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| Last Updated: Dec 14, 2011 - 11:39:16 AM |
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Ethiopia factions sign deal with gov't
4 Aug 4, 2010 - 7:50:14 AM
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A large faction of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) rebel group has agreed to lay down arms after the signing of agreement with Ethiopian government.
The faction lead by Selahadin Haji Abdirahman Maow met with Ethiopian delegation in Washington where they agreed to implement a ceasefire deal that was recently signed in Europe.
“We have agreed to hold our final meeting inside the country so that we, once and for all, end the pro-longed war and focus on developing the Somali region,” said Abdifatah Abdullahi, who led Ethiopian delegation in Washington.
The On his part, Selahadin Haji Abdirahman Maow denounced Admiral Ahmed Omar Osaman as overall leader of ONLF, saying he a man who wants to forcible take the leadership of the group.
Meanwhile, Ethiopian government is to sign a peace deal with the United Western Somali Liberation Front (UWSLF), a rebel group active in the Ogaden region for the last 20 years.
The UWSLF agreed to lay down their arms in April and the formal signing of the deal later today will end the group's armed struggle.
The Minister of Federal Affairs, Dr. Shiferaw Tekle-Mariam confirmed the signing of the agreement, saying it would help the Somali community.
However, the ONLF has repeatedly denied UWSLF agreement with Addis Ababa.
“The Ethiopian regimes so-called "peace deal" with the Ogaden branch of the now defunct Al-Itihaad Al-Islaami (AIAI) organization known as the United Western Somali Liberation Front (UWSLF) has no impact on facts on the ground in Ogaden and represents an attempt by the regime to promote the idea that a non-existent peace process is underway in Ogaden,” it said in a statement.
The ONLF group, which was founded in 1984, is fighting to make the oil-rich Somali region of Ogaden in eastern Ethiopia an independent state and has warned foreign oil explorers against prospecting on its land.
GAROWE ONLINE
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