Ethiopia: Ogaden rebels agree to disarm

By on June 25, 2010
A significantly large faction of National Front for the Liberation of Ogaden (ONLF) has decided to work within the framework of the Ethiopian constitution and to abandon the armed struggle, said the Ethiopian Minister of Communications.

This faction has discussed with government officials on possible ways to mainstream the constitutional framework. They will now operate as a legal political party, he added. “No legal action will be initiated, regardless of their past”, assured the minister.
These negotiations were conducted in Germany, but the ONLF had not yet responded to these statements. The rebel group said had long been ready to negotiate with Addis Ababa but under the auspices of a third country, that the Ethiopian authorities had so far refused.  
In late May, Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, announced that negotiations were underway with the rebel group, without giving details, but the ONLF has denied these statements, saying they had “no basis in reality” and only meant “to deceive the international community generally and oil companies in particular”.  
Created in 1984, the ONLF are fighting for the independence of the Ogaden, a region they consider marginalised by the regime in Addis Ababa. The rebel group has repeatedly threatened foreign companies exploring for gas and oil in this region bordering Somalia.

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