ONLF history and Crisis Group

[luis1]

http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/File ... ogaden.pdf

The Derg, a revolutionary military junta that took power in Addis Ababa in 1974,
faced insurgencies based in the peripheries, especially in Eritrea (annexed by Ethiopia in 1962) and the Ogaden.14 In 1977, taking advantage of Ethiopia’s internal turmoil,
Somalia’s own revolutionary military regime, headed by Siad Barre, conquered most of
the Ogaden, but then acted as an occupier, marginalising its Ethiopian-Somali rebel
proxies.In 1978, Ethiopia – with heavy support from Cuban troops and Soviet military advisers – ousted Somalia’s army; Ogaadeni elites, humiliated by Mogadishu’s
imperious attitude, retreated from the Greater Somalia idea and turned to the goal of
an independent state.

When the EPRDF entered the Ogaden, there was no overall control in the territory,
and power had devolved to a mosaic of militias and political factions.Looking for
regional allies, it chose the ONLF. The front, without a strong military wing, was just
one of several contenders.Unlike other Ogadeni insurgent groups – principally the
WSLF – its founders had no immediate links with previous Somali governments.
In the early 1990s, it had faced hostility both in Somalia and from other armed groups
in the Ogaden; until 1991, it was primarily diaspora-based, with little reach beyond
certain Ogaadeni sub-clans.

The agreement was signed two months after the May 2010 general elections, won by the EPRDF
with a landslide 99.6 per cent. Crisis Group Briefing, Ethiopia after Meles, op. cit., p. 5. The UWSLF
was led by Islamist cleric Sheikh Ibrahim Dheere. Its political and military strength has always been
geographically limited, though its armed wing was feared due to its association with Al-Shabaab.
When it entered negotiations, it most probably had no options but to sign or disappear, since it had
lost all its territory after battles with ONLF militias in 2008-2009. It was also under attack by AlShabaab, with whom relations had deteriorated the year before. In exchange for signing and facilitating talks between Addis Ababa and Qatar on renewing their bilateral relations, its leaders obtained
business concessions in the SNRS and Addis Ababa (in the NGO, educational, religious and security
sectors), properties and economic revenues. “All in all, the UWSLF leadership got a nice retirement
package and Addis Ababa a nice photo

[Insomniac]

Message FAH, he has sources about how Somalia beat both the Soviets and Cubans.

[luis1]

Al Ittihad in Ogaden:

http://somalilandinformer.com/index.php ... %80%9D-war

Today, three years have passed since Sheikh Ibrahim Dheere’s United Western Somali Liberation Front (UWSLF), better known as Al-Itixaad, signed a peace treaty with the Ethiopian government. The peace deal fully forced that a comatose front to definitively terminate its state of insurgency and vowed to engage themselves in developmental activities. Al-Itixaad made a definitive shift from their former position and turned to abide by the Ethiopian constitution, a move largely understood by many as an unreserved surrender. Almost all fighters of Al-Itixaad regretted what they described as disruption over the peace and security of the region. Sheikh Ibrahim Dheere, Al-Itixaad’s chairman, on the occasion of the peace has said the attained progress opens a new chapter in the Somali region. The question is, however, what progress can be attributed to the mock peace deal that Sheikh Ibrahim Dheere has signed with the Ethiopian government.

The above reasons coupled with internal disagreements and chaos started mid 1990s were among the factual points caused organization’s heavy military defeat by Ethiopian military. This has forced Al-Itixaad to flee across the border to Somalia and the Front has never recovered from this set back.

Full Termination of the Front

Having collapsed as a meaningful political and military front, in March 2010 few remnants of Al-Itixaad under the leadership of Sheikh Ibrahim Dheere and Ahmed Nashad decided to surrender to Ethiopia, the colonial force that they vowed to fight to the bitter end. The same year, these members of the former hard-line front declared the full termination of the front not only an armed group, but also as a political entity. However, the leadership of the front turned into merchants. Nowadays, remnants of the front pretend that they are charities and collect money from Gulf countries.

[luis1]

ONLF history

The year was 1978. The Horn of Africa had just witnessed the largest mechanized war in Africa since Hitler’s desert Fox, General Rommel rolled his tanks across North Africa. The war was known as the Ogaden War, and it brought Somalia and Ethiopia to the brink of mutual destruction. Ethiopia, backed by thousands of Cuban troops and Soviet “Advisors” succeeded in ejecting Somali regulars sent into Ogaden in support of the Western Somali Liberation Front (WSLF) from territory it claimed as it’s owned. Observers at the time point to the fact that what had taken place was a high stakes chess game between the Super Powers in which Somalia and Ethiopia were pawns. At the end of it all, a massive refugee crisis existed and the Somali military, which was no match for Cuban armed troops and their Soviet puppet masters, was in shambles.

But beneath this headline was another story. A deeper story. The people of Ogaden, the very ones whom Somalia had sought to liberate and Ethiopia had claimed as it’s own were witnessed the carnage of war on their own territory and suffered the vicious reprisals of Ethiopian troops after the Somali army had withdrawn.

