Uprising in the Ogaden
The uprising in Ogaden is directed against the Ethiopian rule over the mainly Somali- inhabited area of Ogaden , which was incorporated into the then Empire of Ethiopia at the end of the 19th century .
The aims of the rebels varied over time from more autonomy within Ethiopia to independence from Ethiopia and joining a Greater Somalia .
The uprising was mainly led by the separatist Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) from 1984 onwards . In the early 1990s, the ONLF was temporarily involved in the government of the newly founded Somali region under the new government of Ethiopia and did not lead any uprising during this time. When the break between the ONLF and the central government occurred in 1994, parts of the ONLF resumed the armed struggle against the government.
The conflict between the ONLF and the Ethiopian army was mostly of low intensity in the following years . However, it has worsened since 2007 when ONLF fighters carried out a major attack on the Abole oil field in China and further attacks in the cities of Jijiga and Degehabur . The army went since then strengthened against the rebels. Access to the affected area was restricted. The army in particular is said to have committed human rights violations against the civilian population.
The ONLF received support from Ethiopia's neighboring country Eritrea , which has been enemies with Ethiopia since the Eritrea-Ethiopia war of 1998-2000. The Ethiopian government also fears that the ONLF could ally itself with Islamist groups from Somalia . The intervention of Ethiopian troops in the Somali civil war against the Union of Islamic Courts (late 2006 to early 2009) was therefore also related to the Ogaden uprising.
Conflict until 1991
Ogaden refers in a narrower sense to the area of the Ogadeni, who belong to the Somali clan family of the Darod . In a broader sense, the name was also used for the areas of other Somali clans under Ethiopian rule. These areas were conquered and annexed by Ethiopia at the end of the 19th century, while the remaining Somali areas in the Horn of Africa were divided between the European colonial powers France, Great Britain and Italy.
Especially from the middle of the 20th century, Somali nationalists demanded independence and the amalgamation of all their territories to form Greater Somalia . The state of Somalia , which has been independent since 1960 , raised corresponding claims against its neighboring states and supported Somali rebels in Ethiopia. In 1977/78 Somalia tried to conquer the area in the Ogaden War , which failed. The Western Somali Liberation Front ( WSLF), which was sponsored by Somalia, continued its struggle for annexation to Somalia in the following years; it was only considered to be defeated in the mid-1980s.
In 1984, parts of the WSLF formed anew as the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) to continue the uprising against the Ethiopian government. The ONLF distanced itself from the Siad Barres regime in Somalia and, by naming it “Ogaden” instead of “West Somalia”, emphasizes that it is geared more towards independence for the Ogaden than towards a merger with Somalia.
The ONLF was one of several groups that fought against the Derg military dictatorship under Mengistu Haile Mariam in various parts of the country during the Ethiopian Civil War . In 1991 one of these resistance movements, the People's Liberation Front of Tigray (TPLF) or the Alliance of Revolutionary Democratic Front of the Ethiopian Peoples led by it, overthrew the Mengistu regime and took power.
ONLF participates in government until 1994
The EPRDF reorganized the administrative structure of Ethiopia after 1991 by abolishing the historical provinces and replacing them with ethnically defined regions or states. In the newly established Somali region , the EPRDF initially involved the WSLF and ONLF as regional partners. The ONLF won the regional elections in 1992 and provided the regional government for a year (afterwards members of the WSLF or independent candidates from the Ogadeni clan ruled). However, the EPRDF central government mistrusted the ONLF and developed a strategy against their secessionist aspirations as early as 1992 . The ONLF itself was internally divided between those who continued to strive for independence and those who favored cooperation with the new government. There were also differences between the ONLF, which mainly represented the interests of the Ogadeni, and representatives of other clans in parliament.
The regional government was therefore deposed twice at the instigation of the central government. This caused displeasure among the Ogadeni and led to occasional clashes between state security forces and supporters of the ONLF. At the same time, the Islamist organization al-Ittihad al-Islami threatened with an uprising. It initially registered itself as a legal political party in 1991, but began to militarize itself in 1992.
When the ONLF / Ogadeni-dominated regional parliament declared in February 1994 that it wanted to strive for independence (which the Ethiopian constitution allows the individual regions), the central government intervened for a third time and removed the Ogadeni regional government under Hassan Jire . In the regional elections in the same year, the ONLF lost to the newly founded, pro-government Ethiopian Somali Democratic League (ESDL) made up of various non-Ogadeni clans. Radical sections of the ONLF had called for an election boycott. The 18 elected ONLF members and the 15 MPs from the Western Somali Democratic Party refused to take their seats in protest against election rigging in order to prevent the formation of a new regional government.
