The President of Somali State in Ethiopia pardons 1500 prisoners

[Deeq A.]

Jigjiga—The President of Somali state in Ethiopia, His Excellency, Abdi Mohamoud Omar, has ordered today the release of 1500 prisoners. Most of those political prisoners including the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) members who were in detention at Jail Ogaden, the most notorious state prison who will receive their liberty through the general amnesty offered by the regional state president, Abdi iley.  The move taken by the president coincided with Ethiopia’s Federal Govt which has released 700 inmates including high profile prisoners who were detained for political cases.

The pardoned prisoners had been sentenced to jail terms for a variety of offences. The pardon comes within the framework of the keenness of the  President to give the pardoned prisoners a chance to start a new life, and alleviate the suffering of their families. The Ogaden National Liberation Front is a separatist rebel group fighting for the right to self-determination for Somalis in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. The ONLF, established in 1984, demands for the autonomy of this region and has claimed responsibility for several attacks since the beginning of 1994 aimed at Ethiopian forces in the area, which the government considers a region under the new federal system.  The Somali state in Ethiopia commenced talks with Ogden National Liberation Front (ONLF) in order to end the long standing armed conflict in the region.