Somali Rebels Attack Ethiopian Oil Installation

[AbdiWahab252]

Ethiopia attack 'leaves 74 dead'
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Unidentified gunmen have killed at least 74 people in an attack on an oil field in Ethiopia's remote Ogaden region, officials say.

Nine Chinese oil workers and 65 Ethiopians were killed in the incident early on Tuesday, Chinese and Ethiopian officials said.

The attack took place at an oil field in Abole, a small town about 120km from the state capital, Jijiga.

A Chinese oil worker said about 200 gunmen attacked the field.

Xu Shuang, acting manager of the Chinese company involved, said another seven Chinese workers had been abducted.

The numbers of dead were confirmed by a spokesman for Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

"It is a cold blood killing, a massacre. It is a terrorist act," the spokesman, Berekat Simon, told AFP news agency.

Fire fight

The workers were employed by the Zhongyuan Petroleum Exploration Bureau, part of China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation, China's Xinhua news agency reported.

Gunmen briefly took control of the field after a 50-minute fire fight with soldiers protecting it, Mr Xu told the agency.

In recent years, China has been working to increase its influence and investment in Africa as it looks to secure energy supplies for the future.

No group has yet said it carried out the attack but the area is known for its often violent clan politics, the BBC's Amber Henshaw reports from Addis Ababa.

A separatist group - the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) - has in the past made threats against foreign companies working with the Ethiopian government to exploit the region's natural resources.

The ONLF has been waging a low-level insurgency with the aim of breaking away from Ethiopia.

The incident will also step up tensions in the region which borders Somalia - where there are often clashes between Ethiopian troops and Islamists, our correspondent adds.

[AbdiWahab252]

Viva ONLF & Beesha Ogaden !

[gurey25]

never thought i would say this but,

Viva Beesha Ogadeen

[Steeler [Crawler2]]

Interesting. I am surprised the ONLF would risk massing 200 troops in the same place at the same time (assuming the numbers are not an exageration).

[AbdiWahab252]

[quote="gurey25"]never thought i would say this but,

Viva Beesha Ogadeen[/quote]


Politics is strange

[Manaking]

Indeed Viva Ogadenia

May Allah grant their own country !

[Steeler [Crawler2]]

Interesting. I am surprised the ONLF would risk massing 200 troops in the same place at the same time (assuming the numbers are not an exageration).

[Somaliweyn]

Oil field?

Are there oil fields in Western Somalia? If so, then its good of the local Somali people to sabotage any attempt of exploiting Somali soils by Tigre's!

Long live to Patriotic Somali clans!
Death to Traitors!

[Steeler [Crawler2]]

No there are oil fields in the Ogaden, which is part of Ethiopia.

I am not sure that killing Chinese workers is such a great idea though.

[Karbaash_killa]

kill them all mova fckers.. who are china going to attackin retaliation?.. ethiopia maybe?...
These Ogadens are maasha allah... Thats what i call pariotic somalis..

[LiQaaye_TDH]

Viiva Ogaadenia.....xaqq iyay uu dagaalamayne.....

[gurey25]

I think its the Gas field that was discovered in the area.
its not an oil well.

[eyes-only]

Viva ONLF

Viva Ogaden

[AbdiWahab252]

Mad,

Doesn't matter. The Chinese were warned but still proceeded to dig.

[gurey25]

if the chinese discover a signifigant oil well they will bring thier own armed forces to protect it.
They have thousands of chinese soldiers on loan to the Khartoum government gaurding the oil fields,
and ever since they arrived the rebels never dared attack .