Ethiopia: Ethiopian rebels announce ceasefire

(SomaliNet) While a UN mission assesses their claims of human rights abuses in the remote eastern Ogaden region, Ethiopian rebels announced a ceasefire on Sunday.

\"Effective immediately, armed forces of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) will cease all offensive military operations against regime troops and sponsored militias for the duration of the UN fact finding mission,\" the ONLF said.

The rebels said In a statement that all units had been told to react only if fired upon.

\"The ONLF urges the mission team members to visit all parts of Ogaden in order to investigate war crimes and not limit their mission to the few routes approved by the Meles Zenawi regime.\"
The interior ministry said the attack was on a base for central reserve forces, a branch of the police.

The fighting came just days before UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was due to arrive in Sudan to try to set a timetable to revive Darfur peace talks between the government and rebels after a May 2006 deal faltered.

The rebels said the base they attacked was the logistical and supply centre for ongoing attacks in South Darfur, where rebels say an aerial bombing campaign has driven thousands of people from their homes over the past month.

Ban, due to arrive on Monday, has deplored the recent surge of violence as \"simply unacceptable\" and has condemned the government bombardment as a violation of a UN Security Council resolution.

The Sudanese interior ministry statement said that following the Kordofan attack, a combined force of police and armed forces pursued the rebels and captured a number of them in an ambush. It did not say how many rebels it captured.

\"They will face justice and these measures will apply to all those who supported this criminal act,\" the ministry said.

It added that it would also prosecute anybody suspected of inciting or abetting the attack and anybody else who gave sanctuary to the rebels.

JEM commander Abdel Aziz el-Nur Ashr denied any of the group\'s men were arrested: \"That\'s not true ... The battle is over and we defeated the armed forces.\"

The UN and AU hope to launch peace talks in October and both voiced concern about the impact of the attack on Wad Banda on the peace process.

\"The attack could undermine the efforts of the UN and AU special envoys at a time of serious and sensitive consultations to launch the renewed peace talks on Darfur,\" the UN Mission in Sudan said in statement on Thursday.

The AU said the attack happened when the UN, AU and \"the entire international community have converged all efforts toward upcoming peace negotiations.\"

International experts estimate 200 000 people have died since mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms in early 2003 accusing the central government of neglecting the region. The Sudanese government denies the charge and says 9 000 have died in Darfur. - Reuters