Advocacy group rejects peace talks between Ethiopia, Ogaden rebels
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
September 5, 2010 (ADDIS ABABA) – Resolve Ogaden Coalition (ROC), an exiled independent advocacy group, on Sunday said it does not recognize peace negotiations currently underway between the Ethiopian government and the rebel group Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF).
“Resolve Ogaden coalition does not recognize the peace talks between the Ethiopian government and individuals most notably Salaaxadin Macow who has been claiming to represent a ‘faction’ of the ONLF,” the group said in a statement seen by Sudan Tribune.
Established in 2009, Resolve Ogaden Coalition is a national non-profit organization seeking to use all possible resources in order to achieve a just and lasting solution to the Ogaden conflict. It is currently based in the United States and has branches in both Minnesota and California.
The US-based independent group has urged the Ethiopian government to engage in direct talks with ONLF, provided that such talks take place in a neutral third-party nation, and with the full engagement and monitoring of the international community in order to ensure that a just and lasting solution is achieved.
“For a lasting and just solution to be achieved in the Ogaden region, it is essential that the Ethiopian government directly engages with the ONLF currently headed by Mohamed Omar Osman who directly commands military personnel in the region” the group recommended.
Recently, the Ethiopian government announced that it is set to sign a peace deal with ONLF in October.
The ONLF, which was founded in 1984 and is designated by the Ethiopian government as terrorist group, has claimed responsibility for several attacks, including one on a Chinese-run oil field in 2007. The attack killed nine Chinese nationals and 65 Ethiopians. The Ethiopian government claims that the ONLF is supported by the Eritrean government, an allegation Asmara denies.
On August 25, 2010, the national security adviser to the Prime Minister, Abay Tsehaye, said that more than 20 senior members of the ONLF, who splinted from the front, expressed their readiness to operate peacefully in accordance with the country’s constitution. As a result, an agreement is likely to be signed in October.
Following the announced peace deal, ONLF representatives stated that “these claims by the Ethiopian government are a last attempt to divert attention from the nation’s recent sham elections which have been tainted with accusations of fraud and manipulation.” The ONLF has also released statements claiming that the organizational structure of the liberation front remains intact.
The ROC statement said that such negotiations are intended to divert attention and are yet to gain credibility among the Ogaden Diaspora.
“As an independent organization, we have come to the conclusion that these ‘peace talks’ are being used as a publicity stunt in order to distract the international community and the inhabitants of the Ogaden about the long standing conflict in the region” the ROC said.
ROC further accused the Ethiopian government of launching a campaign to divide and rule the people of the Ogaden by labeling clans as “rebels.”
“The government has begun sponsoring its own local militias to combat the ONLF. Such state-sponsored militias are similar to the Janjaweed in Sudan who have been responsible for the displacement and violence of millions of Darfurians,” the group said, citing the recent press conference by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
ROC urged the Ethiopian government to “halt the sponsoring of local militias and to abandon its recent actions of classifying and naming particular clans as rebels.”
The group stressed that the troubles in Ogaden region need to be recognized by the international community and that a lasting solution is impossible without the participation and mediation of the international community. It went on to “urge foreign and regional governments with influence, including the United States, United Kingdom, and China to publicly call upon the Ethiopian government to halt all hostilities against civilians.”
The ROC said it was determined to pressure the international community to recognize the suffering of the Ogaden people.
(ST)