The ONLF is a grassroots social and political movement founded in 1984 by the Somali people of Ogaden who could no longer bear the atrocities committed against them by successive Ethiopian regimes. Today, the ONLF as both an advocate for and defender of the people is dedicated to
restoring the rights of Somalis in Ogaden
to self-determination, peace, development and democracy
Al Jazeera gains
unprecedented access to the forgotten region of Ethiopian-occupied Ogaden
DOHA, Qatar - Beginning Thursday, April 10th,
Al Jazeera will broadcast a series of special reports entitled, "Ogaden: The
Forgotten Tragedy", using exclusive footage obtained in the remote and
dangerous region of Ogaden, a massive area occupied by Ethiopian forces for
approximately 60 years. Through the special reports, Al Jazeera will bring
to light the suffering and struggles of Ogaden's people for Al Jazeera's
global audience. The segments will be broadcast on Al Jazeera Arabic and on
Al Jazeera English.
Filmed over four months in a region
consumed by conflict and acute poverty, the Al Jazeera news team reported
courageously despite the presence of Ethiopian forces and rebel fighters to
show the dire health conditions in the region, where hospitals and health
centers are far removed from Ogaden's largely rural population. The segments
also show the lack of proper educational facilities in the country,
highlighting how the resourceful people of Ogaden have created their own
schools to give their children an education that has been denied to so many
of the region's inhabitants.
The reports further highlight the situation
facing the region's women, who have had to take an active role in fighting
as well as managing family affairs. Through this series of reports, Al
Jazeera will provide a voice to the voiceless people of Ogaden, bringing
this underreported story to the world's attention. Watch
Videos >>
Ethiopia bill faces
Bush backlash.The US House of
Representatives has set itself at loggerheads with the Bush
administration by backing a bill that would force Ethiopia, a US
military ally, to improve its record on democracy and human rights or
risk losing substantial aid.
Ethiopia's Ogaden rebels warn of "African
genocide" Thu 13 Sep 2007 - NAIROBI (Reuters) - Rebels
from Ethiopia's troubled Ogaden region said on Thursday an "African
genocide" was unfolding there while a U.N. fact-finding mission had only
visited areas sanctioned by the government.
Ethiopia:
Ogaden Leaders Accuse Govt of 'Genocide'
Leaders of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (OLNF), a rebel group
fighting against the Ethiopian government, have accused the Ethiopian
army of committing crimes "tantamount to genocide."
Ethiopia
chides MSF charity for Ogaden reports. Wed 5 Sep
2007 - ADDIS ABABA, Sept 5 (Reuters) - State authorities in Ethiopia's
Ogaden on Wednesday denied reports by Medecins Sans Frontieres of a
growing humanitarian crisis in the region where government forces and
rebels have been fighting for months.
Humanitarian crisis hits Ethiopia
· Government accused of blockading rebel region
· Charity says 400,000 are being denied medical aid
Villages
deserted, burned in Ethiopia's Ogaden -
MSF
Tue 4 Sep 2007, NAIROBI (Reuters) - Villages are burned and deserted,
locals are fleeing to the bush, and basic health needs are going unmet
during conflict in Ethiopia's Ogaden region, an international aid agency
said on Tuesday.
Ethiopia
blocking civilian access to medicine in conflict zone, agency says.
NAIROBI, Kenya: Ethiopian soldiers have chased women and children from
wells in the desert and blocked civilians from getting medical care in
an eastern Ethiopian region where a rebellion is brewing, the aid agency
Medecins Sans Frontieres said Tuesday. AP
Ethiopian
Rebels to Refrain From Attacks.
KHARTOUM, Sudan, Sept. 2 — A powerful rebel group in the Ogaden desert
of Ethiopia has declared a temporary cease-fire to allow a United
Nations fact-finding team to gain access to the war-torn region, a rebel
spokesman said Sunday. By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN New York Times, United
States
Ethiopia
rebels call ceasefire for U.N. mission. NAIROBI,
Sept 2 (Reuters) - Ethiopian rebels announced a ceasefire on Sunday
while a U.N. mission assesses their claims of human rights abuses in the
remote eastern Ogaden region. Reuters
Ethiopia
rebels 'agree UN truce. Rebels in south-eastern
Ethiopia say they will observe a ceasefire for the week-long visit of a
UN delegation.The team is probing rights violations and humanitarian
issues in the conflict between troops and the Ogaden National Liberation
Front in the Somali region. BBCNEWS
Ethiopia
'blocking MSF in Ogaden.
International aid agency Medecins Sans
Frontiers has accused Ethiopia of denying it access to the country's
eastern Ogaden region. BBCNEWS
Ethiopian
Rebels Declare Cease-Fire.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Rebels in Ethiopia's volatile east declared a
unilateral cease-fire Sunday so the United Nations can investigate their
claims of human rights abuses by the government in the region.
Associated Press Writer
UN Assessing Needs of Civilians in
Ethiopia's Ogaden Region.A United Nations
fact-finding mission is in Ethiopia's restive Ogaden region to assess
the food, water and health needs of civilians caught amid a military
campaign against local separatist rebels. Human rights groups accuse the
government of committing serious human rights violations against the
civilians. VOA
UN delegation in Somalia promised
protection. A UN delegation in Somalia has been
told rebels in south-eastern Ethiopia will observe a ceasefire for the
next week while they are visiting the country. Malaysia Sun