From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Sat Jun 12 2010 - 17:16:33 EDT
Ethiopia rebels say government kills 71 civilians
Fri Jun 11, 2010 2:28pm GMT
* ONLF says Ethiopian army murders innocents
* Ethiopian government says 'usual lies'
* International oil and gas firms eye licences in region
By Barry Malone
ADDIS ABABA, June 11 (Reuters) - Ethiopian rebels said on Friday the
military had killed 71 civilians in the last month as part of a growing
crackdown in a region where international oil and gas companies are
exploring.
"The Ethiopian army combed the countryside, summarily executing men in front
of their families while beating, raping or killing the women," the Ogaden
National Liberation Front (ONLF) said in a statement.
"The ruthless troops have so far massacred 71 innocent civilians."
The government dismissed the rebel statement, the latest in a series of
tit-for-tat accusations over the Ogaden region, where the ONLF wants more
autonomy and regularly demands that foreign firms leave.
Firms including Malaysia's state-owned Petronas and Vancouver-based Africa
Oil Corporation (AOI.V: <http://af.reuters.com/stocks/quote?symbol=AOI.V>
Quote) are already looking for deposits in the Ogaden's vast deserts.
Commercial amounts of oil and gas have not yet been extracted.
"NO FIGHTING"
"We are investigating the claims," Ethiopian government spokesman, Shimeles
Kemal, told Reuters.
"But our initial investigation indicates that the allegation is baseless.
It's the usual lies. There is no fighting in that area."
The Ethiopian government has confirmed skirmishes with the rebels in the
past six months but the regular accusations from both sides are hard to
verify. Journalists and aid groups cannot move freely in the area without
government escorts.
Ethiopian forces launched a massive assault against the ONLF -- which has
been fighting for more than 20 years -- after a 2007 attack on an oil
exploration field owned by a subsidiary of China's Sinopec Corp (0386.HK:
<http://af.reuters.com/stocks/quote?symbol=0386.HK> Quote), Asia's biggest
refiner.
Analysts say the rebels are incapable of ousting the government but can
hamper development and weaken security forces in the Ogaden with hit-and-run
attacks.
A British geologist was shot dead in April in the region while working for
IMC Geophysics International, subcontracted to Petronas. The ONLF denied
involvement and the government said 'bandits' were responsible.
In November, the group said it had captured seven towns in the region and
killed almost 1,000 Ethiopian troops and government-allied militiamen. The
government confirmed the rebel assault but Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said
they had been 'crushed'.
The separatist cause has been fuelled by widespread resentment at the
region's low level of development. Until Chinese engineers arrived in 2006,
the entire region had just over 30 km (20 miles) of tarmac road. (Editing by
George Obulutsa and Philippa Fletcher)
C Thomson Reuters 2010 All rights reserved
IMF gives Ethiopia $59 mln under shocks facility programme
Fri Jun 11, 2010 5:32pm GMT
NAIROBI June 11 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund said on Friday
it had allowed Ethiopia to access an equivalent of about $58.7 million under
its Exogenous Shocks Facility, to help counter effects of the global
economic downturn.
IMF said Ethiopia had been successful in implementing policies to curb
inflation and rebuild external reserves as agreed under an ESF-supported
programme.
"The approval will enable Ethiopia to draw ... about $58.7 million ...
bringing total disbursements under the arrangement to ... about $166.2
million," IMF said in a statement.
IMF said it expected Ethiopia's economy to grow by 7 percent in 2009/10. It
had earlier forecast an output of 7-7.5 percent this fiscal year
(July-June), based on an assessment carried out in September.
"Overall, the negative impact of the global recession has not been as severe
as expected. GDP growth is projected to ease to 7 percent in 2009/10," it
said in its statement.
The government forecasts a growth of about 10 percent for 2010. The
International Monetary Fund predicts growth of over 5 percent. (Reporting by
George Obulutsa, Editing by Ron Askew)
C Thomson Reuters 2010 All rights reserved
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