Ethiopia is a country, rich of natural resources and with a huge population of over 100 Millions of people. Imperialist exploitation has led to the situation that thousands are starving to death while others make huge profits by exploiting the countries resources and the people.
Part of the resistance against this is led by the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) and the Ogaden National Liberation Army (ONLA). In the following we document a press release of the year 2014, from the ONLF concerning their struggle against oil exploitation in their country. As NewEpoch we do not share all the positions of this two organisations, but it is necessary to popularize the justified armed struggle against imperialist exploitation and suppression in Ethiopia (which contains also the oppressed Somalian minority).
Ogaden fossil fuel will not be exploited without the consent of the Ogaden people through a genuine representative government.
ONLF
Press release
October14,2014
ONLF is aware that Chinese group and Ethiopian regime are attempting to start exploiting Oil and Gas Resources in Ogaden at Jeexdin Gas fields, without the consent of the Ogaden people. Since the Ethiopian Army does not exercise full control of the Ogaden and ONLF is determined and can defend the Ogaden people´s resources and land, depending on the protection of the Ethiopian army is at best courting trouble. As Alexander Pope wrote long ago, “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread”.
Ogaden National Liberation Army (ONLA) has recently conducted several commando operations successfully in and around Jeexdin (Calub) camo, between 1st and 10th of October 2014, destroying two warehouses and burned 6 Urals, killing scores of the Ethiopian regime´s soldiers and wounding others. ONLF position is categorically clear. It will not allow oil exploitation in Ogaden until a political settlement of the cause in Ogaden is reached. Any attempt to come through the Ethiopian regime´s backdoor will be foiled. ONLF is not against Multi-nationals as such but what is going on in Ogaden is genocide and those who give support and money to Woyane regime in Ethiopia are participating directly or indirectly in the pogrom in Ogaden. If Oil companies want to exploit Ogaden Oil let them foster a peace process that gives the Ogaden people their rights.
After Obole, more than 100,000 Somalis from Ogaden were forced to flee into Kenyan refugee camps or were internally displaces to towns in Ogaden, where they are destitute. Furthermore, more than 50,000 are in detention and tens of thousands were either killed or displaces. The Ethiopian regime´s Army and Janjeweet-like local militia conducted these human rights violations and were funded by money obtained from China and others.
In light of that, it is very naïve and foolhardy for the Chinese or any other company to come to the Ogaden and expect to extract oil peacefully, while the people of the Ogaden are mourning their deaths and are under ruthless embargo on trade and aid. The Ogaden is a known war zone and any entity that gets associated with TPLF regime´s Army is considered part of the conflict.
Issued By ONLF
