ONLF Special forces freed two WFP workers from Ethiopian Army

Ogaden Online
The Ogaden National Liberation Army of ONLF has captured the Town of Galalshe in Jigjiga Region near Babili. Causalities from the Meles Army (ENDF) were heavy and some remnants escaped to Babili town. ONLA captured armaments, ammunition, and logistics.
The Liberation Army found hundreds of civilians prisoners detained in the Galalshe Jail who were tortured and badly treated. Among the Prisoners found were the two WFP workers abducted by the Ethiopian Army, after killing one of their colleagues and wounding the other...read more

ONLF Commandos freed 50 Civilian detainees

Monday, 17 May 2010 23:43 Ogaden Online

ONLF special forces/ @ Ogaden Today

Special Forces from the 'Gorgor(Eagle)' unit of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) Liberation Army captured 'Malqaqa', a strategic garrison that was part of the Ethiopian regime’s defence infrastructure along the road between Jigjiga and Harar. The operation resulted in the capture of 192 light and heavy machines guns and large amount of ammunition.

The Ethiopian regimes forces lost 94 soldiers and the casualties of the ONLF were minimal given that our forces had the advantage of the element of surprise.

50 civilian detainees including women and children were set free by our forces at the conclusion of the operation. Fourteen of the detainees were found tied to posts with wires by the regimes troops when our forces entered the garrison. The wires had damaged their limbs and those civilians were removed by our troops on stretchers and are currently receiving medical attention.

The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) has stepped up its operations against the Ethiopian regimes army, which has been forced to be on the defensive after heavy losses in the battle field recently.

Ethiopia: ONLF forces captured Yucub town

Ogaden Online
Reports reaching us from Yucub town, Dolo province say that Ethiopian troops based there have fled their camps after they could not cope with constant nocturnal attacks by Ogaden National Liberation Front [ONLF] forces.

In response to the myriad troubles Woyanel troops have been visiting upon civilians, ONLF forces pounded the two camps housing Ethiopian soldiers and their puppet militiamen with heavy artillery guns every night, with the heaviest attack on the camps occurring on the night of 3 February. Our reporter in the area said Ethiopian troops were eventually forced to flee to Warder town after incurring massive personnel losses and destruction of the camps.

ONLF Statement On African Union Summit

Wednesday, 03 February 2010 13:43 Ogaden Online

ONLF Logo

As the heads of State of the African Union (AU) convene, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) wishes to note the continuing suffering of the people of Ogaden at the hands of the host nation of the ongoing AU summit. The Ethiopian regime has a well documented and systematic campaign of persecution against the people of Ogaden.read more

Ethiopia: Rebels spread jitters in oil region

By Barry Malone

JIJIGA, Ethiopia, Dec 11 (Reuters) - A rebel group's claims to have captured seven towns and killed 1,000 soldiers in fierce fighting in Ethiopia's oil-producing Ogaden region are almost certainly exaggerated, foreign aid workers in the region say.

Ethiopia's Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) staged bold raids on government positions last month and aid workers say several hundred people were probably killed on both sides.

But while the guerrillas are capable of causing instability in the vast Somali region, which includes the Ogaden and accounts for one-fifth of the country's landmass, experts say they cannot hold territory.

"They attacked more than twenty places," one aid worker, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters in Jijiga, the regional capital. "But they only managed to take one town, not seven." Continued...

Canadian gets life sentence in Ethiopia

Canadian gets life sentence in EthiopistarPhoenex - Canada
He was found guilty last week on three charges related to membership of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF). "The court has decided against the ...read more

6 High Ranking Officers Defected

Reports reaching the Ogaden Online service desk confirm the defection of 6 high ranking military officers. It is reported that the recent ONLA commando attacks may have played a role in the defection of these high ranking officers. It is reported that all six officers who were based in military garrison in and around Addis Ababa were scheduled to be deployed in Ogaden.

File Photo/@ Ogaden Online The names and the ranks of the officers who defected are as follows. The spelling of the names may be incorrect:

1. Colonel Tadhase.
2. Captain Abraha.
3. Captain Haylo.
4. Second Lieutentant Da’ud.
5. Second Lieutenant Gabre.
6. Second Lieutenant Yohanas.

