Ethiopian aircrafts 'carpet-bomb' O-gaden region

[Castro]

NAIROBI (AFP) — Ethiopia's air force has been "carpet-bombing" villages and nomadic settlements in its oil- and gas-rich O-gaden region, leaving a trail of casualties, separatist rebels in the restive eastern area said Sunday.

 

"Since Friday the Ethiopian air force has carried out continuous air sorties on the area of the lakes called in Somali Haro Digeed," O-gaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) spokesman Abdirahman Mahdi said.

 

The air force "has been carpet-bombing the villages and nomadic settlements," an ONLF statement said.

 

"Many people are hurt or dead and lots of animals have been killed," he said, but did not say whether the fatalities were rebel fighters or civilians.

 

"The army decided to change tactics and use air assault because they realised their ground forces could not make it," he said, adding the air force was still pounding the region late Sunday.

 

"Some ONLF fighters were hurt in the air bombardments, but the air force targeted civilian settlements and livestock," the spokesman said, adding that locals were fleeing the region amid bad weather.

 

On Friday, the Ethiopian army said it had killed some 100 rebels and captured hundreds others in O-gaden, near the frontier with lawless Somalia, over the past month.

 

But Mahdi said army has an "habit of summarily executing civilians and then counting them as ONLF dead."

 

"The Ethiopian Army had killed hundreds of civilians are imprisoned thousands and we believe that this is a ruse to fool the UN mission who are starting to investigate the situation in the O-gaden."

 

The rebels say they have made military gains in the recent months.

 

In October, the UN announced that it had been allowed to collaborate with regional authorities to supply relief food, medicine, and veterinary services as well as setting up offices in a key town there.

 

Addis Ababa has expelled Doctors Without Borders and the International Committee for the Red Cross from O-gaden for allegedly meddling in politics, a charge both deny.

 

The rebel and army reports could not be independently verified as journalists and aid workers have repeatedly been blocked from accessing vast swathes of the volatile region in recent months.

 

The Ethiopian army launched a crackdown in the region after ONLF rebels attacked a Chinese oil venture in April that left 77 people dead.

 

Many refugees have since fled to Somalia, saying authorities have imposed a trade blockade, with few goods -- including food -- permitted into the area.

 

Human rights groups said the crackdown resulted in numerous human rights violations in the region and subsequent UN fact-finding mission called for an independent investigation.

 

Addis Ababa routinely rejects rights violation claims, saying its troops are pursuing "terrorists."

 

The barren O-gaden region has long been extremely poor, but the discovery of gas and oil has brought new hopes of wealth as well as new causes of conflict.

 

It is about the same size as Britain with a population of about four million.

 

Ethiopia accuses arch-foe Eritrea of supporting O-gaden separatists, which the authorities in Asmara have denied.

 

Formed in 1984, the ONLF is fighting for the independence of ethnic Somalis in O-gaden, whom they say have been marginalised by Addis Ababa.

 

AFP

[Nephissa]

The oil and gas discovery makes a bad situation 1000 times worse. Now the innocent are being carpet-bombed for no fault of theirs. Ya Allah! I'm feeling really upset with mixed emotions right now. May Allah give us sabr inshallah and protect our families in the region.

 

Where are our Muslim brethren?.. Asleep? Dead? After O-denia many are now next. One by one..

 

Addeerayalo wake up, toosa!

[Observer]

May Allah give us sabr inshallah and protect our families in the region.

AMIIN YA RAB...INSHA ALLAH WE WILL COME OUT VICTORIOUS

[Abdulladiif Al-Fiqih]

The oil and gas discovery makes a bad situation 1000 times worse. Now the innocent are being carpet-bombed for no fault of theirs. Ya Allah! I'm feeling really upset with mixed emotions right now. May Allah give us sabr inshallah and protect our families in the region.

 

Where are our Muslim brethren?.. Asleep? Dead? After O-denia many are now next. One by one..

 

Addeerayalo wake up, toosa!

Its heartbreaking to see what our people go through every day but this is the price of the freedom walaal. We must die to be free. Many will be displaced, maimed, raped, killed and jailed before we are free but we must not loose hope.

 

Geeska Africa waa sida Banka 'Serengeti Safari Park' oo kale. Baha dugaagga joogana waxaa ugu adag kolba ka ugu micida dheer marka waa inaan mici dheer labaxno.

 

 

Please read below. Meles is feeling the heat. He's trying to invite the ONLF to a disingenuous and deceitful Negotiation to bail himself out of this hellhole he created himself for in the Horn.

*************************************************

 

STATEMENT ON TPLF's LACK OF COMMITMENT TO SERIOUS PEACEFUL DIALOGUE

 

16 November 2007

 

The Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) led regime currently in power in Ethiopia has been well aware of the OGGGADEN National Liberation Front(ONLF) policy on resolving the OCADEN conflict through peaceful dialogue. We have maintained that any such dialogue should be held in a neutral third country, in the presence of a neutral third party arbiter of international standing with no preconditions placed on either side.

