Ogaden rebels condamn Ethiopian “invasion” of Somalia

Jan 7, 2007 — Ethiopia’s illegal and unjustified invasion and
occupation of Southern Somalia has heralded in a new
and more dangerous era in the Horn of Africa.

Despite repeated denials by the Tigray Peoples
Liberation Front (TPLF) led minority regime of Prime
Minister Melez Zenawi, it has been a well-known secret
that Ethiopian combat troops have been present on
Somali soil in clear violation of international law
for several years.

These troops actively armed various factions
throughout Somalia’s civil war and played off one
faction against the other steadily weakening all
factions in the process. TPLF agents in Somalia over
the past decade have sewn mistrust amongst Somali
political groupings and have encouraged clan rivalry
and warlordism by providing arms to both sides of a
local conflict.

The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) has warned
on numerous occassions that the regime of Melez
Zenawi has been the primary obstacle to peace and
reconciliation in Somalia for the past decade. This
invasion makes clear to the international community
that Ethiopia is not now nor has it ever been an
impartial spectator in the Somali conflict.

Melez Zenawi’s invasion of Somalia demonstrates that
his minority regime has been an active participant in
the Somali conflict with a clear agenda aimed at
undermining the Somali sovereignty
and gaining favor from western nations by portraying
his regime as an ally in the war on terror.

History has shown that regardless of the external
support a government recieves, it is unsustainable if
it is illegitimate in the eyes of its own people. The
TPLF led regime in Ethiopia today is widely unpopular
and notorious for its human rights abuses and poor
governance.

The ONLF would like to state clearly that we strongly
condemn Melez Zenawi’s deliberate, illegal and
unjustified invasion and occupation of Southern
Somalia. It is our view that this invasion, if allowed
to stand, will have ramifications throughout
the Horn of Africa. It will prove to be a
miscalculation.

We call upon the various political actors in Somalia
to set their differences aside for the sake of their
nation and reach a comprehensive and lasting peace
through peaceful dialogue and compromise.

The TPLF led minority regime in power in Addis Ababa
is not now nor has it ever been a friend of the Somali
people. It is up to the Somalis themselves to unite
and resist this blatant aggression against their
homeland by all legitimate means.

As we have stated previously, the ONLF will continue
to resist the presence of Ethiopian troops in Ogaden
and we shall resist the use of our territory as a
logistical and planning center for Ethiopian
occupation troops in Somalia.

We urge the international community to bear pressure
on Ethiopia to immediately and unconditionally
withdraw it’s troops from Somalia.

We further call upon the African Union to excercise
some leadership as a member State has clearly been
invaded by another member State.

We also call on the League of Arab States to take a
unified stand against Ethiopia’s occupation of
sovereign Somali territory.

The people of Ogaden stand in Solidarity with the
people of Somalia as they resist Ethiopian occupation.