Aside from the defections, reliable sources indicate that there is an increased infighting within the Woyane militias following the spectacular losses in the hands of the ONLA commandoes in the many parts of Ogaden.
Ogaden Online

US Congressman Criticizes Puntland For Abusive Behavior

US Congressman Donald Payne

Voice of America - USA
The ONLF is a separatist rebel group that has been fighting the Ethiopian ... gross human rights abuses in the Ogaden and cracking down on political opponents...read more

Ethiopia denies rebels have captured seven towns

Reuters
The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) said on Saturday it had taken the towns after almost a week of fierce fighting with the Ethiopian army. ...read more

Related news:

• AFP

  Ethiopia denies rebel gains in Ogaden region
  AFP
  The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) claimed Saturday it had carried out a broad offensive launched on several fronts on November 10 and inflicted ...

Ethiopian Oagaen rebels claim to have recaptured 7 towns

Earthtimes (press release) -London, UK
"The operation involved thousands of ONLF troops and resulted in two days of heavy fighting," the group said in a statement. "A significant number of Ethiopian troops have been killed and their military hardware captured or destroyed during this operation."

The ONFL said it seized the towns of Obolka, Hamaro, Higlaaley, Yucub, Galadiid, Boodhaano and Gunogabo and that its forces were "warmly welcomed" by the civilian populations....read more

Related news:

• Ethiopia rebels 'capture towns'
  BBC News - UK
  The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) said it began attacking on several fronts on Tuesday. The separatists said a "significant number" of Ethiopian ...
• Ethiopia rebels claim massive counter-offensive
  AFP
  ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopian rebels have launched a wide offensive in the southeastern Somali ethnic Ogaden region and recaptured seven towns from government ...
• Ogaden: Seven Ethiopian towns taken
  Aljazeera.net - Doha,Qatar
  In a statement released early on Saturday, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) said its attacks were launched across a broad front and had begun on ...
• Ogaden Rebels say 626 Ethiopian Troops Killed in Clashes
  Voice of America
  Ethiopia has recently attempted to assure oil companies the ONLF no longer has the ability to threaten exploration and production in the Ogaden region.

Ethiopia rebels warn oil firms from restive Ogaden

AFP
In a statement, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) "strongly advises multinational corporations that Ogaden is a war zone"...read more

Ethiopian rebels, government claim gains in restive region

ADDIS ABABA (AFP) — Ethnic Somali rebels in Ethiopia's Ogaden region claimed Monday they killed 90 government troops in recent clashes, but the government denied any losses, claiming victory instead.

In a statement, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) said it had "conducted a coordinated military operation" in Kebridehar, Degahabur and Jijiga, in response "to increased harassment and war crimes being committed by the Ethiopian Army".

The ONLF "conducted coordinated military operations ... killing 90 soldiers and wounding more than 100 others", the group said, before adding that six Ural military vehicles were destroyed and dozens of assault rifles captured...read more

Source: AFP

Why I took up arms against Ethiopia'

2 July 2009 01:16
Ahmed, 35, is a member of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), one of a number of separatist groups fighting for the independence of the Somali-speaking Ogaden region in the east of Ethiopia.

The previous evening, he had participated in an attack against Ethiopian troops near the town of Babile.

"The assault lasted only a few minutes but we managed to kill nine government soldiers," he said.

"We are no match for direct combat, so we must rely on quick surprise attacks."

The armed resistance began in 1994 after the ONLF, then a political organisation, broached the idea of splitting from Ethiopia.

The central government responded by imprisoning Ogaden leaders and, according to academics and human rights groups, assassinating others.

'Point of no-return'

"In 1994, as a student in Dire Dawa, I was not allowed take the final examinations because I was an Ogadenian," said Ahmed.

"I was arrested two years later on false charges of belonging to the ONLF. They kept me there for four years and I was beaten repeatedly, sometimes even subjected to electric torture. While in detention, my father was killed by government soldiers."

On his release in 2001, he immediately joined the rebellion but his mother remains in jail in Jijiga.

Fearing for his family, Ahmed convinced his wife to flee with their two daughters.

"They are refugees in Kenya, I haven't seen them for three years.

"There comes a point of no-return when you know you don't belong in this country," he said... full report

Source BBC

Ethiopian:ONLF threaten foreign oil companies

By Barry Malone ADDIS ABABA, June 3 (Reuters) - An Ethiopian rebel group on Wednesday warned international oil companies against exploring in a region of the Horn of Africa nation where the rebels attacked a Chinese-run field in 2007 killing 74 people....read more

Rebels threaten oil companies News24

Somalia:50 civilians killed by Ethiopian troops

Mareeg - London,England,UK
MOGADISHU (Mareeg) – Ogaden liberation front rebels (ONLF) accused Monday Ethiopia of being killing more than 50 Somali civilians in eastern Ethiopia....full report

Ogaden Rebels Counter 'Crisis' Claims by Ethiopia

Ogaden Rebels Counter 'Crisis' Claims by Ethiopia
By Peter Heinlein Addis Ababa 08 April 2009

Rebels fighting for independence in Ethiopia's Ogaden region say they are stronger than ever, a day after the government said the insurgency is in tatters.