Low intensity conflict 1995-2006
In 1996 in London an agreement between the ONLF and the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) for the common fight against the Ethiopian government was announced. Similar agreements are said to have existed with the Islamist al-Ittihad al-Islami and with the Islamic Front for the Liberation of Oromia . al-Ittihad, which was mainly anchored in the Gedo region in Somalia and took part in the civil war in Somalia , carried out an assassination attempt on July 8, 1996 against the leader of the ESDL party. In the opinion of the government, this group was also responsible for further attacks in Somali -Region and in Addis Ababa . The Ethiopian army therefore intervened in Somalia in 1996 and militarily destroyed the organization.
The central government took action against the ONLF, on the one hand by politically integrating and promoting non-Ogadeni clans and moderate Ogadeni (the Somali People's Democratic Party , which also includes Ogadeni, was formed as a new regional partner of the EPRDF in 1998 ) and on the other hand, the militant wing of the ONLF and its supporters were excluded from the political process and fought militarily. The army and regional militias took action against ONLF leaders and alleged sympathizers. Both sides regularly reported victories in battles against their opponents, although these reports can hardly be confirmed by independent sources. For more than a decade, a massive Ethiopian military presence in the region was accompanied by widespread reports of human rights abuses by both sides. These reports are difficult to verify as the military made the affected areas virtually inaccessible to independent investigation.
The ONLF units are constantly on the move and mainly carry out attack-like attacks ( hit-and-run ). They receive food and water from pastoral nomads in the countryside and from sympathizers in towns and villages. The ONLF is anchored in particular with the Rer Abdalle clan , a subclan of the Mohammed-Zubeir- Ogadeni, but also with the Bah Geri, Makahil and Tolomogge . It is active in the areas of these Ogadeni clans in the zones Fiq , Korahe , Degehabur , Warder and Gode . Little is known about another group called the United Western Somali Liberation Front (UWSLF), which appeared in 2006 and briefly took two aid workers hostage.
In 2006 the ONLF seemed to have grown in strength thanks to support from Eritrea . Both the ONLF and the OLF were in Eritrea during the Eritrea-Ethiopia War 1998-2000 and received military training as well as logistical and military support. Representatives of the ONLF and OLF were also in the Somali capital Mogadishu when the Union of Islamic Courts - also supported by Eritrea - was in power there from mid-2006. The Ethiopian government feared an alliance of Islamists, Ogadeni and Oromo separatists with the support of Eritrea. Parts of the Union of Islamic Courts also sought to integrate Ogaden and called for jihad against Ethiopia.
Relations between the ONLF and Islamist groups are not clear. Fighting with the extremist al-Shabaab from Somalia is said to have broken out in 2007, and the ONLF is said to have worked with US troops in the region against Islamists. Eritrea's government rejected the allegations of Ethiopia waging a proxy war in the Ogaden . For her part, she accused the Ethiopian government of being unable to resolve conflicts with various ethnic groups and therefore using Eritrea as a scapegoat.
Since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 and the beginning of the global " war on terror ", the Ethiopian government has increasingly referred to the ONLF and OLF as terrorist organizations in order to gain international support for the fight against these groups. At the end of 2006, Ethiopian troops invaded Somalia and overthrew the Union of Islamic Courts, but were soon faced with massive resistance from Islamist factions, clan militias and other opponents.
Escalation since 2007
ONLF attacks
The Ethiopian intervention in Somalia in December 2006 coincided with a serious escalation of the conflict in the Ogaden. From the spring of 2007, the ONLF expanded the attacks on representatives of the government as well as on institutions of the regional and local administration and on military convoys. In January 2007, ONLF rebels attacked woreda Gerbo in the Fiq zone , killing five officers who refused to hand them over heavy weapons. A week later, the ONLF attacked the Gunagada police station in the Degehabur zone . 25 people were killed in this attack, including the local security chief. The ONLF also kidnapped several officers, including the police superintendent, who was later lynched.
On April 24, 2007, hundreds of ONLF members stormed the Abole (Obole) oil field where a Chinese company was conducting exploration work, killing 65 Ethiopians and nine Chinese technicians. Most of the Ethiopian victims were day laborers, guards and other support personnel, including ethnic Somali. The ONLF later justified this attack on a civilian target by stating that members of the government had a financial stake in the company and that land had been stolen from the local population. She also announced that she would fight all oil companies that are active in the Ogaden. On the same day, the rebels also attacked the village of Sandhore near Abole, where a local businessman ran a large farm and had good relations with state security forces. 18 people were killed in this attack, including a teacher and a Koran teacher and the manager of the farm.
The seven Chinese oil workers kidnapped by the ONLF were released on April 29 and handed over to the Red Cross . A Somali and an Ethiopian oil worker were also released and were in good shape.
On May 28, 2007, during events for the Ethiopian national holiday in the regional capital Jijiga and in the city of Degehabur in Ogaden, bomb attacks were carried out at about the same time. Strangers threw hand grenades into the crowd. Six people died in Degehabur and over 60 others were wounded. Eleven people died in Jijiga and the President of the Somali region, Abdulahi Hassan Mohammed “Lugbuur”, who was present , was injured , among others. The ONLF has denied responsibility and no other group has so far claimed responsibility for these attacks.
