July10, 2009 (LONDON) — As war against terrorism spreads to Africa and due repressive governments, minorities in Africa are at greater risk than ever, a new global survey reveals.
The London based Minority Rights Group International (MRG) said in its annual report (Peoples under Threat ranking) revealed that half of the top 20 countries in 2009 report are African states.
“Ethnic and religious minorities are at major risk in Somalia and Yemen, as well as in Sudan. The threat is also rising in Ethiopia and Eritrea, whose governments’ involvement in regional conflicts is compounding the risk of repression at home” the group said.
The Peoples under Threat ranking lists countries based on the threat to civilian life of genocide, mass killings and violent repression.
Somalia leads the table, whilst Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Nigeria are amongst the 10 top countries. In each of these states violence against minorities of a widespread or systematic character is ongoing, MRG says.
According to MRG, although the rhetoric of the ’war on terror’ may have been abandoned, the military response to violent extremism as promoted by the US and other countries has resulted in a new generation of identity conflicts that have placed whole communities in peril in the Middle East and West Asia, and now also in the Horn of Africa.
Marginalized minorities outside the clan system in Somalia are at particular risk from the growing conflict.
“The threat to civilians in much of south and central Somalia is now at crisis point. Historically poor or marginalized minorities with no militias to defend them, such as the Bantu or Gaboye, are at particular risk.”
The threat is not only limited to the Horn of Africa, but is prevalent throughout the continent. Niger, Zimbabwe, Guinea and Kenya have shown some of the biggest rises in the ranking compared to previous years.
Ethiopia has over 80 different ethnic groups. Following the overthrow of the oppressive Derg regime Prime Minister Meles Zenawi led new government established new constitution in 1995.
The new government went on to restructure the state, forming an ethnic federation with regional ethnically-based states, and to create a most radical and progressive Constitution.
The Constitution guarantees ethnic groups a wide range of rights – including secession from the ethnic federation. The New Start was hailed by many ethnic groups as the Constitution creates confidence among ethnic groups and minorities in Ethiopia.
Yet the government is beset by claims from opposition parties, and national and international human rights organizations, that it is guilty of widespread violations of human rights. Furthermore, many ordinary Ethiopians are skeptical of the government’s agenda, questioning its commitment to promoting the rights of all ethnic groups.
Ethiopia has followed a unique system of ethnically based federalism. But the question of whether this structure actually helps minorities realize their rights, or whether it has been subverted by the present government to consolidate its hold on power, is now of urgent concern to minority rights activists.
The crackdown against opponents of the regime following the elections in 2005, the 2006 invasion of Somalia and its subsequent fall-out, as well as the 2007 heavy-handed security action in the Ogaden, have set the scene for an increasingly repressive and intolerant atmosphere.
Minority Rights Group International (MRG) is an organization founded with the objective of promoting respect for the human rights of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples around the world.
The MRG has been established to protect the rights of minorities to co-exist with majorities, by objective study and consistent international public exposure of violations of fundamental rights as defined by the UN Charter.
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