The WSLF for its part, continued to wage an armed struggle but political understandings between Addis Ababa and Mogadishu meant that material support from Somalia was dwindling. This support had been the lifeline of the WSLF. As such, it was no surprise that Mogadishu also yielded great influence in the leadership and conduct of the affairs of the WSLF.

This fact did not escape some senior members of the WSLF who following the Somali pullout of Ogaden, resented the fact that their struggle’s intensity was largely dictated by Mogadishu.

A NEW PHILOSOPHY: THE EARLY YEARS

It was this feeling of over dependence which lead 6 men, all members of the WSLF to come together in secret for the purposes of creating a new organization which was accountable only to the people of Ogaden and independent of any government in Mogadishu.

However, this simple principle, soon developed into a philosophy whose core elements were:

The Ogaden struggle is not a conflict between Somalia & Ethiopia but rather a struggle between a colonized people and their oppressor.

Only a home grown movement free of foreign influence will be seen as legitimate in the eyes of the people of Ogaden.

The term “Western Somalia” only serves to confuse the issue portraying it as reclaiming land once belonging to the Somalia Republic and as such is not appropriate Using the term Ogaden, as so-called by the British, achieves the objective of identifying a geographical area while rejecting the notion that the struggle is merely a border disagreement between two sovereign states.

Both the Scientific Socialism model of Somalia and the Marxist Leninist model of Ethiopia should not be the economic and social ideology of this truly independent national movement since that opens the door for potential reliance on communist bloc nations thereby allowing future manipulation of the struggle by foreign powers.

A movement for National Self-Determination cannot succeed unless it is democratic at it’s core and has proper mechanisms to ensure democratic changes of leadership and collective decision-making.

The struggle of the people of Ogaden for Self-Determination should go beyond the geo-politics of the Horn of Africa and ascend to the global stage as a legitimate international issue in it’s own right in order for their to be a successful conclusion.

Upon completion of this ideology, the Ogaden witnessed the birth of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) on August 15th 1984

Almost immediately, the movement was dismissed as no threat by Ethiopia and looked upon unfavorably by Mogadishu. The first target for the ONLF was to systematically seek out all disgruntled members of the WSLF who had grown weary of outside domination and who were not blinded by Socialist ideologies.The recruitment process was both slow and dangerous. In the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu, where many young and educated WSLF sympathizers lived, was fertile ground for recruitment. Yet it had to be done delicately so as not to tip off the expansive intelligence network of the Barre regime. Going more smoothly was the recruitment of students from Ogaden sent to Arab capitals for education under a scholarship program largely set up as a request by Somalia to Arab governments.

In Ogaden itself, the heavy presence of Ethiopian troops backed by newly received Soviet hardware and Cuban foot soldiers made the logistics of recruitment more difficult, yet news of disgruntled WSLF fighters left without supplies was quick to reach young educated Ogadenis in Mogadishu leading them to question the continued viability of the WSLF, to say nothing of the fact that this also brought them a step closer to the philosophy of the ONLF.

Throughout the 1980’s the ONLF continued it’s careful and systematic indoctrination of the youths in Mogadishu and the Middle East. By the late 1980’s, rather large gatherings of former WSLF members were taking place both inside and outside of Ogaden under the auspices of the ONLF.



THE BEGINNING OF AN ARMED STRUGGLE

The ONLF had several things going for it in 1993 and early 1994. The first was that it had succeeded in forming and promoting a clear philosophy among it’s rank and file which had swelled following the collapse of the Somali government. The second was that since it had not been engaged in armed conflict with the Ethiopian government, years of focusing on indoctrination and recruitment had paid off.

The public was agitated in Ogaden. The hopes for a new future after the overthrow of the Marxist regime of Mengistu Haile Marian were shattered. There was only one avenue left. Armed struggle.

Initially, there were doubts as to whether the ONLF would be able to transform itself from a movement composed largely of students, intellectuals and civilians, into an effective guerilla force. Debates within the inner circle of the ONLF exposed this concern. The leadership was faced with turning political activists into freedom fighters.

After much discourse, it was clear what had to be done. The ONLF needed to seek out and re-activate former WSLF fighters who had largely returned to their homes after years of fighting without supplies and resources following the Somali pullout of Ogaden and the collapse of the Somali state. What was thought to be a difficult marriage of political idealist s and guerrilla fighter actually turned out to be a perfect fit to the joy of the ONLF leadership.

The ONLF now had a military wing. The Ogaden National Liberation Army. Items of immediate concern such as the securing of weapons and supplied proved less difficult than first thought, since Ogaden was flooded with small arms of all sorts. All the ONLF had to do was organize and discipline large numbers of fighters and provide a guiding principle and philosophy. While the military organization was left to former WSLF commanders, ONLF political officers attached to each unit served to solidify the fighters understanding of what exactly they were fighting for. It was here that the battle cry of the ONLF, Unity-Militancy-Self-Reliance-Victor (Midnimo, Mintid, Isku-Tashi, Guul) was branded into the hearts and minds of ONLF fighters.

By mid to late 1994, the Ogaden National Liberation Front had begun armed operations against the Ethiopian government forces stationed in Ogaden

As you can see ONLF did not fight Derg.

The article belongs to ONLF.

