Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front

Last updated
Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front
Qafar Uguugumoh Demokrasiyyoh Inkiinoh Fooca
AbbreviationARDUF
Founded1993 (1993)
Ideology Afar interests
Self-determination
Political position Left-wing
National affiliation Afar National Democratic Party (1999–2000)
Battles and wars Second Afar insurgency
Tigray War
Seats in the House of Federation
0 / 112
Seats in the House of Peoples' Representatives
0 / 547
Party flag
Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front, Logo.png

The Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front (Afar : Qafar Uguugumoh Demokrasiyyoh Inkiinoh Fooca; abbreviated ARDUF) is an Afar political party in Ethiopia, founded in 1993. It had been a member of the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF) coalition opposition party.

Contents

Its name is often simplified to just Uguugumo (also spelled Uguguma or Ugogomo), [1] meaning "Revolution", a term sometimes reserved for its militant wing and often confused as being a separate organization that is simply closely tied to ARDUF. [1] [2] [3]

History

The party was founded in March 1993 as a coalition of three Afar organizations: the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Union (ARDUU), founded in 1991 and led by Mohamooda Gaas (or Gaaz); the Afar Ummatah Demokrasiyyoh Focca (AUDF); and the Afar Revolutionary Forces (ARF). Mohamooda Gaas was elected as its Secretary General in 1995, but refused the post, leaving it to his deputy Muhyadin Mafatah, who was later extradited from Djibouti to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in August 1996, where he was jailed with two other Afar leaders, Habib Mahammad Yayyo and Jamal Abdulkadir Redo. [4]

Activities

In March 1995, ARDUF was involved in the kidnapping of Italian tourists in the Afar Region of Ethiopia, resulting in an Ethiopian military campaign against the group, coordinated with the Eritrean government. Travelers reported clashes between ARDUF and Ethiopian government forces in the Dallol district through 1995, including attacks on the homes and property of Afar People's Democratic Organization (APDO) members as "traitors", which led an end of all traffic on caravan trade routes through the Dallol area and resulting food shortages. [5] Political attempts at reconciliation were made in October 1997 with the creation of an Afar conference, and again in November, though both of these failed. Mohamooda Gaas made a statement declaring unilateral cease-fire with government forces on 5 June 1998 after the beginning of the 1998-2000 Eritrean-Ethiopian War and an Eritrean attack on the town of Alitena, inhabited primarily by Irob people (an ethnicity closely related linguistically to Afars). As a result of the fighting's civilian casualties, ARDUF reconciled with the Ethiopian government to minimize civilian casualties in the region and condemned the Eritrean government's attacks. [6]

In March 2, 2007, ARDUF militants take as hostages five British embassy personnel, workers and relatives of workers, along with nine Ethiopian guides and embassy personnel, during a tour of the Afar region in Hamedela. The crisis ended without casualties or people wounded. [7] [8] [9]

ARDUF claimed responsibility for a January 16, 2012 attack on a group of tourists at Erta Ale in which five were killed, some taken as hostages and others wounded. [10] [11] In March 2012, ARDUF released two tourists kidnapped in the attack. [12]

In December 3, 2017, Dr. Walter Reopert a german tourist was shot dead nd his guide was injured in the assault, near the Erta Ale Volcano in Zone 2 district, Afar. Some sources suspected that the killing was carried out by the ARDUF. [13] [14] [15]

As of 5 November 2021, the ARDUF announced that it had joined the United Front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist Forces. [16]

On 31 January 2022, the ARDUF announced that it was distancing itself from the United Front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist Forces after accusing Tigrayan forces of killing civilians in the Afar region. [17]

After joining UEDF

In July 2003, ARDUF became a member of the newly formed UEDF coalition, in opposition to the ruling EPRDF party. [18] [19] Soon after, on 20 September 2003, it issued a warning against foreigners entering the northern area of Afar Region for the purpose of demarcating the eastern part of the Ethiopian-Eritrean border, as it would be against the party's policy of Afar unity, who live on both sides of the eastern border:

