ONLF siezes Galaalshe, frees hundreds of prisoners including abducted WFP workers.

[Faafan]

ONLF siezes Galaalshe town near Baabili, Jigjiga

 

An Ethiopian garrison base was over-run by the Gorgor brigade unit of the ONLF, where the discovery of hundreds of prisoners were witnessed by the ONLF along with abducted WFP workers who recently stumbled upon a massacre the Ethiopians committed a fews weeks back prompting there detention, the driver was killed and the 2 workers were abducted.The Ethiopian Government blamed the ONLF, but what would ONLF want to do with WFP workers? ONLF wants more NGO's to access the region so the brutality of Ethiopia's rule can be further unvieled, its even more ironic when the Ethiopians claim ONLF wants to stop aid from reaching the people when its there government maintaining a full blockade on the region where the ONLF is urging the International community to pressure Ethiopia to lift the blockade and grant the NGO's access.It will be difficult to return the WFP workers to the WFP considering the Red Cross was expelled years ago along with most aid organisations for allegedly aiding rebels.

 

Ciidanka Wadaniga Xoreynta O'gadenia ya ayaa saaka gacanta ku dhigay dagmada Galaalshe

 

War dagdag ah oo hadda naga soo gaadhay Xarunta dhexe ee CWXO ayaa naloogu sheegay inay nafatood-hurayaasha CWXO saaka subaxdii ku waabariisteen xerada ciidanka gumaysiga uu ku lahaa dagmada Galaalshe halkaasoo dagaal xoogan ka dib gacanta lagu dhigay.

 

Wararku waxay intaa ua darayaan inuu weli dagaalkii socdo iyadoo ciidama guamsyiga uu lahaa oo gurmad ahaan loo soo diray iyagana cagta la mariyay.

 

Waxaa kaloo muhiim ah in xabsi gaar ah loogu tagay labadii shaqaalaha haya’dda WFP ka socday ee todobaadkii hore ay afduubeen ciidamada Itobiya iyo maxaysata la socotay ka dib markay dileen darawalkii waday. Labadaba way badqabaan waxaana hadda gacanta ku haya CWXO oo mardhow caalamka ku wargalin doona inay wareystaan siday xaaladooda ahayd iyo habkii loo afduubay iyo intii ay u xidhnaayeen waxyaabaha ay arkeen iyo wixii lala maaganaaba.

 

Wixii ka soo kordha gadaal ayaan faafaahinteeda idinkala socodsiin doonaa.

 

ONA.

(OTP)- wararka nagasoo gaadhaya wadanka O'gadenya ayaa xaqiijinaya in saaka waagbarigii ay ciidamada jabhada ONLF weerar ku qaadeen xeryo ciidan oo ku yaalay magaalada Galaalshe ee gobolka Fiiq.

 

sida ay sheegayaan warar hordhac ah oo aan ka helayno saraakiisha jabhada iyo dad xog ogaal ah oo jooga magaalada Jigjiga waxay cadaynayaan in dagaalkaas oo ahaa mid aad u xoog badnaa ay ciidamada ONLF kula wareegeen gacan ku haynta magaalada Galaalshe iyagoo ku guulaystay in ay cagta mariyaan ciidamadii militariga Ethiopia iyo kuwii Liyuu booliska ee saldhigaas ku sugnaa.

 

sidoo kale warar aanu kasoo xiganay saraakiil sare oo ka tirsan ciidanka ONLF ayaa sheegaya in ay ciidamadoodu gacanta ku dhigeen intii dagaalku socday shaqaalihii WFP ee bishan dhexdeedii laga afduubay meel u dhaw magaalada galaalshe ee gobolka Fiiq.

 

shaqaalahan ayaa la sheegay in ay ku xidhnaayeen isla xerada ciidanka ee ay weerareen jabhada ONLF.

 

furashada shaqaalahan ayaa noqonaysa ceebtii ugu waynayd ee soo wajahda dawalada Ethiopia intii ka dambaysay dagaalkii cobole ee lagu qaaday xeradii shidaal qodista ee gobolka Dagaxbuur.

 

wixii kasoo kordha dagaalka dib ayaanu idiinka soo gudbin hadii alle idmo.

