Ethiopia claims killing of rebel leader in Ogaden

January 22, 2008 (ADDIS ABABA) — Ethiopian authorities announced yesterday the killing of a local rebel leader in the troubled Somali region of Ogaden in the south-east of the country.

Mohamed Serad, who was killed during clashes with the security members in remote region bordering Somalia last week, joined the rebel Al-Itihad Al-Islami after his defection from the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), Ethiopia sources said.

Dawed Mohamed Ali, the head of the regional administration in the restive Somali region told the local reporters that Serad had been killed while he was operating with some ONLF elements.

He claimed that the rebels were killed in in Denan woreda of Gode zone while they were preparing to commit terrorist attacks without elaborating.

The official website of the ONLF did not react to the announcement.

Ethiopia said Serad joined Al-Itihad Al-Islami after differences within ONLF which is often described as Eritrea’s supported organization.

The ONLF and Al-Itihad Al-Islami both are formed in the eighties and fight for the independence of Ogaden region which is populated by a Somali ethnic group.

HRW and other rights groups accused Addis Ababa of grave human rights violations in the region and request an independent investigation but Ethiopian government downplayed these accusations and published a report by the end of 2008 dismissing the claim.

(ST)