Forced displacement and difficulty to adapt
Tolaa Dhugoo used to live in East Shawa Zone Bosat District in a locality called Dongorree. Living in harmony with his family, he cultivated crops and harvested in abundance. The family had livestock and earned income in various other activities. They lived in a spacious and to the standard house as seen from perspectives of the local community.
The settled peaceful life of the family was shattered when suddenly masked armed group emerged and burned down the resources. The group burned the house with all the property in it. In the bizarre incident the livestock they had were scattered exposed to all forms risks. The family were left without choice except to flee the area for safety.
Initially, Tola had to seek for shelter somewhere in an urban center thereby considering for coping mechanism the way he didn’t experience before. Once he somehow settled looking for day labor, he had to collect his dispersed young and old family members. He had to get back his parents who were already weak under impact of age whom he supported before displacement.
Tolaa Dhugoo acknowledges that other member of the community suffered in the same way as his suffered. He comments that when the once self-supportive family couldn’t feed itself; couldn’t educate the children; and couldn’t lead normal life, the issue would be that of the country. He observed that community members of his former settlement area equally suffered. He says, “Farmers who used to produce surplus seen at the level of investors became security guards with very little earning.” They became security guards protecting buildings and properties of the rich in Adaama City.
On the other hand, Tolaa Dhugoo cites his witnessing shocking accounts of what happens along Ethiopia Djibouti route where drivers suffer in the hands of outlaws. He says the outlaws stop the drivers to demand for ransom with eventual attack if the demand was not met. He elaborated that unidentified individuals drag the drivers off the road into the bush and demand for heavy ransom. If the demand was not met, they cut ears; slit the throat or kill by shooting. The field is littered with corpses which the hyena feed on, he says. In some instances, bad smell of decomposing dead body could be felt by the road in Bosat, according to Tolaa.
The solution to the hardship citizens face is obviously restoration of peace. And the restoration demands concern and participation of all; not only the government. Tolaa suggests that part of the solution could be himself included, the elderly, mothers, women with Siinqee, and Gadaa Leaders who should work towards attaining peace. He says voices for peace should be heard. Indeed there should be sense of responsibility for the damages occurring too.