 

O'gaden today

“Ethiopian military have kidnapped them as they witnessed the troops committing mass killing against Somali nomadic and pastoralists following battle with us (ONLF). The Ethiopians also killed WFP driver because they feared to tell mass killing against innocent civilians” he noted. “They (Ethiopian forces) wanted to stifle UN workers from telling the truth” he added.The O'gaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) on Thursday claimed that their fighters had rescued recently abducted staff working for the United Nations food agency after a fierce battle with Ethiopian military forces.

 

In an interview with a local radio station, Hussein Mohammed Nur, ONLF’s head of information, said the rebels launched the attack after receiving information that two World Food Program workers were in Ethiopian custody in the district of Dabashe, which lies in the Dhagahtur region in the Somali region under of the Ethiopian protectorate.

 

Nur said the staff members had been missing since May 13. He described them as being “good in health and in a peaceful location.”

 

He charged that Ethiopian forces have kidnapped the workers because “they witnessed the troops committing mass killing against Somali nomadic and pastoralists following battle with us. The Ethiopians also killed WFP driver because they feared to tell mass killing against innocent civilians.”

 

Last week, the food agency said a driver working for WFP was gunned down and another staff member injured by unknown gunmen in the Somali region in eastern Ethiopia. It went on to say that also two other employees were missing.

 

WFP said it provides food assistance to 4.5 million people in Ethiopia, including refugees and school children, in highly food insecure areas.

 

This is the second deadly attack on a WFP humanitarian worker in less than a month to take place in the region.

 

However, the president of a Somali region under an Ethiopian protectorate, Abdi Mohmoud Omar, last week charged an Ethiopian rebel group with attacking and killing a driver and kidnapping others working for the U.N. food agency.

 

Omar said the ONLF rebel group is trying to block international relief agencies from reaching the O'gaden region to help drought-affected people.

 

He called for the international community to arrest ONLF officials abroad, accusing them of financing the armed guerillas.

 

Ethiopia has not confirmed or denied accusations by the rebels.

 

Read more:

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/90049709?Ethiopian%20rebels%3A%20We%20rescued%20UN%20workers%20after%20b

[Faafan]

Communiqué about WFP Abducted Workers 26 May 2011

 

The O'gaden National Liberation Army of ONLF has captured the Town of Galalshe in Jigjiga Region near Babili. Causalities from the Meles Army (ENDF) were heavy and some remnants escaped to Babili town. ONLA captured armaments, ammunition, and logistics.

 

The Liberation Army found hundreds of civilians prisoners detained in the Galalshe Jail who were tortured and badly treated. Among the Prisoners found were the two WFP workers abducted by the Ethiopian Army, after killing one of their colleagues and wounding the other. Further details will be provided to the media as soon as conditions on the ground warrant it.

 

ONLF will contact WFP and discuss with them mechanism of handing over the workers, since the Ethiopian Army and security forces will not spare them if found. It is the responsibility of WFP to arrange safe passage with the Ethiopian government.

 

ONLA will continue to destroy Ethiopian Army concentration camps ‘like garrisons in the O'gaden.

 

The O'gaden National Liberation Front

[OdaySomali]

O'gaden/Somali Galbeed Waan u danqanayaa lakiin sida Somalida badankooda strategy iyo fikrad ayaa ka qaldan.

[Faafan]

OdaySomali kow, ma dagaalokoodana Strategy lahayn baad ka wadaa Ugaas? igu soo celi aan kaaga jawaabee

[OdaySomali]

I am not talking about the ONLF specifically but the Somalis there in general. Their division, infighting, divergent objectives etc. and that strategically puts them at a significant disadvantage and makes their aim far more difficult to achieve. In terms of the conflict I think it would be more effective if there was a united Somali front fighting for the liberation of the region and IMO, perhaps naively so, this is something that the ONLF should seek to achieve in the long term. Of-course I fully appreciate that this is not in a vacuum but that the GovOfEthio actively seeks to undermine the ONLF and the Somali people in general by dividing them and that the GOE has its own strategies and policies. That said, I think that the ONLF, dominated by a particular clan, again I am not as well versed in the politics of this region as i'd like to be, has over the years alienated some of the people of this region and vice versa. I must also say that may people there have become far too comfortable with the region being part of Ethiopia. So what I was alluding to is that the ONLF faces an uphill struggle if all the Somalis are not united behaind the cause and that this is most unfortunate.