Our twin enemies, Shabia (Isayas Afewerki's) and Weyane (Meles Zenawi's), have been, under the auspices of the United Nations, carrying out illegal acts of brigandage against our people. Let the whole world know that ARDUF is reiterating its firm stand as it did in 1990, 1991, 1993 and 2000 that it is not only opposed to the illegal act of dividing our Afar people and demarcating our soil under the guise of "border demarcation" between Ethiopia and Eritrea, but also ready to render any demarcation exercise ineffective. [19]

Views

The political party aims to unite all Afar people under one flag. Although in the past the mechanism was not clear, whether this entailed the reunion of Eritrea and Ethiopia (as well as Afar lands in Djibouti) or a separate Afar state, the party claimed in 1998 to seek to unite Afars under an autonomous region of Ethiopia, similar to the present-day Afar Region in Ethiopia in existence since 1996 (but with the addition of lands in Eritrea and Djibouti). [1] [20] Consequently, ARDUF does not recognize Eritrea as a sovereign state. [20]

Related Research Articles

Afar may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front</span> 1988–2019 Ethiopian ethnic federalist political coalition

The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front was an ethnic federalist political coalition in Ethiopia that existed from 1988 to 2019. It consisted of four political parties: Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), Amhara Democratic Party (ADP), Oromo Democratic Party (ODP) and Southern Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement (SEPDM). After leading the overthrow of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, it dominated Ethiopian politics from 1991 to 2019. In November 2019, the EPRDF was dissolved, and Prime Minister and EPDRF chairman Abiy Ahmed merged three of the constituent parties into his new Prosperity Party, which was officially founded on 1 December 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Ethiopian Democratic Forces</span> Former political coalition in Ethiopia (2005–2008)

The United Ethiopian Democratic Forces was a coalition of several political parties in Ethiopia which combined to compete for seats in the Ethiopian general elections held on 15 May 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afar Triangle</span> Geological depression caused by the Afar Triple Junction

The Afar Triangle is a geological depression caused by the Afar Triple Junction, which is part of the Great Rift Valley in East Africa. The region has disclosed fossil specimens of the very earliest hominins; that is, the earliest of the human clade, and it is thought by some paleontologists to be the cradle of the evolution of humans. The Depression overlaps the borders of Eritrea, Djibouti and the entire Afar Region of Ethiopia; and it contains the lowest point in Africa, Lake Assal, Djibouti, at 155 m (509 ft) below sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danakil Desert</span> Desert in northeast Ethiopia

The Danakil Desert is a desert in northeast Ethiopia, southern Eritrea, and northwestern Djibouti. Situated in the Afar Triangle, it stretches across 136,956 square kilometres (52,879 sq mi) of arid terrain. It is inhabited by a few Afar, who engage in salt mining. The area is known for its volcanoes and extreme heat, with daytime temperatures surpassing 50 °C (122 °F). Less than 25 mm (1 in) of rainfall occurs each year. The Danakil Desert is one of the lowest and hottest places on Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Karum</span> Salt lake in Afar Region, Ethiopia

Lake Karum is a salt lake in the Afar Region of Ethiopia. One of two salt lakes in the northern end of the Danakil Depression, it lies 120 m (394 ft) below sea level. The volcano Erta Ale rises southeast of this lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afar Region</span> Regional state in northeastern Ethiopia

The Afar Region, formerly known as Region 2, is a regional state in northeastern Ethiopia and the homeland of the Afar people. Its capital is the planned city of Semera, which lies on the paved Awash–Assab highway. It is bordered by Eritrea to the north and Djibouti to the northeast; it also shares regional borders with the Tigray, Amhara, Oromo and Somali regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afar people</span> Cushitic ethnic group native to the Horn of Africa

