Ethiopia’s Challenge: Overcoming ‘Mafia’-Style Violence
- Somali region’s chief was ousted by federal forces in August
- Local authorities accused by rights groups of years of abuse
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Roving militias killing civilians. Prisoners stripped naked and rolled in hot ashes. “Mafia”-style murders and violence that forced more than a million people from their homes.
That’s the legacy that Mustafa Omer, the new president of Ethiopia’s gas-rich Somali region in the east, will have to overcome following the ouster after 11 years of the previous administration. His success could prove a crucial bellwether for efforts to usher in political freedom and reform the powerful security services across the entire Horn of Africa nation.