Oganden rebels say will keep fighting for self determination
April 8, 2009 (LONDON) — Ogaden rebels downplayed statements by an Ethiopian official about government successful plans to weaken the rebellion in the Somali rebellion in the country. They further pledged to pursue their struggle for self determination.
Ethiopian minister of communication Bereket Simon said Addis Ababa has defeated the Ogaden National Liberation Front through the military action and development projects as well as political approach. He further added that the government had no intention to hold talks with Oganden rebels.
Government claims “can only be described as wishful thinking which is far from reality and bordering on fantasy” said the ONLF in a statement released Wednesday. The rebels added their operational capacity “is now higher than at any point since the start” of the insurgency in 1984.
The ONLF described the statements of the communication minister as a government attempt to convince the oil firms to resume its oil activities in the troubled region.
ONLF rebels launched an attack on a Chinese oil venture on April 24, 2007, leaving 77 people dead, including nine Chinese. Since, the oil companies deserted the barren Ogaden region.
The people of the Ogaden are mostly Somalis and ethnically distinct from the highland Ethiopians who have ruled the country for centuries, and the long battle over the region has been steadily escalating this year.
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.
The rebel group regretted the government rejection to negotiate a peaceful solution and renewed its call for talks to reach a political settlement for the conflict under the patronage of neutral third party.
Nonetheless, the ONLF warned that it will continue to engage the government troops wherever and whenever it enters Ogaden; and reaffirmed its readiness to cooperate with other political forces that respect its struggle for self-determination.
(ST)