From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Wed May 19 2010 - 08:38:09 EDT
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKLDE64I104._CH_.2420
Ethiopia confirms rebel attack, says repelled
Wed May 19, 2010 11:31am BSTQuotes
05/18/2010
* Government says all rebels killed, denies 94 casualties
* Ethiopia votes in parliamentary elections on May 23
* Rebels may try to disrupt poll, government says
By Barry Malone
ADDIS ABABA, May 19 (Reuters) - The Ethiopian government confirmed on
Wednesday that insurgents had attacked an army base five days before
national elections, but denied the rebels had seized control of the garrison
town.
The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), which wants autonomy for the
Ogaden region and its ethnic Somali population, said on Tuesday it had
captured the garrison town of Malqaqa and killed 94 soldiers.
[ID:nLDE64H258]
"Some insurgents belonging to the ONLF have tried to attack our local
militia and the police," government spokesman Shimeles Kemal told Reuters.
"In retaliation, the militia was able to defeat the attack completely,
killing all of the rebel forces. Only minimal casualties have been sustained
by our local militia. No garrison town has been captured," he said.
Reporters and aid groups cannot move freely in the area without government
escorts and regular accusations from both sides are hard to verify.
The Ogaden region is said to contain mineral deposits and foreign firms
including Malaysia's Petronas [PETR.UL] and Vancouver-based Africa Oil
Corporation (AOI.V) are exploring for oil. The ONLF regularly warns foreign
firms against prospecting.
Ethiopian forces launched an assault against the rebels -- who have been
fighting for more than 20 years -- after a 2007 attack on an oil exploration
field owned by a subsidiary of Sinopec, China's biggest refiner and
petrochemicals producer.
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.
The ONLF accuses the Ethiopian military of killing and raping civilians and
burning villages in the region as part of its effort to root out them out.
In November, the group said it had captured seven towns in the region and
killed almost 1,000 Ethiopian troops.
The government confirmed then that the rebels had launched an assault but
Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told reporters they had been "crushed".
The government has also said that neighbouring Eritrea may try to spoil the
May 23 elections using Ethiopian rebel groups. Ethiopia accuses its
arch-enemy of funding the ONLF.
Ethiopia's last elections in 2005 ended with street riots after the ruling
party and the opposition both claimed victory.
The government said the violence was planned by the opposition to force
unconstitutional change. Security forces killed 193 people and seven
policemen also died.
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