Oromos in Somaliland

Volume 26 Refuge Number 1 Seeking Refuge in an Unrecognized State: Oromos in Somaliland Anna Lindley Abstract mission, businesses, or NGOs, and some fled to Somaliland The self-declared state of Somaliland is much better known since 2007 in the wake of the Ethiopian government’s brutal as a refugee producing territory than a refugee destination . counter-insurgency campaign in the Ogaden region. This Yet in recent years the territory has witnessed growing non- account, however, focuses on a third group, exploring the Somali immigration from the Oromo regions of Ethiopia . fortunes of people of Oromo origin living in Somaliland. The Oromo are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, but In the wake of marginalization and oppression in Ethiopia, have found themselves marginalized from power under these newcomers find a precarious refuge in Somaliland, successive regimes, most recently by the Ethiopian People’s demonstrating some of the challenges of in-region protec- Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), which came to tion and integration in the Horn of Africa . power following the 1991 revolution which brought down the authoritarian Derg regime. Political and economic Résumé oppression in the Oromia region, following the withdrawal L’État non reconnu mondialement du Somaliland est of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) from the Transitional mieux connu comme territoire producteur de réfugiés Government of Ethiopia in 1992, have forced unknown que destination pour ceux-ci . Pourtant, le Somaliland a numbers to leave the country. vu ces dernières années une augmentation d’immigrants Most research in the last twenty years on Ethiopian refugees has focused on large refugee camp populations in non somaliens provenant de l’Oromie en Éthiopie . Dans le Djibouti, Sudan, and Kenya and the major resettled popu- sillage de leur marginalisation et oppression en Éthiopie, lations in North America and Europe. There is a dearth of ces nouveaux arrivants trouvent un refuge précaire en information on the situation of the many Oromos living in Somaliland, démontrant certains des défis de la protection the Somali regions. Indeed, for outsiders, it is often hard to à l’intérieur de la région et de l’intégration dans la Corne believe that anyone would seek refuge in the Somali terri- de l’Afrique . tories, which in the last two decades have been much better known for producing than hosting refugees. Their presence has recently been brought to international attention as a omaliland, the de facto state on the northern periph- result of transit migration and boat smuggling to Yemen— ery of the Horn of Africa, is best known as the site although many are not in transit, but have been living in of mass emigration as a result of political oppression the Somali regions for several years. Recent research by the Sand civil war. In recent years, however, the territory has Refugee Studies Centre, Oxford University1 in Hargeisa, witnessed growing immigration. A significant proportion Somaliland, offers some insights into the situation of this of Somaliland’s migrant population originate not from population and the challenges they face, drawing on twelve war-torn southern Somalia, but rather from various parts individual interviews and group discussions with some of Ethiopia. While an Ethiopian presence is not a new phe- twenty-five people, carried out with the help of two Oromo- nomenon it has been increasingly noticeable in recent years speaking research assistants in July 2008, as well as consul- as Somaliland has stabilized. Some of these immigrants tations with NGO workers, UNHCR, government officials, work in Somaliland’s capital, Hargeisa, for the Ethiopian business people, and other local residents. 187 Refuge26-1.indd 187 8/13/10 9:10:32 PM Volume 26 Refuge Number 1 Causes of Migration the commonly held view in Somaliland that the Oromos are Despite initial high hopes, ethnic federalism initiated by economic migrants. Reportedly some people from Oromia the EPRDF is now thought by some analysts to have failed do travel to Somaliland primarily to work for a few months to accommodate grievances, while promoting ethnic–self or years, but none of the people participating in this research awareness among all groups of Ethiopians.2 According to said that they had left Ethiopia to find work. Rather they Oromo research participants, their problems in fact escalated emphasized that they had reluctantly left behind families, following the 1991 revolution. Most directly, they described fertile lands, university careers, or business interests, in the a climate of fear and repression, claiming that the govern- face of what they felt was considerable personal danger, for ment and regional authorities used accusations of links to an economically dismal existence in Somaliland. the OLF to justify a range of repressive measures, including extrajudicial killings, detentions without trial, and harass- Situations in Somaliland ment of people publicly expressing criticism of government People originating from the Oromo region are gener- policies and of their families.3 A minority of