ASAITA, Ethiopia, Feb. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sultan of Afar Ahmed Alimirah issued a condemnation of the Republic of Djibouti's security forces after a drone strike killed eleven villagers in the Afar territory on the Djibouti-Ethiopia border.

"The victims of this brutal drone strike were unarmed civilians--women, children, and the elderly--mercilessly targeted in a remote village where they were already struggling to survive," said the statement issued by the Sultan.

The attack apparently took place on January 30, 2025 in the evening over a period of four hours. The area in which the villagers were targeted lacks access to clean drinking water, healthcare, education, and basic sustenance, according to the statement. The statement also condemned the neighboring country of Djibouti's security forces as responsible for the attack. The Djibouti government claims they were targeting terrorists.

The statement said, "For decades we have endured systematic persecution, state-sponsored violence, and deliberate neglect at the hands of the Djibouti government." The statement also claims, ".. they are using peaceful Afar civilians as target practice, testing their deadly weapons on one of the most defenseless and abandoned populations."

The eleven Afar civilians lost in the attack are:

Gamma Ali Orbiss
Kako Ali Orbiss
Mohamed Aydahis
Ali Mohamed Kako
Aisha Badul Ali and three children, ages 10-13
Mohamed Houmed Ali
Daoud Louback Hamadou
Gohar Ali Omar

Several more people suffered injuries, including:

Maryam Mohammed Abdallah
Fatuma Camad Casasn
Qali Mohammed Qali
Qabdalla Qali Qabdalla
Faarac Kadir Mohammed

The Sultanate has evidence of the attack, including graphic images of the victims. Their statement says they are "prepared to provide them to human rights organizations, investigative bodies and international legal authorities" so that justice may be served. They further call upon such organizations and "the global community to investigate the crime, visit the affected areas and take steps to stop repeated atrocities against the nomadic Afar people."

For more information on the drone strike or to help the people of Afar, contact office@afarsultanate.org

MEDIA CONTACT:
Abdallah Alimirah
office@afarsultanate.org

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