From: Biniam Haile \(SWE\) (eritrea.lave@comhem.se)
Date: Fri Apr 10 2009 - 04:01:20 EDT
Ogaden Rebels Counter 'Crisis' Claims by Ethiopia
By Peter Heinlein
Addis Ababa
08 April 2009
Rebels fighting for independence in Ethiopia's Ogaden region say they
are stronger than ever, a day after the government said the insurgency
is in tatters.
A statement e-mailed to news organizations Wednesday says the
operational capacity of the rebel Ogaden National Liberation Front is
higher than at any point since its anti-Ethiopia insurgency began.
The e-mail, apparently sent from ONLF offices in Europe, says rebels in
the arid stretch of eastern Ethiopia along the Somalia border have
defeated every major Ethiopian military campaign in the past two years.
The statement was in response to comments from Ethiopia's Communications
Minister Bereket Simon, who told reporters that government troops are on
the verge of crushing the rebels.
"The situation in Ogaden has developed in such a way that when the ONLF
has lost too much ground. And at this point we can say the ONLF is very
weakened and in a state of crisis," he said.
Bereket said government political and counterinsurgency operations have
undermined the ONLF's popular support.
"The situation in Ogaden is improving by the day," he said. "People are
interested in developmental activities and taking matters into their own
hands. The government assessment is that the ONLF will find itself in a
very difficult situation."
The ONLF statement described Bereket's comments as "wishful thinking,"
aimed at instilling a false sense of confidence in oil exploration
companies the government is trying to lure back to the Ogaden region.
Ethiopia stepped up counterinsurgency operations in the Ogaden nearly
two years ago, after the rebels attacked a Chinese-run oil exploration
facility, killing 65 Ethiopians and several Chinese nationals.
Industry analysts say no oil has been discovered in the Ogaden.
The government restricts journalists access to the region, and there is
little verifiable information about the strength of the rebels or the
level of fighting.
The U.S. group Human Rights Watch last year issued a report accusing
government troops of staging public executions and burning villages in
their counterinsurgency campaign. The report was based on eyewitness
accounts.
Ethiopia responded with its own report charging the Human Rights group
with using flawed methods that resulted in unsubstantiated and
inflammatory allegations. The government rebuttal noted that Human
Rights Watch investigators had not visited the Ogaden, and that some of
the people listed as dead in the report had later been found alive.
Independent verification of the ONLF's strength on the ground is
impossible, but the group is known to have strong backing among Ogadenis
living overseas, many of whom are refugees. Hundreds of sign-carrying
ONLF supporters staged noisy demonstrations outside the G20 summit site
in London last week to protest the presence of Ethiopian Prime Minister
Meles Zenawi.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-04-08-voa32.cfm
----[This List to be used for Eritrea Related News Only]----