A statement e-mailed to news organizations Wednesday says the operational capacity of the rebel Ogaden National Liberation Front is higher than at any point since its anti-Ethiopia insurgency began.

The e-mail, apparently sent from ONLF offices in Europe, says rebels in the arid stretch of eastern Ethiopia along the Somalia border have defeated every major Ethiopian military campaign in the past two years.

The statement was in response to comments from Ethiopia's Communications Minister Bereket Simon, who told reporters that government troops are on the verge of crushing the rebels.

"The situation in Ogaden has developed in such a way that when the ONLF has lost too much ground. And at this point we can say the ONLF is very weakened and in a state of crisis," he said.

Bereket said government political and counterinsurgency operations have undermined the ONLF's popular support.

"The situation in Ogaden is improving by the day," he said. "People are interested in developmental activities and taking matters into their own hands. The government assessment is that the ONLF will find itself in a very difficult situation."

The ONLF statement described Bereket's comments as "wishful thinking," aimed at instilling a false sense of confidence in oil exploration companies the government is trying to lure back to the Ogaden region.

Ethiopia stepped up counterinsurgency operations in the Ogaden nearly two years ago, after the rebels attacked a Chinese-run oil exploration facility, killing 65 Ethiopians and several Chinese nationals.

Industry analysts say no oil has been discovered in the Ogaden.

The government restricts journalists access to the region, and there is little verifiable information about the strength of the rebels or the level of fighting.

The U.S. group Human Rights Watch last year issued a report accusing government troops of staging public executions and burning villages in their counterinsurgency campaign. The report was based on eyewitness accounts.

Ethiopia responded with its own report charging the Human Rights group with using flawed methods that resulted in unsubstantiated and inflammatory allegations. The government rebuttal noted that Human Rights Watch investigators had not visited the Ogaden, and that some of the people listed as dead in the report had later been found alive.

Independent verification of the ONLF's strength on the ground is impossible, but the group is known to have strong backing among Ogadenis living overseas, many of whom are refugees. Hundreds of sign-carrying ONLF supporters staged noisy demonstrations outside the G20 summit site in London last week to protest the presence of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

Ethiopia ONLF rebels 'seize town'

Rebels in Ethiopia fighting for the independence of the Somali-speaking Ogaden region say they have captured a town in the east of the country.

The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) said it had seized Mustahil and was also fighting for the towns of Wardheer and Khalavo.

It said at least 80 Ethiopian soldiers had been killed.

An Ethiopian government spokesman told the BBC the reports were absolutely false and the ONLF was on the run.

On Saturday, the Ogaden rebels said they had killed more than 20 Ethiopian troops in recent fighting, a report also denied by the authorities in Addis Ababa.

The ONLF, founded in 1984, says the Somali-speaking population in Ethiopia's oil-rich Ogaden region has been marginalised by Addis Ababa.

Ethiopia's military launched an offensive against the ONLF after its fighters attacked a Chinese-run oil venture in Ogaden in 2007, killing dozens of people, including nine Chinese nationals.
Source: BBC

related news:

• ONLF Claims Victory Over Fighting in Ethiopia AllAfrica.com
• Ethiopia rebels claim killed 24 soldiers AFP
• ONLF fighters seize town in eastern Ethiopia Ethiopian Review
• ONLF mutineers take control of Mustahil town..Somalia

Rebels say they killed 24 Ethiopian soldiers

Mareeg - London,England,UK
MOGADISHU (Mareeg)- Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) rebels said Friday they killed 24 Ethiopian soldiers and injured dozens after heavy fighting Read more

ONLF army clash with Wayane forces

Ethiopian Rebels Clash With Government Forces; at Least 45 Dead
Bloomberg -
By Jason McLure Feb. 20 (Bloomberg) -- At least 45 people died in clashes between Ethiopia’s army and the separatist Ogaden National Liberation Front in the east of the country, government and rebel spokesmen said. Read more


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Ethiopian rebels (ONLF) claim killing 140 Ethiopian troops
Anyuak Media - Gambella,Ethiopia
By MCC February 20, 2009 (ADDIS ABABA) — The rebel Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) said today they killed more than 140 Ethiopian soldiers as result ...