Ethiopia slams right watchdog’s report as “fabricated”

By Tesfa-alem Tekle

June13, 2008 (ADDIS ABABA) — Ethiopia on Friday rejected the latest reports revealed by human rights watch accusing Ethiopia of war crimes during a crackdown against ogaden rebels in the nation’s eastern Somali region.

The New York based Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday accused Ethiopia of wide ranges of execution, torture, rape and other violations over civilians in the remote Somali region during a year-old military campaign against the Ogaden rebels.

“The report is a baseless and total fabrication collected based on false information provided by sympathizers of the out-law Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF)”a statement from the ministry of information said.

Last year Ethiopia launched a crackdown against Ogaden rebels following the massacre of 65 Ethiopians and 9 Chinese in an oil-venture in the Somali region.

“Ethiopia will not tolerate fabricated reports and slandering campaigns aimed at satisfying somebody’s geo-political agenda” it said.

“It is clear that such a campaign of defamation is the work of anti-peace forces that hate to see Ethiopia on the right track of development and democracy and success of the peoples of Ethiopia in all sectors” the statement added.

Despite repeated accusations from international right groups, Ethiopia said that it will continue to take measures against the rebel group to assure peace and security of its people whenever it finds it necessary.

Speaking to parliament two weeks ago Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said that 90% of the rebels are smashed, a claim the rebels denied.

The ONLF rebels whom Ethiopia considers them as terrorists are fighting for the independence of the ethnic- Somali dominated Ogaden region.

HRW in its report yesterday has also accused western Donors of failing to condemn what it said are systematic atrocities by Ethiopian forces and the rebel group of violating humanitarian law by attacking oil workers and setting land mines along roads.

(ST)