Feb 20, (2013 (QOL) According to a recent interview with the Swedish Expressen Newspaper, Mr. Keith C. Hill the president and CEO of the Canadian based company Africa Oil stated that his company signed a contract with the Ethiopian government to explore oil in the Ogaden.

A region that the same Ethiopian government is committing gross human rights violations, and imposed a humanitarian, economic and trade embargo. While simultaneously unleashing a scorched earth campaign of collective punishment against the civilians, causing the deaths of thousands and displacement of millions. An act many human rights groups in fact consider a hidden genocide.

Therefore, we Qorahay Media Journalist Group pose the question. Is Africa Oil unaware or deliberately ignoring the Ogaden genocide?

As an independent non-profit organization that is dedicated to report from inside the Ogaden, we are more knowledgeable than anyone about the realities on the ground. Thus, we would like to reiterate and remind Africa Oil that the Ogaden is a conflict zone that is currently unsafe to explore.

The Ogaden has been completely isolated from the rest of the world as independent journalists and free press are prohibited. The only media allowed in the Ogaden are the state owned television and radio, which serve as a propaganda tool for the regime.

As the media blockade in the Ogaden continues our inside correspondents have sacrificed their lives to report from the Ogaden at the risk of been caught and a possible long term imprisonment or death. Independent journalists often face the danger of been arrested and charged with terrorism to discourage reporting the realities on the ground.

Therefore, we urge Africa Oil Corporation and its affiliates to halt all oil exploration activities, as this will only exacerbate the already dire situation and could further fuel the conflict causing more innocent lives.

It wasn’t long ago when Zhongyuan Petroleum Exploration Bureau a Chinese oil company ignored the plight of the Ogaden people and refused to consider warnings and recommendations, later costing the lives of 9 Chinese workers and many Ethiopian military guards. The same mistake made by PETRONAS and Petro-trans but this time losing millions of dollars after discovering that it was impossible to explore any oil in the Ogaden.

We believe that the Africa Oil Corporation could learn from past mistakes made by other oil companies, and instead play an active role in achieving peace and stability in the Ogaden by pressuring the Ethiopian government stop its crimes against the civilians in the Ogaden.

Furthermore, we recommend the Africa Oil Corporation play a leading role in resuming the stalled peace negotiations between the ONLF and the Ethiopian government. We strongly believe that a genuine comprehensive peace agreement between the aforementioned parties could bring an ever-lasting peace to not only the Ogaden but the entire horn of Africa.

Lastly, we call upon the Canadian government to encourage Africa Oil Corporation reconsider its decision to explore oil in the Ogaden at the expense of innocent lives.

Qorahay Media Journalist Group

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Head-quartered in Nairobi Kenya Qorahay Media Journalist Group is a national non-profit organization dedicated to report from the Ogaden and in the horn of Africa in general. Qolmedia@hotmail.com

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