Secretary Rice explains ONLF is Not a Terrorist Organization

[Jacaylbaro]

 

United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recommended for the Ethiopian government to set up a “credible” political process in reaction to the attacks by the ****** National Liberation Front (ONLF) armed group, which the Ethiopian government has labeled a “terrorist organization,” a label the U.S. has repeatedly backed away from.

 

In her recent statements during her trip to Ethiopia, Secretary Rice reduced the ONLF to a mere “irregular” and “negative” group; avoiding the typical direct and aggressive language of the Bush Adminstration in reference to armed groups like the ONLF, which the Ethiopian government still labels a terrorist organization. Instead, She said “the real answer” to the mounting attacks by the ONLF is to seek a political solution. “In all of these areas … we've got to establish credible, political, and peace processes so that those who wish to be a part of the future can be a part of the future and those who do not can be dealt with” said Condoleezza Rice, adding that she understands there is a “security threat and concern.”

 

 

Through out the years, the ONLF has been accused of various assassinations of pro-government Somali officials and raids in eastern Ethiopia. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has also accused the ONLF of using land mines in the middle of civilian areas. But the ONLF did not catch the attention of the international community until its major attack this year on a Chinese-run Oil Field in the ****** region, where it killed 9 Chinese and 65 Ethiopians. The Ethiopian government has often asked America to label the ONLF a terrorist organization, but the American government has repeatedly refused to do so.

 

 

Some opposition members of the Ethiopian parliament have also recommended the Ethiopian government to pursue a political solution instead of labeling ONLF a terrorist organization. Similarly, exiled dissident Ethiopian groups have often supported the objective of the ONLF. Most notably, the New York Times recently quoted one of the leading Ethiopian sponsors of the HR 2003 U.S congressional bill who labeled the ONLF rebels as an irregular force that are “freedom fighters.”

 

 

In response, the Ethiopian government has become more skeptical about the intentions of the HR 2003 and continues to pursue a military solution in response to the attacks by the ONLF. It also accuses the Eritrean government for supporting the ONLF. Most Ethiopian supporters of the government say the ONLF, which labels ****** region a “sovereign nation” separate from Ethiopia and seeks a referendum for secession, was not interested in democracy and a political solution in the first place since these developments translate to accepting the sovereignty of Ethiopia, which ONLF labels a “colonial state.” However, critics of the government say the EPRDF ruling party is not wiling to share power and it is indiscriminately labeling the ONLF and other dissidents as a “terrorist organization” to vilify credible and strong opposition forces.

 

 

The recent suggestions by Secretary Rice about the ONLF were in stark contrast to her references about the Islamic Courts Union which has its top leaders tagged “terrorists” and its former brand Al-Ittihad-Al-Islami labeled a “terrorist organization” by the United States. While in Addis Ababa, Rice recommended the Somalia transitional government to exclude ICU members who are “tainted by terrorism” and include any opposition group “who hasn't and isn't still committed to terror.” Accordingly, Ethiopian officials have showed dismay at what they say is an American inclination to ignore militants who use violence in Ethiopia, because they are not an immediate threat to the United States.

 

 

The ONLF is a separatist armed organization seeking more autonomy for the ****** region. It was founded in 1984.

 

 

Jimma Times