African Rights Monitor Human Rights Council. Forum on Minority Issues. Novice session 24th and 25th November 2016 G. Mursal africarightsmonitor@gmail.com www.africanrightsmonitor.org Respecting the rights of minorities as a way of preventing or mitigating the impact of humanitarian crises. Dear all, African Rights Monitor (ARM) is a non-political and non-profit human rights organization that observes humanitarian and security situations in the countries of the Horn of Africa. ARM intervenes in this forum to shed light on the degrading situation of the minority of Ogaden, an Somali ethnic community in eastern Ethiopia. Among other reasons, a lack of good governance, respect for human rights and the absence of the rule of law can lead to a humanitarian crisis. One of the main factors leading to repeated humanitarian crises in this province is the war that has been going on for decades and the lack of a peaceful resolution approach. The province of Ogaden has become a field of battle in which the army has the last word. Civilians in general, and particularly women pay the highest price since rape is used as a weapon of war. The humanitarian and security crises in the Somali region of Ogaden were noted in 2007 by a joint UN team. Since then, humanitarian and security situations have only worsened. And there has not being any visit by the UN or independent human rights organisation or the media, neither any recommendation from member countries of the Human Rights Council to improve the Ogaden are accepted by the Ethiopian government. In countries where armed conflict exists, such as in Ethiopia, respect for the rights of minorities must go through a peaceful resolution of the conflict, negotiated between the state and the armed opposition. The United Nations in general and this forum on minority issues should encourage and support any beginning of peace negotiations in order to avoid unacceptable suffering of civilians.