The Afar National Regional State has strongly condemned the theft that occurred in the Awash-Woldiya-Hara Rail Power Supply Project.

In just ten days, more than 80 kilometers of conductor cable and 25.7 kilometers of OPGW fiber optic cable were stolen.

As a result, the regional government has dismissed district officials who failed to fulfill their responsibilities.

A command post established by the regional administration president, Haji Awel Arba, conducted a field observation on Saturday in two districts of the Gebiresu Zone, where the theft occurred.

The command post, which included representatives from the President’s Office, the Police Commission, the Peace and Security Sector, the Supreme Court, and the Attorney General, held discussions with zonal and district officials, as well as representatives from Ethiopian Electric Power.

The discussion aimed to jointly condemn the increasing theft of electrical infrastructure in the region and take swift action regarding the crime.

During the discussion, the site manager of the Awash-Woldiya-Hara Power Supply Project, Mr. Tekleweyn Berhane Assefa, explained the extent of tower theft, as well as the theft of conductor cables and optical fiber lines, in the districts under the Gebiresu Zone during the 2016 and 2017 EFYs, along with the losses incurred by the institution.

He stated that in just two budget years, theft in power infrastructure projects caused a loss of over $717,000 and more than 25.3 million birr.

The director of the Northeast Two Region Transmission Lines and Distribution Stations Operation Directorate, Mr. Hassan Mohammed, explained that the region manages three substations and transmission lines spanning over 436 kilometers.

He emphasized that the theft of towers and conductor cables is a major obstacle to the institution’s efforts to provide electricity to the community.

During the discussion, it was noted that the lack of proactive action by zonal, district, and security sector officials has enabled the rampant theft of power infrastructure.

The command post directed all regional leaders at every level to work in coordination to eliminate the theft.

The command post reached an agreement with all zonal and district officials to protect the electrical infrastructure in the region.

The agreement aims to track down and bring to justice those involved in the theft, enforce accountability at all levels of leadership, and prevent the recurrence of the crime.

It was also decided that extensive awareness campaigns will be conducted urgently, reaching down to the lowest level of the regional administrative structure, to encourage the community to take ownership in protecting the infrastructure.

Participants in the discussion included the head of the Afar Regional President’s Office, Mr. Golbe Silen; the President of the Regional Supreme Court, Mr. Musa Abdo; the Deputy Head of the Regional Peace and Security Sector, Mr. Hussein Mohammed; the Head of the Regional Justice Bureau, Mr. Ismail Mohammed; and the Regional Police Commissioner, Bilal Ahmed, along with zonal and district officials.

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