The Afar, also known as the Danakil, Adali and Odali, are a Cushitic ethnic group inhabiting the Horn of Africa. They primarily live in the Afar Region of Ethiopia and in northern Djibouti, as well as the entire southern coast of Eritrea. The Afar speak the Afar language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic family. Afars are the only inhabitants of the Horn of Africa whose traditional territories border both the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kilbet Rasu</span> Zone in Afar, Ethiopia

Kilbatti (Kilbat) Rasu, also known as Administrative Zone 2, is one of the five zones in the Afar Region of Ethiopia. This zone is bordered on the south by Awsi Rasu, on the southwest by Fantí Rasu, on the west by the Tigray Region, and on the north by Eritrea. The administrative center of Kilbet Rasu is Abala. Also located in this zone is the former mining settlement of Dallol, which set the record for the hottest inhabited place on Earth, with an average temperature of 34 °C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Djiboutian Civil War</span> Civil War

The Djiboutian Civil War was a conflict in Djibouti, lasting from 1991 to 1994 and resulting in thousands of fatalities. The uneven power sharing between the Issas and the Afars led to the Civil War that ravaged the country for three years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erta Ale</span> Active basaltic shield volcano in Afar Region, Ethiopia

Erta Ale is a continuously active basaltic shield volcano in the Afar Region of northeastern Ethiopia, which is itself part of the wider Afar Triangle. The volcano is located in the Danakil Depression, an area on the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea that is below sea level. It is the most active of the volcanoes in Ethiopia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dabbahu Volcano</span> Active volcano in the Afar Region of Ethiopia

Dabbahu Volcano is an active volcano located in the remote Afar Region of Ethiopia. This stratovolcano is part of the Afar Triangle, a highly active volcanic region which includes Erta Ale. An eruption on September 26, 2005 created a large fissure in the ground, known as the Dabbahu fissure.

Mohamouda Ahmed Gaas is an Ethiopian politician and a member of the Ethiopian ruling party. He was a State (Vice) Minister of the Ethiopian Ministry of Culture and Tourism up until October 2010, when he was later moved to Ministry of Science and Technology as a deputy Minister. Mohamouda Ahmed Gaas founded the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Union (ARDUU) in 1991. ARDUU later became a part of the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front (ARDUF).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danakil Depression</span> Geological depression in Africa

The Danakil Depression is the northern part of the Afar Triangle or Afar Depression in Ethiopia and Eritrea, a geological depression that has resulted from the divergence of three tectonic plates in the Horn of Africa. It is the third lowest lying location on the continent of Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Afar region tourist attack</span> Terrorist attack in Ethiopia on 17 January 2012

The 2012 Afar region tourist attack was a shooting incident on the night of 17 January 2012 at Erta Ale volcano in the Afar Region of Ethiopia which killed 5 and injured 3. Four people were kidnapped in the attack.

Derek Keir has been an associate professor of geophysics at the University of Southampton since 2015. In 2013 he received the Bullerwell Lecture award from the British Geophysical Association (BGA) for significant contributions to geophysics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Afar insurgency</span> Afar people insurgency phase from 1995 to 2018

The Second Afar insurgency was an insurgency in the Afar Region of Ethiopia and the Southern Red Sea Region of Eritrea, waged by various Afar rebel groups. Both Ethiopia and Eritrea supported different rebel groups in the region in a proxy war, and occasionally engaged in border skirmishes with each other, as well as with opposing rebel groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eritrean–Ethiopian border conflict</span> Territorial conflict (1998–2018)

The Eritrean–Ethiopian border conflict was a violent standoff and a proxy conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia lasting from 1998 to 2018. It consisted of a series of incidents along the then-disputed border; including the Eritrean–Ethiopian War of 1998–2000 and the subsequent Second Afar insurgency. It included multiple clashes with numerous casualties, including the Battle of Tsorona in 2016. Ethiopia stated in 2018 that it would cede Badme to Eritrea. This led to the Eritrea–Ethiopia summit on 9 July 2018, where an agreement was signed which demarcated the border and agreed a resumption of diplomatic relations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dallol (hydrothermal system)</span> Terrestrial hydrothermal system of Danakil Depression in northeastern Ethiopia