 

In that context, recent attempts by the TPLF to

utilize the person of Prof. Ephrem Isaac to seek to

negotiate on matters that can only be addressed by the TPLF Regime itself demonstrate the lack of commitment of this regime to engage in serious diologue in order to reach a comprehensive and just political settlement on the OCCADEN conflict.

 

The ONLF would like to make clear to the TPLF regime that we will not meet with or negotiate with Prof. Ephrem Isaac as he is not a government official and has no recognized authority nor the ability to affect circumstances on the ground in Ogggaden.

 

The TPLF regime continues to execute a campaign of terror against our people and has shown no sign of seeking a peaceful solution to the Ogggggaden conflict.

 

Despite this, our door remains open to enter into

discussions with the TPLF regime in the context of our long standing policy for dialogue.

OGGGADEN National Liberation Front (ONLF)

[Castro]

Anyone who can't see this as part and parcel of what's happening in Muqdisho and the rest of Somalia is a bona fide simpleton.

 

Ethiopia 'bombs' O-gaden villages

 

Separatist rebels in Ethiopia's O-gaden region say days of air attacks on civilians have caused many casualties.

 

Helicopter gunships have been used to attack villages in the remote area, says the O-gaden National Liberation Front (ONLF).

 

Aid workers say an estimated 1,500 O-gaden refugees crossed into Kenya to escape renewed fighting last month.

 

Ethiopia has not commented but last week, the army said it had killed some 100 rebels in the past month.

 

Since April, when rebels attacked a Chinese oil exploration unit killing 74 people, the O-gaden has been the scene of continuous clashes.

 

International agencies, including the Red Cross, have been expelled from the O-gaden and there is little chance of independently verifying the conflicting claims from the government and rebels.

 

O-gadenis fleeing into northern Kenya have given harrowing description of government assaults on their villages.

 

More than 500 families reached different parts of Kenya's massive Dadaab camps in October - many gave similar accounts of a sustained campaign of rape and brutality, with men hanged from trees.

 

In separate interviews reported by the Reuters news agency, the O-gadenis claimed Ethiopian soldiers had been entering villages over and over again to kill, rape and burn in a campaign to flush out ONLF rebels.

 

Ethiopia has dismissed similar accounts as "rebel propaganda".

 

The ONLF, founded in 1984, says it is fighting for the rights of the local Somali-speaking population.

 

BBC

[Ibtisam]

Subxanallah

[The Zack]

This indicates that the occupation forces have lost in the ground. Marka haddeer diyaarado bey soo qaateen...

[Jacaylbaro]

Inaalillaahi wa Inaa Ilayhi Raajicuun ,,,,,,,

 

 

Insha Allah they will be defeated

[Xoogsade]

Why don't you guys send letters to the UN and to All organizations just for trying something in these times of dire need? Don't just read the news and sit by, do something.

[Naxar Nugaaleed]

"Since Friday the Ethiopian air force has carried out continuous air sorties on the area of the lakes called in Somali Haro Digeed," O-gaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) spokesman Abdirahman Mahdi said."

 

Its like some of the anarchist here quoting castro on whats happening in mogadishu.

 

"The rebel and army reports could not be independently verified as journalists and aid workers have repeatedly been blocked from accessing vast swathes of the volatile region in recent months."

 

Why, i wonder, do these people think that lazy journalism is only acceptable only in east africa

 

Xoogsade:"Why don't you guys send letters to the UN and to All organizations just for trying something in these times of dire need? Don't just read the news and sit by, do something."

You can't be serious, could you?

[BiLaaL]

^Of course Xoogsade is being serious. I doubt anyone would find an atom of seriousness in you though - in any field of life. What else would one expect from someone who shows such indifference to the blight of his own people? The likes of you should do what they're best at doing - haggle over the leftovers of their Xabashi masters.

[Seekknowledge]

Ask questions? Ask questions? Ask questions?

Who is blocking the access and why?

Ask the O-gadeni refugees what they think about this conflict? Are they with or against these two groups? Do they prefer the army to bomb them or the ONLF to loote them? Ask!Ask!Ask!

[Caano Geel]

Subxanallah, allah ha u naxriisto dadkeena

[Xoogsade]

Naxar, Not only am I serious but I actually sent couple of letters to some organizations. The least I can do from my safety here to express sorrow and share the pain with those somalis far away brutally bombed by the Xabashis you call friends.

[The Zack]

Naxar,

 

So are you saying that Abdirahman Mahdi is lying and that Ethiopia is not carpet-bombing the civilians in Western Somalia aka (OG***N)?

 

You sound so Zenawi!