HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS CONTINUE UNABATED

The autopsy carried out on the remains of young Abdoulkader Obakar Houmed, the day after his death on Jan 30, 2023, confirmed that he died as a result of the abuse he received at the hands of the authorities while being incarcerated. Violence toward the incarcerated has spiked in recent months claiming many lives throughout last year as well. Some of the victims are Said Ali Cheik, who died in detention on June 20, 2022 due to lack of medical assistance, Omar Daoud, who died on May 03, 2022, Farah Loubak, having died in detention on December 22, 2021, Gadidché Ladieh Omar, who succumbed to the authorities on September 11, 2019, the young Aden Adaweh Abdillahi, who died on May 9, 2021, the young mother of four Férouze Mahamoud Abdilahi, who died at the hands of the army in Ali-Sabieh on March 29, 2022. And the list is practically endless.

Adding to the slew of violence is a recent video posted online that shows a military leader of the Djiboutian armed forces (in scruffy clothes), pointing his Kalashnikov in the direction of civilian traders and firing a shot in the air. In another incident, Djiboutian soldiers reportedly opened fire on a vehicle carrying a kat. The video does not show agents of the customs service, and instead depicts soldiers arresting a young driver, threatening him with their weapons, and confiscating some of his belongings, soon after which other traders arrived at the scene. In flagrante delicto, the soldiers gathered their loot and threatened the traders for being filmed while doing so.

The practice of police violence against common Djiboutians has become a daily affair, thanks to the regime that puts no check on police power. As state-sponsored violence continues to grow, the Afar community has remained the most afflicted ever since June 27, 1977, when Djibouti became an independent nation.

01-30-2023 to 02-03-2023 Explore