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Ogaden National Liberation Front

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Ogaden National Liberation Front
Dates of operation1984-present
HeadquartersSomali region
OpponentsDerg, TPLF
Battles and warsEthiopian Civil War
Insurgency in Ogaden

The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) (Template:Lang-am)(Somali: Jabhadda Wadaniga Xoreynta Ogaadeenya, JWXO), is a separatist rebel group fighting to make the region of Ogaden in eastern Ethiopia an independent state. Because Ogaden is populated by many ethnic Somalis, the ONLF claims that Ethiopia is an occupying government. However the Ogaden people are represented in the Ethiopian government, including by the opposition party SPDP - Somali Peoples Democratic Party. The ONLF is composed mainly of members of the Ogaden clan.

The armed wing of the ONLF is the Ogaden National Liberation Army (ONLA). Some analysts argue that the OHRC, a human rights organization controlled by ONLF supporters, is its diplomatic wing, assisting ONLF's foreign relations with western countries.[1] Generally, ONLF is designated a terrorist group by the Ethiopian government, although the other countries do not accept that designation.

History

Main article: Insurgency in Ogaden
 
Territories inhabited by ethnic Somalis. Area of ONLF operations, as of May 2007, shaded in red within the green area marking Ethiopian territory.

Founded in 1984 by Abdirahman Mahdi, the Chairman of the Western Somali Liberation Movement Youth Union, Mohamed Ismail Omar (WSLF), Sh. Ibrahim Abdalla (WSLF), Abdi Ibrahim Geelle (WSLF-Trade Union), Abdirahman Yusuf Magan (WSLF) and Abdullahi Muhumed Sa'di-all (WSLF), Sulub Ali Abas (ONLF faction) and hidden members from different Somali separatists factions, the ONLF is currently led by Chairman Mohamed O. Osman.

The ONLF fought against the Derg, the military dictatorship of Mengistu Haile Mariam, but was not allied to the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the guerrilla movement led by Ethiopia's current prime minister, Meles Zenawi.[2]

ONLF was formed after the defeat of Somalia in the 1977 Ogaden War. ONLF systematically recruited Western Somali Liberation Front(WSLF) members and replaced WSLF in the Ogaden as the WSLF support from Somalia dwindled and finally dried up in the late eighties. By 1993 ONLF fully consolidated its position among ethnic Somalis in Ogaden. After the Mengistu regime fell, the ONLF joined the government but then left it when the Meles government launched its crackdown against the group in 1993 for advocating substantial autonomy or independence, both of which were permitted under Ethiopia's new constitution. [3]

The ONLF announced elections in December 1992 for the Somali District Five in Ethiopia, and won 80% of the seats of the local parliament. ONLF nominated the candidates for the district's presidency and vice-presidency and the Executive body and the parliament elected them in a majority vote. ONLF elected officials ruled the territory until the end of the charter period. Afterwards, the Ethiopian government pushed for a constitution since the former was a transitional period. In addition to ONLF there were/are other parties including SPDP - Somali Peoples Democratic Party - which eventually won more seats and became politically dominant. The Ethiopian government was then accused by ONLF of suppressing its members, while ONLF was accused of killing other Somali politicians and elders. Around 1995, ONLF's diplomatic wing well known as Ogaden Human Rights Committee (OHRC) was established. [4] This human rights organization, widely regarded as being partisan, also uses its connections to demand international condemnation of all government reactions to ONLF's insurgency.[5][6]

The ONLF continues to operate in the Ogaden as of 2006. The Ethiopian military has stepped up its actions against ONLF following the organizations stated that it would attack the Malaysian oil company Petronas, which plans to extract oil from the Ogaden Basin. Even though there are some developments including a new university in the Somali state region, new schools, hospital and Somali language television programs, full development has been restrained in the area because of the fighting between ONLF and government forces. Due to the nomadic nature of the natives and due to the ONLF insurgency, the Ethiopian government is said to spend very high amount of budget for the infrastructure development of the Ogaden region despite the government getting proportionally very low tax revenue from the locals.[7]

