Borkena
Toronto – Crime rate is rising in many cities including Mekelle in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.
killings, kidnapping and robbery have become recurring and prevalent in the region, according to DW Amharic report published on Monday.
It is said to be post conflict development in the region. Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) dragged the region to war in November 2020 when it reportedly attacked the Northern Command of the Ethiopian Defense Force in unsuspecting circumstances.
Although the Pretoria Agreement ended what many observers -including individuals who were involved in the mediation effort – described as a “bloody” conflict, the security situation in the region has been degenerating to the point where getting around and getting home safely became concerning.
Worse, even children are targeted for ransom kidnapping. There are cases, at least one, where children were killed although ransom money is paid out to kidnappers. Last week, BBC Amharic published a story of a seven years old boy who was killed by kidnappers although his mother paid a chunk of the money demanded for the child’s release. The story is available here.
Tigray region’s police commission has admitted that residents in the region are impacted by rising crime. It also said that is “taking measure,” as reported by DW Amharic.
The crimes are widely observed in major cities. Usually armed groups are behind the crimes. Getachew Kiros, Deputy Police Commissioner, Tigray region police, is cited as saying “although it is impossible to completely stop crime, we are expected to make it safe for people to get home safely.” There have been cases where firearms intended for crime were sized in a random police check.
The region is expecting visitors in connection with the Ashenda holiday. The Deputy Commissioner says a security arrangement has been made for it.
Apart from ransom kidnapping, rape and robbery related crimes have been becoming common place in the region for a few years now.
However, the crime situation does not seem to be entirely economically motivated. Getachew Reda, who served as the region’s interim president for two years, is on a record for saying “there were secret prisons in the region not known to the regional administration and that the crime situation was risky even for government officials.”
Outside of Tigray, kidnapping and mass killing has become one of the major hallmarks of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration. The problem is persistent in the Oromia region of Ethiopia and is becoming a trend in the Amhara region too. Yet, his government often makes a series of claims for bringing about “change” (expressed in the sense of advancement and progress) to the country.
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Court[British] rules asylum seekers must be moved from hotel
Asylum seekers are due to be removed from an Essex hotel after a council was granted a temporary High Court injunction blocking them from being housed there.
The injunction was sought by Epping Forest District Council to stop migrants being placed at The Bell Hotel in Epping, which is owned by Somani Hotels Limited.
Thousands of people have protested near the hotel in recent weeks after an asylum seeker living there was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in the town.
Protests began outside The Bell after 41-year-old ***Hadush Kebatu***, from *Ethiopia*, was charged with sexual assault, harassment and inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity.He denied the offences and remained in custody ahead of a two-day trial, due to begin next Tuesday.
Imram Hussain, from the Refugee Council, said: “We think asylum seekers should not be in hotels – there are cheaper, better ways of supporting people and we think the government should end the use of hotels as fast as it can.”
He said such migrants should be in “dispersal accommodation around the country”, as it was more cost-effective and it wanted the government to “work with local authorities to go back to that kind of system and not use hotels”.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage welcomed the ruling and said: “This community stood up bravely, despite being slandered as far right, and have won.”
His deputy leader, Richard Tice, said his party would look at pursuing similar cases for hotels within the 10 council areas it controls, which included both North and West Northamptonshire councils, Doncaster, and Kent and Staffordshire county councils.
Angela Eagle, Border Security Minister, said: “This government inherited a broken asylum system; at the peak there were over 400 hotels open.
“We will continue working with local authorities and communities to address legitimate concerns. Our work continues to close all asylum hotels by the end of this Parliament.
“We will carefully consider this judgment.”
Source :news.yahoo.com/court-rules-asylum-seekers-must-153504062.html