massacre – Central News Hub

Uyghurs Mark Yarkand Massacre Anniversary in DC

Yarkand massacre occurred on July 28, 2014, when Chinese security forces brutally suppressed peaceful Uyghur protesters in Yarkand County, Xinjiang, China…reports Asian Lite News

The Uyghur community, led by the East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) and the East Turkistan National Movement (ETNM), gathered in Washington, DC to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 2014 Yarkand massacre. The event called for urgent US action against China’s ongoing persecution of Uyghurs. Yarkand massacre occurred on July 28, 2014, when Chinese security forces brutally suppressed peaceful Uyghur protesters in Yarkand County, Xinjiang, China.

In a recent post on X, the East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) highlighted the significance of the commemoration, stating, “#Uyghurs in DC, led by ETGE and ETNM, commemorated the 10th anniversary of the 2014 Yarkand Massacre, in which 3,000 to 5,000 Uyghurs were killed by Chinese forces, and called on the US Government to take action to end #China’s ongoing #UyghurGenocide.”

Reports indicate that between 3,000 and 5,000 Uyghurs were killed by Chinese forces during the violence, and is a stark reminder of the ongoing genocide faced by the Uyghur people at the hands of the Chinese government. The Yarkand massacre exposes the multifaceted oppression enforced by the Chinese government against the Uyghurs. Indiscriminate force is routinely abused, they are branded as “gangs” and “separatists.” Moreover, the Chinese government covers up the death count and arrests netizens who aim to expose the truth.

At the commemoration event, Uyghur leaders and activists called on the US to adopt a more robust stance towards China, akin to its approach towards Tibet.
They advocated for the passage of the Senate’s Uyghur Policy Act and the appointment of a Special Coordinator for East Turkistani issues within the State Department. The speakers emphasised the critical need for US support in restoring East Turkistan’s independence, underscoring the importance of international intervention to halt the persecution and ensure justice for the Uyghur people.
The East Turkistan National Movement (ETNM) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to human rights and political advocacy. Established in Washington, DC, in June 2017 by Salih Hudayar, a Uyghur American consultant and graduate student, ETNAM has been at the forefront of raising awareness about the plight of Uyghurs.

East Turkistan, a name historically used and favoured by many advocacy groups, refers to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Reports on human rights violations in Xinjiang highlight severe abuses against Uyghur Muslims and other minority groups.
Investigations by human rights organisations and international media indicate that over one million Uyghurs have been detained in so-called “re-education camps” or “vocational training centers” described by the Chinese government as measures to combat extremism.
Cultural and religious repression is also evident, with the destruction of Uyghur mosques and cemeteries, and stringent restrictions on religious practices. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Xinjiang military infra expansion sparks Uyghur concerns

Ethiopia kills 153 suspected rebels accused of massacre

Ethiopian government officials and survivors have accused OLA fighters of carrying out the massacre, a charge the rebel group has denied…reports Asian Lite News

The Ethiopian Joint Security and Intelligence Task Force disclosed that it had killed 153 suspected Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) rebels accused of having committed a recent massacre.

The task force said in a press statement that another 900 suspected OLA rebels have been detained during a month-long security sweep from June 14 to July 14, Xinhua news agency reported.

During this campaign, individual and group level firearms, a huge amount of bullets and bullets magazines, various military fatigue uniforms, as well as several vehicles have been seized from the OLA, the statement said.

According to the statement, the killed and arrested suspected OLA rebels were related to a massacre carried out last month on mainly ethnic Amhara farmers in Tole rural locality of Gimbi district, West Wollega zone of Ethiopia’s Oromia region.

Ethiopian government officials and survivors have accused OLA fighters of carrying out the massacre, a charge the rebel group has denied.

The Ethiopian government has disclosed hundreds of people were killed in the massacre.

The OLA is a breakaway armed faction of an ex-rebel group Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). In May 2021, the Ethiopian parliament voted to designate the OLA as a terrorist group.

Al-Shabab fighters killed

Authorities in Ethiopia’s Somali region announced that they have killed more than 100 Al-Shabab fighters during a failed incursion from neighbouring Somalia by the militant group.

In a press statement released on Saturday evening, the Somali Region Communication Bureau said the Al-Shabab fighters were killed earlier this week during a security operation led by the region’s special police forces that lasted for three days.

An armed Al-Shabab team that entered the Afder zone of the Somali region four days ago has been completely destroyed, the statement said.

Thirteen vehicles that were used by the militants during their incursion into the southeastern Ethiopia region were destroyed, it said.

Large amounts of food supplies and firearm caches were also captured from the Al-Shabab militants. Somalia has struggled with the lack of an effective central government since 1991 when former President Mohammed Siad Barre was ousted from power by armed rebellion, leading to a civil war.

The weakness of the central government of Somalia has led to the proliferation of sea piracy, illegal fishing by foreign boats and attacks by terror groups, most notably Al-Shabab.

ALSO READ-2,803 Sudanese refugees return from Ethiopian camps