In 2005 Ethiopia proposed peace talks with ONLF. ONLF accepted on the condition that talks be held in a neutral country and with the presence of a neutral arbiter from the international community, but the talks broke down due to Ethiopia's insistence that the two parties meet directly in a location in or around the Horn of Africa. ONLF became a part of the Alliance for Freedom and Democracy on May 22 2006 but the alliance has not achieved any progress since its creation.[8]

On 12 August, 2006, 13 members of the ONLF were killed and several commanders were claimed captured as they crossed into Ethiopia from Somalia.[9] The ONLF repudiated this claim, stating that it was intended to reassure prospective oil prospecting companies from Malaysia and China that Ethiopia is in control of the Ogaden territory.[10]

Land dispute

 
ONLF rebels practicting Salah, Muslim daily prayers

Ogaden was part of the Muslim Ifat Sultanate in the 13th & beginning of the 14th centuries. The sultante's borders extened to the Shoa - Addis Ababa area. Then the region was part of the Adal kingdom from late 14th to the last quarter of the 19th centuries. There was an ongoing conflict between the Adal kingdom and the Christian Kingdom of Abyssinia throughout this time. During the first half of the 16th century, most Abyssinian territory came under the rule of Adal, when Imam Ahmed G, the leader of Adal's Army, took control.[11]

The region was conquered by Menelik II during the last quarter of the 19th century, and its boundary with British Somaliland was fixed by treaty in June, 1897. Many Somalia governments have attempted to annex the region to create "Greater Somalia" for many decades and separatists like WSLF and ONLF have always supported Somalia's invasion of Ethiopia.[12]

Despite the politics of Ogaden, the area is not the only Somali populated region divided into different countries. The countries of Djibouti and Kenya also control vast regions populated by Somali speaking people.[13] Such division of ethnicities and clans between multiple country borders is also common in almost all African countries and most members in the African Union (AU) believe Somali expansionism is a threat to African peace because it can set an example for other African "minorities divided by frontiers" to start similar armed struggle movement like the ONLF. [14]

While some Somalis accuse Ethiopia and Kenya for controlling the Ogaden and the Northern Frontier District (NFD), Somalia also controls vast western regions that used to be ruled by ancient Ethiopian kingdoms, including by the Kingdom of Aksum. It is widely known that the Ogaden conflict is more related to regional and international politics of religion -involving many stakeholders including the US, Egypt, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Sudan, Qatar and various Arab countries - rather than a local dispute.

Ogadenia confusion

The ONLF mostly recruits from the Ogaden subclan, which constitutes roughly half of the regional population.[15] Some maps generally label the area or, in some instances, the entire Somali Region with "Ogadēn".[15][16][17][18] However, many other Somali clans and sub-clans reside in the area, and animosity between the pro-ONLF Ogadenis and other Somalis in the area remains very deeply rooted.[15] The Ethiopian government has exploited these rivalries by arming local Somali militias to fight the ONLF.[15] Yet, the ONLF also claims ownership of other clan territories and uses the word "Ogadenia,"[citation needed] igniting clan hegemony accusations[who?] from other Somali clans. Writer Mohamed Mohamud Abdi states that the territory has been under occupation since the Scramble for Africa, and that the inhabitants have been unable to choose their own name for the land.[19]

Effects on Ethiopia and the Somali Civil War

Main article: War in Somalia (2006–present)
 
ONLF rebels

On November 28, 2006, the ONLF threatened that it would not allow Ethiopian troops to stage into Somalia from their territories.[20]

On December 23, the ONLF claimed to have attacked an Ethiopian column near Baraajisale heading to Somalia, destroying 4 of 20 vehicles, inflicting casualties and driving the convoy back.[21] But no independent sources confirmed the attack.

on January 10, 2007, ONLF condemned Ethiopia's entry into the War in Somalia (2006-present), stating that Melez Zenawi's invasion of Somalia demonstrates that his government has been an active participant in the Somali conflict with a clear agenda aimed at undermining the Somali sovereignty.[22] However the Somalia government thanked the Ethiopian government for its assistance in Mogadishu.

