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Senior rebel leader killed in Ethiopia

Reuters

Addis Ababa - Ethiopian troops killed a senior Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) rebel leader last week in the east of the country, an official said on Thursday.

Dawed Mohammed Ali, administrator of the remote region bordering Somalia, said the ONLF's foreign relations chief Mohammed Sirad and an unspecified number of his colleagues were killed as they met in Ogaden's town of Danan.

The ONLF, whose fighters are estimated to number several thousand, says it is fighting for the autonomy of its ethnically Somali region and has warned foreign oil explorers against prospecting on its land.

"Sirad and his group were killed while plotting to launch terrorist activities," Dawed said in a statement.

"Sirad, a former regional official who joined the rebel front after stealing state funds, was conducting violence in the Somali region from his base in Eritrea," Dawed said.

He did not give any more details. The governments in Addis Ababa and Asmara routinely accuse each other of supporting guerrilla movements on the other's territory.

Both the government and rebels accuse each other of human rights abuses, and aid workers say nearly a million people in the arid area need humanitarian help.

ONLF officials could not immediately be reached for comment. - Reuters

The_Emperior5 wrote:allah ha oo naxariisto


taacsii to beesha absame from the Emperior

alle ha u naxriisto,, Laakiin adigu ha is qarin,, waad ku faraxsan tahaye
soo Xabashi supporter ma tihid

kambuli wrote:Wasn't Dolal killed recently?

O.N.L.F Statement On Execution Style Murder Of Dr. Mohamed Siraad Dolaal
24, January 2009

The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) strongly condemns the brutal execution style murder of Dr. Mohamed Siraad Dolaal. Dr. Dolaal, a British citizen originating from Ogaden was captured by armed forces of the Ethiopian regime on the 18th of January 2009 near the city of Denaan in eastern Ogaden.

After confirming his identity and consulting with their military and political command, Ethiopian military personnel were ordered to execute Dr. Dolaal on the spot and they did so with shots to the abdomen and the head.

Dr. Dolaal's body was brought to Godey where the Ethiopian regime took photographs which were later displayed on a regime sponsored website established to spread the regimes propoganda among the Ogaden diaspora community. These pictures were deliberately displayed in gruesome detail.

Dr. Dolaal was a member of the ONLF central committee from 1991 to 2006. He served as the Foreign Secretary for the ONLF from 1998 to 2004. Prior to 1991, Dr. Dolaal was an activist heading the Ogaden Action Group (OAG), a United Kingdom based advocacy organization, advocating for the rights of the people of Ogaden to self-determination, development and democracy.

The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) recognizes the service of Dr. Mohamed Siraad Dolaal to his people and nation and extends its deepest sympathies to his family.

The ONLF affirms that the Ethiopian regime will be held to account for the murder of Dr. Dolaal and the countless murders it has committed against the people of Ogaden.

Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF)