ascribed to youth (traditionally male?).
Initially, the group was claiming to be the “shield of the Oromo people” and fighting and protesting for the rights of Oromo people who are among the largest ethnic groups in Ethiopia.
According to local authorities in Somali region in Ethiopia, the group has been fuelling clashes between Oromos and Somalis along their shared regional border of Somali and Oromo states.
Thousands of people from both sides have been displaced since May when tensions between Somali and Oromo escalated.
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