On January 15, ONLF rebels attacked Ethiopian soldiers in Kebri Dahar, Gerbo, and Fiq. Five Ethiopian soldiers and one ONLF rebel have been reported killed.[23]

According to the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Tribune, "As of 2007, human-rights groups and media reports accuse Ethiopia -- a key partner in Washington's battle against terrorism in the volatile Horn of Africa -- of burning villages, pushing nomads off their lands and choking off food supplies in a harsh new campaign of collective punishment against a restive ethnic Somali population in the Ogaden, a vast wilderness of rocks and thorns bordering chaotic Somalia"[24] However the United Nations said the reports of aid blockade were completely wrong. The United Nations' WFP said it "does not consider the government is blockading the Somali region" and said that distributions of WFP food are under way in all vital regions. Yet, the UN also said that military operations in the area have restricted commercial trade and the movement of aid, which could lead to a humanitarian crisis.[25]. A tightly restricted and surveillanced recent tour by western journalist in the embattled region on the invitation of the regional administration reported on more alleged crimes by the Ethiopian government, a report by newsweek detailed how Ethiopian military troops stormed a village southeast of degahbur a dusty market town alleging they sympathise with the ONLF razing the village they tortured and murdered, some hung from trees others murdered in various methods. Residents told of being caught in the middle of a war between rebels and the Ethiopian government[26].

Abole Raid, subsequent conflict

Main articles: Abole raid and 2007 Ogaden conflict

On April 24, 2007, members of the ONLF attacked a Chinese-run oil field in Abole, Somali Region, killing approximately 65 Ethiopians and 9 Chinese nationals.[27] According to Inter Press Service, all persons killed by the ONLF were civilians. [28][29] The ONLF claimed it had "completely destroyed" the oilfield.[22] Most of the Ethiopians killed in the attack were daily laborers, guards and other support staff. Some members of the Ethiopian security officials were also killed during the surprise attack however those killed by the ONLF included 30 civilians.[30] It was the most deadly single attack by the ONLF.[31] On April 27, Ethiopian government spokesperson reported that ONLF rebels had detonated a "grenade," killing one person who was attending a funeral of family member killed during the prior attack.[32]

Shortly after the attack, the Ethiopian Army launched a military crackdown in Ogaden.

Somali deaths

In May 2007, a grenade attack by ONLF rebels in the Somali region of Ethiopia claimed the lives of at least 11 Somalis.[33] During a national holiday ceremony held at the Ogaden town of Jijiga, the grenade thrown at the podium of the stadium also wounded Somali regional president Abdulahi Hassan Mohammed in the leg.[34] A government advisor blamed both the ONLF and said that Eritrea is responsible since it arms the ONLF. However the ONLF denied the accusations. [35] The bombing triggered a huge stampede in the stadium which led to the death of around six children.[36] Various Somalis, who are native to the Ogaden region, have always blamed the ONLF for killing their own people and assassinating Somali leaders.[37]

The war that began since the devasting attack by the ONLF in early 2007 has caused widespread humanitarian crisis. The violence has also hampered international locust-control efforts which observers say is a growing threat. [38]

Other ONLF attacks

An ONLF grenade attack on a cultural gathering in Jijiga killed four middle school students in May 28, 2007.[39] In a separate attack, fifty civilians were injured, including the regional president Abdullahi Hassan, and three artists were killed in May 28, 2007 by the ONLF.[40]

An ONLF attack on the town of the Dobaweyn woreda in the Korahe Zone also left ten civilians dead, including two schoolteachers and a pregnant woman.[41] Another attack on the town of Shilavo left five civilians dead.[42] An ONLF-planted landmine near Aware in Dagahbour region exploded, killing three civilians traveling in automobile.[43] Yet another ONLF unit struck in the district of Lahelow near the Ethiopia-Somalia border, targeting members of the Isma'il Gum'adle sub-clan, twelve of whom were slain.[44] In a two months span after November 2007, around 200 civilians have been killed by ONLF, according to VOA reports.[45][46]