our research ally among the poorest of poor in Somaliland. They are participants volunteered the information that they had sup- effectively restricted to the worst-paid jobs, jobs which ported the OLF concretely in some way, and many more said Somalilanders find demeaning, such as rubbish collection, that more broadly there was considerable resentment and toilet digging and emptying, clothes washing, and other politicization among their communities as a result of their casual work. They are criticized for begging with their chil- treatment at the hands of the authorities. dren, something seen by locals as alien and shameful. Some The research participants also described other treatment are able to find work as watchmen but generally on lower by state officials that they saw as intended to disempower pay than locals. Stories of abusive employers abound: most their communities. Among them were people of poor as commonly, research participants reported problems with well as relatively prosperous backgrounds, and they had getting paid for work they had done, some saying that their previously engaged in a range of occupations—working employer threatened to report them to the Ethiopian mis- as traders, farmers, herders, students, and casual labour- sion and the Somaliland criminal investigation department ers. They emphasized the natural wealth of the areas they to make them give up for fear of deportation. live in, but were frustrated by what they saw as undermin- Community relations are generally rather segregated, due ing economic measures, such as the debt relations resulting to the language barrier, distinct culture, and belief among from the distribution of fertilizers on credit by local officials many locals that the Oromos are Christian (although many and the selective authorization and withholding of trading coming to Somaliland are in fact Muslim). As non-Somalis, licences. The prohibition on using the Oromo language in they fall outside the Somali clan arbitration system, and many areas of public life was lifted by the EPRDF, but par- have struggled to resolve disputes with members of the ticipants asserted that the repressive political climate and host community. Recognizing the way things work locally, the introduction of new and intrusive local institutions (sup- a committee of Oromo elders was established, with the posedly as a means of promoting community development) approval of the Ministry for the Interior, to try to represent had deliberately disrupted patterns of trust and mutual sup- their interests, but has struggled to be taken seriously by port in their communities. Somali elders. The suicide bombings of the Ethiopian mis- Various factors triggered the departure of those inter- sion, United Nations Development Programme offices, and viewed. Most had left in the run-up to the 2005 elections the Presidential Palace, and a subsequent backlash against and since, when there was a surge in Oromo arrivals in “foreigners,” including Oromos, in Somaliland, did not Somaliland. Many cited examples of close relatives who had make things any easier. been killed or imprisoned. Many had been imprisoned themselves, and subjected to torture and inhuman treatment. A A Precarious Refuge? significant proportion had been high school or university Somaliland itself has undergone massive political upheaval students and had been caught up in the waves of surveil- in the last thirty years. Growing resistance to Siyad Barre’s lance, expulsions, and arrests that followed various student regime culminated in the civil war of 1988–1991. During demonstrations. The general pattern was that they had left the 1990s, despite a relapse to conflict mid-decade, a polit- alone, secretly, and often precipitously—following detention, ical system was gradually established that has since ensured a traumatic event, or threat from officials—with the primary stability and peace. But the Somaliland government has aim of getting out of Ethiopia. Most said that they had come not been recognized internationally, and has recently come to Somaliland simply because it was close, without knowing under major political strain regarding disagreements over much about the situation there. This picture contrasts with the much-delayed presidential elections. Oromo research 188 Refuge26-1.indd 188 8/13/10 9:10:32 PM Seeking Refuge in an Unrecognized State participants emphasized the poverty of Somaliland—one It is hard for many Oromos in Somaliland to access describing the position of immigrants as: “It is like leading any kind of assistance. Compatriots are sometimes able to the life of a watchman of another watchman.” offer some help, but they are generally struggling to survive Nevertheless, legally speaking, insofar as it governs themselves. NGOs are generally not particularly interested the population in areas where it has effective control, the in assisting non-Somalis, given the major issues facing many Somaliland government is bound by customary inter- local people. As one interviewee put it, “There are many national human rights law.4 Moreover, under Article 10 of NGOs in this country.

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