From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Tue Jun 01 2010 - 07:37:07 EDT
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article35242 Ethiopia’s Ogaden rebels
claim taking control of oil field
Monday 31 May 2010
<http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?page=imprimable&id_article=35242>
May 30, 2010 (ADDIS ABABA) – The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), an
ethnic Somali separatist group in eastern Ethiopia, said its forces have
seized the Hilala gas field based in country’s eastern Somali region.
However, the Ethiopian government has immediately rejected the rebel claims.
"Troops of the regime abandoned the field after being surrounded by our
forces and determining their chances for survival were slim," the separatist
group said in a statement it’s late yesterday. "Those troops were given safe
passage out of Hilala fields."
There were no casualties, the group said. Despite the latest claims,
Ethiopia has been saying that the group is defeated and is no more a threat
at the region and oil exploration projects are well underway.
The Ethiopian government head of information, Bereket Simon, told Reuters
the statement from the insurgent group was "a complete lie."
"This is a well-protected area, no force could take it over, let alone the
ONLF who we have driven to total disarray," Bereket said. "They’re simply
fabricating stories and trying to live on in the media. They just want to
create news."
The ONLF in its statment welcomed a report earlier this year that Petronas
has suspended work in the region. The ONLF has fought against Ethiopian
troops for decades.
The rebel group strongly argues that it will not allow mineral resources of
the Ogaden people to be exploited by the current ruling government or any
foreign firms.
On April 24, 2006, ONLF issued a threat to foreign companies against
exploring for oil in their homeland, further warning them to refrain from
entering into agreements with the Ethiopian government.
"So long as the Somali people of Ogaden are denied their basic rights to
self-determination, the exploitation of natural resources in Ogaden for the
benefit of the Ethiopian regime or any foreign firm will not be tolerated,"
the rebel group said.
Exactly one year later, In April, 2007, the rebels claimed responsibility to
an attack at a Chinese-run oil-field in northern Ogaden region which then
killed 65 Ethiopians and nine Chinese workers.
The Chinese were employees of Zhongyuan Petroleum Exploration Bureau, a
subsidiary of the huge Chinese oil company Sinopec, which had been hired by
the Malaysian oil company Petronas to explore for oil and natural gas in
Ogaden.
The ONLF in its statement yesterday welcomed a report earlier this year that
Petronas has suspended work in the region. The ONLF has fought against
Ethiopian troops for decades seeking independence from Addis Ababa.
The Ethiopian government has long blamed the ONLF, for a number of attacks
on government troops in the dry Ogaden region and in towns else where.
Designated as a terrorist group by Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian government
accuses the ONLF of fighting a proxy war on behalf of Eritrea. An allegation
Asmara rejects.
(ST)
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