(Parliament news): Jan 24, 2022; Semera: Agricultural Affairs Standing Committee of the HoPRs recommended a planned rehabilitation for the war-torn pastoralists of the Afar region.

The Committee, led by the Deputy Chairperson of the Standing Committee Honourable Hamudu Gaas said so during the physical field tour it recently undertook in the region. As to him, in order to reverse the impacts of the deliberate military attack which imposes poverty upon the pastoralists, all the concerned bodies shall cooperate and deal together in planned manner to embark upon it.

“Coalition and integrity of the stakeholders stand first in bringing back the former living conditions of the pastoralists and the support shall be as commensurate as possible to the damage inflicted upon the residents. Moreover, any info collected with regard to them is ought to be accurate enough so as to run things right” he explained.

Honourable Alemu Jember, member of the Committee on his part said; the pastoralists have been victims for no political participation which shows that the intruders are likely to be against the interests of Ethiopians.

Honourable Almaz Wedajo on her part recalled the media shall expose the extent of damage inflicted upon the Afar pastoralists and residents, who had no involvement in any war conflict. The media shall awaken the whole society and mobilize everyone, she underlined.

In his elaboration to the Committee, His Excellence Hadji Awol Arba, President of the Afar region said; a task force has been formed and is reacting to establish back the Afar people who were so long exposed to torrential erosions, locust swarms and most of all to the unexpected military attack by the terrorist militants of the TPLF.

Hadji Abdu Hassen of the Afar region, who currently is in-charge of the Agricultural Department of the region on his part said; because of the war conflict, the past 1400 hectares of sorghum and corn crops of the region were totally damaged by weeds and pests.

During the early interlude of the ongoing tour, members of the Committee ascertained the fact that due to the military assault launched by the terrorist TPLF; lives of camels and goats were taken down. In addition, veterinary drugs, animal feed agricultural machines and crops has been annihilated and looted by TPLF militants.