The Former Ethiopian Minister of Women & Children, Filsan Ahmed, continues to face criticism from her native Somali community for her alleged failure to oppose dangerous nativism inside a media enterprise she founded. “Regulators gave her station several warnings, but a mass media inciting atrocity by claiming minorities do not belong in Jigjiga is simply unacceptable,” a Somali regional state official told Awasa Guardian (AG) on condition of anonymity.
The official did not blame Filsan directly for her media content, but said commentators on NABAD TV (a media company she created) repeatedly broadcasted inciting xenophobic views, and she “refused to condemn” those reports, which he said became not only a legal issue but also a question of morals and principle for the administration of President Mustafa Omer. He added that colleagues who previously worked with Filsan also shared “widespread disappointment” among Somali officials and civil society leaders who had high regards for Filsan since they worked together on democratization efforts during the post-TPLF transition period. On Monday, President Mustafa also took a strong stance, writing “the link between hate speech and violence is well established,” condemning “ethnic and religious bigotry, xenophobia.”
Mustafa added “Innocent non-Somalis and non-muslims were killed in brought daylight in Jigjiga and other towns. There is no place for such despicable acts in our region. Not under our watch.”
Nabad TV was one of the dozens of new independent and privately-owned news outlets that launched post-2018, as media freedom drastically improved under Abiy administration. However, as ethnic-based violence grew nationwide due to increasingly nativist content from unregulated media, the federal government slowly began to send warnings and start crackdown. One of the first to shut down was Oromia Media Network (OMN) which was accused of inciting the July 2020 massacre of minorities in Oromia. Owned by popular activist Jawar Mohammed, OMN initially funded the establishment of NabadTV. Hundreds of Amharas and Orthodox-Oromos were slaughtered by an Oromo mob allegedly motivated by Jawar’s dangerous mix of religious and ethnic politics, during that July crisis.
Somali Authorities who accused NABAD TV’s alleged calls for violence last week, say they feared a repeat of the 2018 mass killings of minorities in Jigjiga, particularly during the current sensitive period of state of emergency. In August 2018, a regional Somali force allied to the TPLF, called for nativist attacks on minorities in Jigjiga (which mostly targeted Amhara, Oromo and Gurages minorities living in the city). Dozens were killed and property including Churches were burned down. TPLF leaders at that time scapegoated the government of Abiy Ahmed, who just came to power – which became the first sign of major tension between TPLF and the new federal government, that have since blown up into full-scale war. In an ironic statement relative to the November 2020 case of Tigrayan insurrection, the TPLF in 2018 blamed Abiy’s government for disregarding his “law enforcement” obligations in Somali region.
In recent days, there has been a hike in dangerous propaganda from Somali & Tigrayan supporters of the TPLF. Some online posts seek to divide Somali-Ethiopians by clan (and sub-clan) and spread old grievances as a grounds to justify or reinstate a militant Somali opposition movement that ended in 2018, when the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) demobilized and ended its insurgency.
Filsan Ahmed resigned from her post in late September after she was notified post-election that the new Ethiopian administration will not re-nominate her for the federal ministerial position.
