Confrontations occur along border of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan over water resources

During the so-called “Secret Wars” in southeast Ethiopia, water wells are destroyed and poisoned by Ethiopian troops in an attempt to halt insurgents. The Ethiopian military is thought to have been advised in applying these tactics by Soviet and Cuban officials.

During a violent, forced displacement effort by the Ethiopian military, water wells and other water supply sources are destroyed. The Ethiopian military is seeking to move people out of the country side and into larger towns and cities in order to continue their counterinsurgency fight against the Ogaden National Liberation Front. Numerous sources report executions of those who refuse to cooperate.

A 20-year-old woman reports that prior to being beat by military forces, she was threatened with drowning in a well if she does not comply. This report is associated with reports soldiers guarding water holes and of other human rights abuses by the Ethiopian military from their campaign to defeat the Ogaden National Liberation Front.

Thirty-two people are reported killed and many others sickened from a poisoned water well in Masuubiye, Baidoa, Somalia. It is suspected that the well was poisoned by al Shabaab, a militant group affiliated with Al-Qaeda, in an attempt to prevent government soldiers from drinking the water.