ONLF lobbying Al Jazeera TV to air pictures of its injured soldiers as civilian casualties: Sources
Omer Redi
December 27, 2007
Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), a group that few months back carried out brutal killings in the Somali Region of Ethiopia is lobbying reporters of Al Jazeera in Deghabour to take pictures of its own injured soldiers as if they are civilians with a view to disseminating baseless allegation against the government, according to reliable resources.
The sources indicate that members of ONLF, separatist rebels declared by Ethiopian government as terrorists, are misleading the reporters to take pictures and interview their members injured following the measures taken by government troops with the reportedly public support in the localities known as Ewaren, Warder, Dag and Adew.
To meet its destructive purposes ONLF further made the reporters take shots of residential houses deliberately burnt by its own members so as to depict that villages have been burnt by Ethiopian troops, the sources elaborated.
ONLF, famous for its terrorist acts particularly for the carnage of more than 67 Ethiopian and 9 Chinese civilian workers in an oil field of that region, is doing this evil act in order to air its fabrications that the government is carrying out atrocities against civilians in the area, the sources indicated.
The reporters were also made to take pictures of beguiled teenagers so as to spread groundless information to the public that inhabitants of the area are undergoing military training to resist the government, the sources added.
Also today, a news supported with footages of Ethiopian soldiers’ activities and surrendered weapons the Ethiopian Television English Service reported that Ethiopia’s Ministry of Defense announced its forces have cleared most members of ONLF off the area they have been active.
It is to be recalled that the New York Times’ Jeffrey Gettleman earlier published similar erroneous fabricated stories, probably due to the same ONLF lobbying.
In another development Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) says Eritrea’s version of story about incident along Ethio-Ertria border baseless.
According to a Press Statement (http://www.mfa.gov.et/Press_Section/Press_Statement_27_Dec_2007.htm) MFA posted today on its official website the version of the story about an incident along Ethiopia Eritrea border recounted by Eritrea on Dec.26, 2007 is not based on what really took place.
The statement said “There was an incident, it is true. But the incident is of Eritrea's making which is being looked into. It is possible that it may have been a result of an accidental encounter between the reconnaissance missions of the two parties. The claim that there was an attack by Ethiopia is just pure fabrication.”
In the first instance, why should Ethiopia wish to provoke Eritrea? Ethiopia has said time and again that it wants to settle the dispute with Eritrea right away and using whatever mechanism may be available.”, the statement added.
Stressing that Ethiopia has absolutely no claim over an inch of Eritrea's territory the statement stated that Ethiopia has said repeatedly that it is ready to recommit itself to the commitment that both parties have entered into under the Algiers agreements to refrain from the threat and use of force.
Thus Ethiopia has no cause to pick a fight with Eritrea.”
According to the statement it is, on the other hand Eritrea, that continues to claim with no justification that Ethiopia occupies sovereign Eritrean territory. This has been restated in a letter written by the Eritrean President on the 21st December 2007 and addressed to the President of the UN Security Council.
Therefore, if there is any party with the motive for conflict, it is Eritrea, not Ethiopia. That is why the latest claim by Eritrea has no basis and that it should be viewed as pure fabrication, or with, little doubt, an exaggerated and distorted account of an event that took place along the common border. It is our hope that the fabricated story is just a fabricated story which does not have a more sinister objective.”, the statement concluded.
The sources indicate that members of ONLF, separatist rebels declared by Ethiopian government as terrorists, are misleading the reporters to take pictures and interview their members injured following the measures taken by government troops with the reportedly public support in the localities known as Ewaren, Warder, Dag and Adew.
To meet its destructive purposes ONLF further made the reporters take shots of residential houses deliberately burnt by its own members so as to depict that villages have been burnt by Ethiopian troops, the sources elaborated.
ONLF, famous for its terrorist acts particularly for the carnage of more than 67 Ethiopian and 9 Chinese civilian workers in an oil field of that region, is doing this evil act in order to air its fabrications that the government is carrying out atrocities against civilians in the area, the sources indicated.
The reporters were also made to take pictures of beguiled teenagers so as to spread groundless information to the public that inhabitants of the area are undergoing military training to resist the government, the sources added.
Also today, a news supported with footages of Ethiopian soldiers’ activities and surrendered weapons the Ethiopian Television English Service reported that Ethiopia’s Ministry of Defense announced its forces have cleared most members of ONLF off the area they have been active.
It is to be recalled that the New York Times’ Jeffrey Gettleman earlier published similar erroneous fabricated stories, probably due to the same ONLF lobbying.
In another development Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) says Eritrea’s version of story about incident along Ethio-Ertria border baseless.
According to a Press Statement (http://www.mfa.gov.et/Press_Section/Press_Statement_27_Dec_2007.htm) MFA posted today on its official website the version of the story about an incident along Ethiopia Eritrea border recounted by Eritrea on Dec.26, 2007 is not based on what really took place.
The statement said “There was an incident, it is true. But the incident is of Eritrea's making which is being looked into. It is possible that it may have been a result of an accidental encounter between the reconnaissance missions of the two parties. The claim that there was an attack by Ethiopia is just pure fabrication.”
In the first instance, why should Ethiopia wish to provoke Eritrea? Ethiopia has said time and again that it wants to settle the dispute with Eritrea right away and using whatever mechanism may be available.”, the statement added.
Stressing that Ethiopia has absolutely no claim over an inch of Eritrea's territory the statement stated that Ethiopia has said repeatedly that it is ready to recommit itself to the commitment that both parties have entered into under the Algiers agreements to refrain from the threat and use of force.
Thus Ethiopia has no cause to pick a fight with Eritrea.”
According to the statement it is, on the other hand Eritrea, that continues to claim with no justification that Ethiopia occupies sovereign Eritrean territory. This has been restated in a letter written by the Eritrean President on the 21st December 2007 and addressed to the President of the UN Security Council.
Therefore, if there is any party with the motive for conflict, it is Eritrea, not Ethiopia. That is why the latest claim by Eritrea has no basis and that it should be viewed as pure fabrication, or with, little doubt, an exaggerated and distorted account of an event that took place along the common border. It is our hope that the fabricated story is just a fabricated story which does not have a more sinister objective.”, the statement concluded.
Print
Email
