February 7, 2008 

DENOUNCE THE MURDER OF ETHIOPIANS IN SOMALIA 

The EPRP strongly condemns those who bombed 20 Ethiopian migrants to death in the port town of Bosaso, Puntland/ Somalia. The victims were innocent Ethiopians who had fled from the repressive regime in Addis Ababa and were awaiting transportation to Yemen, a perilous journey that has already cost the lives of hundreds of Ethiopians and Somalis alike. 

Bosaso is in semi autonomous Puntland which is the fief of Colonel Abdullahi Yusuf, the president of the Somali Transitional Federal Government. The port is the staging point for Horn refugees trying to make their way to Yemen. Thousands have perished in the Indian Ocean as victims of cruel passers and bullets fired by Yemeni coast guards. The bombing to death of 20 Ethiopian migrants in Bosaso is a cruel act that deserves world wide condemnation. While the EPRP is fully aware of the animosity held by Somalis towards the invading soldiers of Meles Zenawi this should not in any way spread to make ordinary Ethiopians seeking asylum legitimate targets. The EPRP has condemned the invasion and called for immediate withdrawal and it cannot pass in silence the brutal killing of innocent Ethiopians. The main culprit for the whole mess resides in the palace in Addis Ababa. Innocent Ethiopian civilians seeking asylum elsewhere should not be taken as targets as this would be a criminal act and would damage the fraternal relations that should exist between the two, peoples. 

EPRP expresses its condolences to the kin of the Ethiopians killed in Bosaso and calls on all Somali factions not to engage in such brutal and criminal action. Since fighting an invading force is one thing, indiscriminate murder of defenseless civilians another, the EPRP strongly condemns those who take violent actions against Ethiopian asylum seekers and civilians as much as it condemned the invasion and the brutalities of the Meles Zenawi army.