Ethiopian rebels condemn Somalia attack

December 7, 2009 (ADDIS ABABA) – The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) has condemned last week’s hotel bombing in Mogadishu and extended sympathy to families of victims..

In a statement sent to Sudan Tribune the group said “we strongly condemn the cowardly bombing at a medical students’ graduation ceremony in Mogadishu”.

“This attack against medical graduates, parents, instructors and government officials is nothing less than an act of terrorism aimed at squashing the aspirations of those who intend to dedicate their lives to serve their fellow Somalis.”

Last Thursday, a suicide bomber disguised as a women blew himself up in a college graduation ceremony killing 24 people, including four government ministers in the capital, Mogadishu.

The Ethiopian rebel group further said that the perpetrators are clearly the enemies of the Somali people and their hopes for a better future.

“They are enemies of the re constitution of a strong Somali state, national reconciliation, peace, progress and democratic governance” the statement added.

The ethnic Somali rebel group, which was founded in 1984, fights for an independent Ogaden state, alleging that the Somali-speaking communities in Ethiopia are marginalized by Addis Ababa government.

Last month, the ONLF rebel group alleged capturing seven towns in what it said was a major attack which engaged thousands of its fighters against government troops in the region. The reports also claim that up to 650 government troops had been killed.

However Ethiopian officials dismissed the claims made by the Ogaden rebels as preposterous propaganda.

Ethiopian forces launched a major military operation against ONLF after the group’s deadly attack at an oil venture in2007 and now Ethiopia says the group is no more a threat at the region.

(ST)