Notes and references

  1. ^ The relationship of ONLF and OHRC discussed
  2. ^ Ethiopia: Crackdown in East Punishes Civilians (Human Rights Watch, 4-7-2007)
  3. ^ ETHIOPIA: Ogaden Crackdown Carries High Cost
  4. ^ The year 1995 marked ONLF's human rights wing entity labeled OHRC
  5. ^ American Chronicle | Ethiopia: OHRC & ONLF - lessons on how to invent a U.N. genocide
  6. ^ OHRC condemns Ethiopia and demands the UN put a referrendum for Ogaden seccession
  7. ^ Addis Ababa government uses significantly more money into Ogaden for roads and other services than it receives in taxes
  8. ^ "Statement announcing the formation of the Alliance for Freedom and Democracy" (Press release). Alliance for Freedom and Democracy. 2006-05-22. Retrieved 2007-04-26. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ [1] Archived for subscribers only
  10. ^ "O.N.L.F Statement On Ethiopian Occupation Of Somalia" (Press release). Ogaden National Liberation Front. 2006-08-12. Retrieved 2007-01-08. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ A History of the Ogaden (Western Somali) Struggle for Self - Determination, first edition(London:Mohamed Abdi , 2007), ps. 4-12.
  12. ^ Somalia-Ethiopia, Kenya Conflict
  13. ^ Ogaden, Djibouti, NFD parts of Greater Somalia
  14. ^ OAU members alienated by Somali irredentism
  15. ^ a b c d Blair, David (2007-10-09). "Ethiopia's 'secret war' forces thousands to flee" (HTML). Telegraph.co.uk. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 2007-10-30. The rebels recruit most of their fighters from the Ogaden clan, who account for about half of the region's population. But the authorities are exploiting bitter clan rivalries and arming local militias to fight the ONLF.
  16. ^ Hertslet, Edward (1909). "The map of Africa by treaty". Harrison and Sons. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
  17. ^ "The Horn of Africa" (JPEG). Central Intelligence Agency. September 1972. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
  18. ^ "Irish charity worker is kidnapped" (HTML). BBC News. BBC. 2006-09-20. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
  19. ^ Mohamed Mohamud Abdi, A History of the Ogaden Struggle for Self-Determination. (United Kingdom: Lightning Source Uk, 2007).
  20. ^ "Ogaden rebels to resist Ethiopian army if it attacks Somali-statement". Sudan Tribune. 2006-11-28. Retrieved 2007-04-26. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ "Ogaden rebels destroy Ethiopian military convoy en route to Somalia". Sudan Tribune. 2006-12-24. Retrieved 2007-04-26. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ a b "ONLF Statement On Military Operatio Against Illegal Oil Facility In Ogaden" (Press release). Ogaden National Liberation Front. 2007-04-24. Retrieved 2007-04-26. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ "ONLF rebels attack Ethiopian soldiers in 3 towns". Garowe Online. 2007-01-15. Retrieved 2007-04-26. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ Fallout from war on terror hits Ethiopia - Civil Rights - chicagotribune.com
  25. ^ UN says there are no government aid blockades
  26. ^ http://www.newsweek.com/id/98033 Newsweek, January 22, 2008
  27. ^ "Ethiopian Rebels Kill 70 at Chinese-Run Oil Field". The New York Times. 2007-04-24. Retrieved 2007-04-24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ ONLF attack 74 civilians in Ogaden
  29. ^ April 2007 attack killed at least 70 Chinese and Ethiopian civilians
  30. ^ 30 civilians killed by ONLF during April attack
  31. ^ ONLF massacre detailed
  32. ^ "Ethiopian rebels attack family mourning victim of earlier rebel assault,", Associated Press, April 27, 2007
  33. ^ ONLF throws grenade at crowd
  34. ^ ONLF attack injured Somali leader
  35. ^ ONLF denies the grenade attack
  36. ^ Six children killed in the rebel attack
  37. ^ Ogaden natives blame ONLF for deaths
  38. ^ locust control efforts hampered by violence in Ogaden
  39. ^ grenade attack on a cultural gathering in Jijiga
  40. ^ ONLF grenade attacks on cultural gatherings
  41. ^ ONLF attack in Dobaweyn
  42. ^ ONLF attack in Shilabo
  43. ^ ONLF landmine attacks in Aware
  44. ^ ONLF attack kills civilians
  45. ^ 200 Civilians reportedly killed by ONLF
  46. ^ Around 200 Civilians reportedly killed by ONLF
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