Dallol is a unique, terrestrial hydrothermal system around a cinder cone volcano in the Danakil Depression, northeast of the Erta Ale Range in Ethiopia. It is known for its unearthly colors and mineral patterns, and the very acidic fluids that discharge from its hydrothermal springs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist Forces</span> Ethiopian rebel coalition formed in 2021

The United Front of Ethiopian Federalist and Confederalist Forces (UFEFCF) was a coalition of six Ethiopian rebel groups, including the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) before 2022 and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), created in November 2021 during the Tigray War.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Report on Mission to Zone 2 (Afar National Regional State) Archived 2008-04-06 at the Wayback Machine , United Nations Development Program. Emergencies Unit for Ethiopia.
  2. ↑ Armed Factions And The Ethiopia-Eritrea Conflict Archived 2006-09-22 at the Wayback Machine , UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 14 May 1999, in University of Pennsylvania - African Studies Center
  3. ↑ Anatomy of a conflict: Afar & Ise Ethiopia [ permanent dead link ], John Markakis in Review of African Political Economy, Volume 30, Number 97. Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group, September 2003.
  4. ↑ Ethiopia - Political Parties, {{ed: 1-07-2006.
  5. ↑ Situation report on Region 2 (Afar National Regional State) Archived 2008-06-23 at the Wayback Machine UNDP Emergencies Unit for Ethiopia report, dated January 1996 ({{ed 13 January 2009) So little was known of the ARDUF at the time that this report assumed that the ARDUF and the Uguugumo were different organizations.
  6. ↑ Statement of Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front (ARDUF), 5 June 1998. Archived 2009-10-24.
  7. ↑ Doward, Jamie; Burke, Jason; Loomes, Naomi (4 March 2007). "Kidnap Britons sighted in Eritrea". The Guardian. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  8. ↑ "Kidnapped Britons taken to Eritrea, police say". The Guardian. 6 March 2007. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  9. ↑ "5 kidnapped Britons spotted at military camp in Eritrea". Sudan Tribune. 3 March 2007. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  10. ↑ "Deadly attack on tourists at Erta Ale - further details: 5 dead, 4 abducted and 7 wounded". VolcanoDiscovery. 18 January 2012. Archived from the original on 9 June 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  11. ↑ "Erta Ale January (sic) 17 kidnapping - ARDUF claims responsibility (sic), hostages said to be well". VolcanoDiscovery. 20 February 2012. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  12. ↑ "Kidnapped German tourists released (Erta Ale, Danakil, Ethiopia incident 17 Jan 2012)". VolcanoDiscovery. 6 March 2012. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  13. ↑ "German Tourist Killed In Northern Ethiopia". Tesfanews. 5 December 2017. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  14. ↑ "German tourist shot dead in Ethiopia". BBC News. 5 December 2017. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  15. ↑ "Ethiopia likely to retaliate after tourist killing". Commercial Risk. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  16. ↑ "Nine anti-gov't groups team up as Ethiopia recalls ex-soldiers". Al Jazeera English . 2021-11-05. Archived from the original on 2021-11-06. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
  17. ↑ "An Afar-based armed group parts its ways with TPLF-led alliance". My Views on News. 1 February 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  18. ↑ UEDF and Andinnet Archived 2007-02-21 at the Wayback Machine , Andinnet Yilemlim, 27 August 2004.
  19. 1 2 Nations In The Hood Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine , 21 September 2003.
  20. 1 2 Organised Crime and Terrorism Report. Commitments in Respect of Organised Crime and Terrorists Archived 2007-05-10 at the Wayback Machine , African Human Security Initiative.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.