Rebel ONLF condemns shooting of civilians in eastern Ethiopia

May 29, 2007– The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) strongly
condemns the indiscriminate shooting of civilians in
Ogaden following explosions in Jijiga and Degah Bur.

Dozens of people were killed in both cities in
northern Ogaden when TPLF troops shot indiscriminately
into crowds of civilians forced to attend a TPLF
sponsored political rally. Women and children were
among the dead in both cities with some deaths
resulting from bullets and other dying in the stampede
that followed the explosions.

A few hours after the explosions in Jijiga, TPLF
troops shot two civilians in a residential
neighborhood of Jijiga who were visiting relatives
wounded in the attack. Those two individuals, both
young men, died on the spot.

Residents of Jijiga and Degah Bur are now being
harassed with many young men being arbitrarily
arrested. At least 12 residents of Degah Bur have been
badly beaten by TPLF troops in what appears to be a
broad, systematic and violent crackdown on the
civilian population of Ogaden

The ONLF wishes to make clear to the international
community that these attacks were not conducted by our
armed forces. It is neither the policy nor the
practice of the ONLF to deliberately target civilians
for any reason. The TPLF regime has been seeking a
justification to launch a campaign of terror in Ogaden
against our population and is therefore not beyond
suspicion in these explosions.

The ONLF calls on human rights organizations and
members of the international media to come and witness
for themselves the violent crackdown by the TPLF
against our people. We also call on the international
community to provide immediate medical care for
civilians wounded in Jijiga and Degah Bur.

The ONLF urges the people of Ogaden to take all
necessary measures to protect themselves from the TPLF
army. We wish to affirm to our people that the ONLF will respond to the ruthless
tactics of the TPLF army in the appropriate manner.