[FAH1223]

7 years this guy all he posts is about the 1978 war

[OjOO]

Are you Derg soldier then

[Faranacab]

Luis1,

Are you by any chance Louise P.Woondroofe whom I quoted below? If that's the case, your must have more answers than usual boring questions about Ogaden War, and ONLF.

We could help you, if you come clean.

Louise P. Woodroofe is a historian in the Office of the Historian at the U.S. Department of State, where she specializes in U.S. foreign policy toward postcolonial Africa. She earned her Ph.D. from the London School of Economics and Political Science under Professor Odd Arne Westad. She has a B.A. in history from Yale University.

Books by Louise P. Woodroofe
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Product Details :

Buried in the Sands of the Ogaden: The United States, the Horn of Africa, and the Demise of Detente (New Studies... by Louise P. Woodroofe (Jun 5, 2013)

[luis1]

I am a man not a woman.

I am a cuban who lives in Lima,Peru.

Everybody here knows I am a Cuban who lives in Peru.


http://www.kentstateuniversitypress.com ... he-ogaden/

Somalia’s defeat in the Ogaden War started its descent into a failed state. Eritrea, which had successfully fought Ethiopia prior to the introduction of Soviet and Cuban assistance, had to endure more than a decade more of repression.

[Faranacab]

Luis1,

In your search for the answers regarding your specialty, the Ogaden war, is there anything you have accomplished so far?

Some times, you come as a grieving person, so can I ask you, if you had lost any of your lovely ones in the Ogaden war?

After 7 years of participation in Somali forums, I hope you learned a great deal about Somalis, so could you share your experience with the forum?

Care to share your ideas, with out the boring copy cut articles.

[luis1]

Luis1,

In your search for the answers regarding your specialty, the Ogaden war, is there anything you have accomplished so far?

Some times, you come as a grieving person, so can I ask you, if you had lost any of your lovely ones in the Ogaden war?

After 7 years of participation in Somali forums, I hope you learned a great deal about Somalis, so could you share your experience with the forum?

Care to share your ideas, with out the boring copy cut articles.

Yes, I have learnt many things about Ogaden War in these seven years.

I want to share my ideas with you but there is a big problem that maybe you dont know. .The somalis can not have a serious conversation about Ogaden War,they always insult me and they dont read what I write about Ogaden War,you are the perfect example of that,I have said to the somalis that I am cuban who lives in Peru,but they always ask me the same questions: Where are you from?,Are you ethiopian?.

My opinions about the Ogaden War:

1. Ethiopia defeated Somalia with Cuban and Soviet aid
2. WSLF was destroyed by Ethiopian army after Ogaden War
3. ONLF was not a serious threat for Mengistu.
4. ONLF did not fight against Derg
5. Somali army was no match to Ethiopia after Ogaden War
6. Greater Somalia dream was shattered after 1978
7. Ogaden debacle brought destruction of the Somali State
8. After Ogaden War,Ethiopia ruled the Somalia destiny.

If somebody does not agree with my standpoints please I hope to see sources which prove I am wrong and he is right.

[Casanova25]

Luis1,

In your search for the answers regarding your specialty, the Ogaden war, is there anything you have accomplished so far?

Some times, you come as a grieving person, so can I ask you, if you had lost any of your lovely ones in the Ogaden war?

After 7 years of participation in Somali forums, I hope you learned a great deal about Somalis, so could you share your experience with the forum?

Care to share your ideas, with out the boring copy cut articles.

Yes, I have learnt many things about Ogaden War in these seven years.

I want to share my ideas with you but there is a big problem that maybe you dont know. .The somalis can not have a serious conversation about Ogaden War,they always insult me and they dont read what I write about Ogaden War,you are the perfect example of that,I have said to the somalis that I am cuban who lives in Peru,but they always ask me the same questions: Where are you from?,Are you ethiopian?.

My opinions about the Ogaden War:

1. Ethiopia defeated Somalia with Cuban and Soviet aid
2. WSLF was destroyed by Ethiopian army after Ogaden War
3. ONLF was not a serious threat for Mengistu.
4. ONLF did not fight against Derg
5. Somali army was no match to Ethiopia after Ogaden War
6. Greater Somalia dream was shattered after 1978
7. Ogaden debacle brought destruction of the Somali State
8. After Ogaden War,Ethiopia ruled the Somalia destiny.

If somebody does not agree with my standpoints please I hope to see sources which prove I am wrong and he is right.

I agree with you on the first 1-7. but i disagree on 8. the correct answer is after the civil war 1991, and even after 77 we were still far superior to ethiopia.

today ethiopias population is on 85mio, but still if he get the weaponry help we need, they will not stand a chance Again. 77 were not the first time we defeated ethiopia, we have invaded ethiopia 4 times. with all 4 times Victory. ethiopia are historically under dogs compared to somalia and the reason they are inferior to us is because of there low collectivity, but on the other hand collectivity is the greatest virtue amongst somalis. thats why somalis livin in the west sends almost close to 50mio dollars a year back home. 1 somali person feeds like 3 other Family members back home. in my opinion thats the definition of greatness or the Potentiality of greatness.