Cease-fire declared in Ogaden
2007-09-02 21:28
Nairobi - Rebels in Ethiopia's volatile east have declared a unilateral cease-fire on Sunday so that the United Nations can investigate their claims of human rights abuses in the region.
The Ogaden National Liberation Front rebels, ethnic Somalis who have been fighting the government for more than a decade, said they would only defend themselves if attacked.
A spokesperson for the ONLF, Abdulrahman Mahdi said: "We want to help the UN mission so that the Ethiopian government does not find an excuse to interfere. We want the UN to do a thorough investigation about what's happening in the Ogaden."
Ethiopian officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Mahdi said the cease-fire would last as long as the UN was in the Ogaden, which is near the Somali border.
The 14-person UN mission arrived in the region last week.
Ethiopia announced a crackdown on the rebels in June, two months after the ONLF attacked a Chinese-run oil exploration field, killing 74 people.
The ONLF is fighting to overthrow the government for what it says are human rights abuses and to establish greater autonomy. The ONLF has accused Ethiopia of blockading aid to their region, which the government denies.
The aid agency Doctors Without Borders recently accused the government of denying it access to "vulnerable civilians living in that area."
- AP