Counterinsurgency since 2007
Prime Minister Meles Zenawi announced on June 9, 2007 that the army had launched a major offensive to stop the ONLF rebel uprising. The military presence in the region was further increased. The climax of this offensive was from June to September 2007. From September 2007 on, the strategy of the Ethiopian government changed from the direct use of armed forces to increased (forced) recruitment and stationing of local militias. The main military operations were around the cities of Degehabur , Kebri Dehar , Warder and Shilabo . The area is home to the Ogadeni clan, who are considered the foundation of support for the ONLF.
According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the Ethiopian military in particular has committed human rights violations. Hundreds of civilians have been illegally arrested and many prisoners have been tortured and raped in military bases. There were also extrajudicial executions. The army destroyed and burned villages. By blocking trade and humanitarian aid for the conflict area, the population is subjected to collective punishment. The nomads' freedom of movement is restricted and livestock is confiscated. But the ONLF is also criticized for human rights violations, as it has attacked civilian targets and ruthlessly takes action against critics and “collaborators”.
In 2008 the number of village burnings and forced relocations decreased. This may reflect a change in strategy on the part of the Ethiopian military and fewer clashes with the ONLF or it may be due to the fact that thousands of people - according to some estimates even tens of thousands - have now fled the region.
The American research institute American Association for the Advancement of Science published satellite images that are supposed to prove the destruction of villages.
Mohammed Sirad Dolal and many other ONLF leaders were killed in a military operation in Ethiopia in early 2009 . This led to a split in the ONLF. During 2010, Ethiopia signed peace treaties with various subgroups of the ONLF. In September 2010, the Ethiopian government announced that 123 ONLF fighters had been killed and another 90 had been encircled in the Maar-Maar mountains on the Somaliland / Somalia border . According to the Somaliland authorities, the rebels landed on the coast and then went inland to the border. The ONLF only confirmed that there had been fighting in the border area.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Klaus Gantzel, Torsten Schwinghammer: The wars after the Second World War, 1945 to 1992: data and tendencies . In: Wars and Militant Conflicts . tape 1 . Lit, Münster 1995, ISBN 3-88660-756-9 , pp. R-88 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Human Rights Watch: Collective Punishment - War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity in the Ogaden area of Ethiopia's Somali Region , 2008 (English)
- ↑ Tobias Hagmann: The Political Roots of the Current Crisis in Region 5 , 2007
- ↑ a b Alex de Waal, Africa Watch: Evil Days. 30 Years of War and Famine in Ethiopia , 1991 (pp. 5, 65-67, 70-97, 344-347)
- ^ Ioan M. Lewis: Understanding Somalia and Somaliland: Culture, History and Society , 2008, ISBN 978-1-85065-898-6 (p. 71)
- ↑ a b c d e f g Tobias Hagmann, Mohamud H. Khalif: State and Politics in Ethiopia's Somali Region since 1991 ( Memento of the original from August 31, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , in: Bildhaan. An International Journal of Somali Studies 6, 2006, pp. 25–49 (PDF; 121 kB)
- ↑ Abdi Ismail Samatar: Ethiopian Federalism: Autonomy versus Control in the Somali Region. In: Third World Quarterly , Vol. 25/6, 2004 (pp. 1138, 1141)
- ↑ a b c d John Markakis: The Somali in Ethiopia. In: Review of African Political Economy , Vol. 23, No. 70 (December 1996), pp. 567-570
- ↑ hornofafrica.ssrc.org: Alex de Waal: Class and Power in a Stateless Somalia , 2007, accessed January 6, 2011
- ↑ Page no longer available , search in web archives: Ethiopian Rebel Group Denies Support From Eritrea
- ↑ Ethiopia: Oil companies suspend operations ( Memento of the original from September 29, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Garowe Online , April 28, 2007
- ^ Chinese workers freed in Ethiopia. In: BBC News . April 29, 2007.
- ^ Ethiopia Ogaden crisis. In: Reuters . AlertNet, December 1, 2007.
- ↑ Images back Ethiopia abuse claim. In: BBC News. June 12, 2008.
- ↑ Somalia: Ethiopia rebel group ONLF splits into two factions. ( Memento of the original from March 10, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Garowe Online. March 3, 2009.
- ↑ Ethiopia 'kills 123' ONLF rebels and surrounds 90 more. In: BBC News. September 15, 2010.
Web links
- Tobias Hagmann: The Political Roots of the Current Crisis in Region 5. 2007
- Human Rights Watch: Collective Punishment - War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity in the Ogaden area of Ethiopia's Somali Region. 2008 (english)
- BBC report, in mid-2007 (English).