Ethiopian rebels claim army hanging civilians in Ogaden
NAIROBI (AFP) — Ethiopian rebels claimed Thursday that the army has been hanging civilians in the oil and gas-rich Ogaden region, where soldiers are seeking to crackdown on insurgents.
The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) said in a statement that army officers it had captured in recent months "reported on several occasions that they were under direct orders to hang villagers in 'trouble spots' throughout Ogaden."
"This brutal practice is increasingly becoming the terror tactic of choice for TPLF (Ethiopian) regime troops in the Ogaden and is well known to our nomadic population," it added.
The allegations surfaced a day after UN humanitarian chief John Holmes held talks with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and visited the volatile eastern region.
At a press conference in Addis Ababa on Wednesday, Holmes said: "I raised my concern about the human rights situation with the government in Ethiopia in general and in Ogaden in particular.
"The PM responded and took the issue very seriously. He recognised there could be damage caused by counter-insurgency operations."
But Meles said he was confident there had been no human rights abuses, "because we know how to fight an insurgency."
Ethiopia launched its crackdown after an ONLF attack on a Chinese-run oil venture killed 77 people last April.
Since then, the army and rebels have claimed to have killed large numbers of the other side. The reports cannot be confirmed since the area is out of bounds for journalists and aid workers.
Between 650,000 and one million civilians -- already affected by recent flooding -- have been displaced by the unrest. Formed in 1984, the ONLF is fighting for the independence of ethnic Somalis in Ogaden.
