95% rebels killed in Ethiopia
2008-05-22 10:23
Addis Ababa - Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has claimed that government troops have killed or captured 95% of rebels in the separatist Ogaden region.
"About 95% of the total troops the ONLF had last year have either been killed or captured. The figure includes senior officials," Meles told parliamentarians.
The Ogaden National Liberation Front, formed in 1984, was fighting for the independence of ethnic Somalis in Ethiopia's vast oil-rich Ogaden region, whom they said had been marginalised by Addis Ababa.
Speaking on Wednesday, Meles said his forces were now "mopping up die-hard ONLF rebels scattered in various parts of the Ogaden and accused arch-foe Eritrea of supporting up the rebel group.
"We are aware of the fact that the Eritrean government has recently been training forces in areas around Assab (inside Eritrea). We know each member of that group and we are on standby to deter any infiltration or attack."
The authorities in Addis Ababa routinely accused Asmara of arming and training Ethiopian separatist armed groups - allegations denied by Asmara.
The Ethiopian army launched a crackdown in Ogaden after ONLF rebels attacked a Chinese oil venture in April 2007 that left 77 people dead.
The discovery of oil had fuelled conflict in Ogaden, an impoverished region roughly the size of Britain and home to about four million people.