 

It is an unfortunate state of affairs that Somalia, the potential catalyst to the region's liberation, is in need of liberation itself and in no way shape or form is able to provide support or guidance when Somalia is need need of that itself. It is an unfortunate state of affairs that Some Somalis in the Og/Sgalbeed region, without a strong government and stability [to flee to] in Somalia and also witnessing the chaos in Somalia, have lost the appetite for full-scale war with Ethiopia. It is, IMO, in general, an unfortunate state of events.

 

There are my two cents, as they say.

[Che -Guevara]

ONLF needs to be trained on how to use the media for propaganda but also capture the crimes being committed in the region. Military barracks have notorious unofficial detention centers where civilians are tortured, raped, starved, hacked and feed to hungry dogs and crocs literally.

 

The unofficial military barracks are far worse than Jail Ocaden (Jigjiga), Garabcase, and Jail Ocaden (Godey).

[Faafan]

Well put Oday, you have put forth your opinion well and theres truth in what you say certainly.The fall of the central government and the prolonged and continuing absence of the Central government has negatively impacted the somali people in general, there priorities and interests have become blurred leading to further self-destruction, with the case of the OG/SG there is definetly a problem with certain sectors/groups of this society who have shied away from the struggle to pursue other interests for there own selfish reasons but I like to think these people will contribute in the next phase of the conflict which we are heading towards.As for ONLF demographically its dominated by a single clan, the largest clan in OG/SG however this doesn't mean others have been dettered we have many patriotic sections of society contributing and resourcing the struggle, the leader of the brigade which conducted this assault does not belong to the majority so there is more to be done, ofcoarse the road ahead is difficult faced with the well oiled military and political machine that Ethiopia is.I think we are heading in the right direction, the most important thing about the ONLFs struggle is it does not depend on Somalia today it has firmly entrenched itself within the region it wishes to capture and finds its needs from its local environment.It cannot be today be interpreted as a border conflict between Somalia and Ethiopia, a tragedy of the 77 war but rather the inhabitants deciding there future.

 

Until Ethiopia runs out of all options and comes to the table the war will continue.

[Faafan]

Che, A very difficult environment but I agree more needs to be done on the media front despite the remoteness of the O'gaden, footage such as this will pressure the International community for prompt action.The ONLF did well in 2007-2009 giving exclusive access to many prominent media outlets at the height of the 2007-09 conflict.Ethiopia attempted to cleanse the O'gaden while the worlds eyes were on there occupying force in Muqdisho and the conflict there.

 

 

[Faafan]

ONLF in Galaalshe a few years back, with the photojournalist Jonathan Alpeyrie.

 

[Taleexi]

Faafan: Can ONLF win by militarily alone? my humble view is no why you may ask. When there is no viable Somali State, When all western powers are siding with the regime in Addis, when historically, subsequent western powers have consistently sided with the regime of the day, I call a hybrid struggle, what do I mean by that? I mean a struggle with multiple traits including mass media awareness for the cause, military front and genuine, an everlasting peace campaign as long as these are converging into one which is the betterment of the lives of the people then so, be ..... the friction within the Somali community in the region must be minimized at all cost.

[Che -Guevara]

Faafaan...I meant actually building the capacity to produce quality media not just so much for Western consumption to rally support among Somalis and more importantly to document struggle for history and report the crimes.

 

Taleexi.....There's no friction among Somalis in SG now and I believe this struggle can be won without the State.

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

Indeed Eritrea did it why not the Somalis in that region

[OdaySomali]

Politically speaking, could the somalis not use the fact that there is oil and gas in their regions to their favour. I do see some parallels with South Sudan. They should have allowed the chinese to invest in their regions so as to 'alarm' the West and since Zenawi was playing the west off agains the chinese this was simply a card handed to them. After the chinese invested they then, like the south sudanse, should have mobilised massively for independence in terms of media, politics and military actions.

 

The west would have wanted to thwart chinese investments by 'engaging' the Somalis/ONLF; though this was complicated by the fact that Ethiopia has been pro-west for centuries. Am I getting ahead of myself or could this have been a potentially successful strategy; after all it did work in South Sudan and Oil, it seems, is the kingmaker, from south-sudan to Benghazi. Any thoughts on this?

[OdaySomali]

Politically there does need to be a better leadership and strategy no doubt. Media, resources and diplomacy will all play a decisive role if Somalis are to win. If they want to win they can but it is all about strategy.

[Che -Guevara]

^It's logical conclusion but unlikely one in the case of the Somalis and Ocaden.