Addis Ababa — Recent military operations against the so-called ONLF, a separatist rebel group in the East, has been successful and crossborder arms trafficking and contraband perpetrated by the group has been put in check, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday.
The ministry in a statement issued on Wednesday indicated that the army recently has taken all the legal measures deemed essential to stop terrorist acts perpetrated by this group in discharge of its responsibility to safeguard the peace and national security of the country and its people.
"All operations of the Ethiopian Defence Forces have been successful in this regard; cross-border arms trafficking and contraband has been put under effective control. The ruinous terrorist activities of the ONLF have been, by and large, curtailed," the ministry said in a statement.
The statement said the "terrorist group" allies itself with the defunct Union of Islamic Courts and the Eritrean Government in committing heinous activities to achieve their common goal of destabilizing the country and the region as whole.
"It (ONLF) has carried out horrendous human rights violations, including the indiscriminate murder of innocent civilians. Through such acts, it has also severely affected the peace and stability of the region," the ministry said.
The ministry didn't give details about the kind of arms it captured or causalities involved in the military operation in the area.
The government last week ejected the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from Ogaden, a dry region with few roads and populated largely by nomadic camel herders,effectively off-limits to most human rights workers and journalists.
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The statement indicated that ICRC was not engaged in the region compatible with the ICRC mandate.
'The reason is clear." said the statement.
"The ICRC Office in this particular region was not engaged in activities compatible with the ICRC mandate. In fact, it was doing the opposite. Giving assistance and succor to terrorists and, thereby engaging in acts of destabilization is contrary to the obligations given to the ICRC under the Geneva Conventions," the ministry added.
The Ministry further warned all other entities operating under the guise of providing humanitarian assistance to refrain from such acts.
The rebel group accused government on Wednesday of killing two local aid workers in the restive Ogaden region.
The separatist group said soldiers killed the head of the Ogaden Welfare and Development Association and another senior staff member between Segag and Degahmadow, about 500 km (310 miles) southeast of Addis Ababa.
"A vehicle belonging to the ... association was attacked in the Nogob province. Mohamed Dahir Sheik Mohamud and an associate were killed by Ethiopian troops," ONLF said in a statement.
The ONLF got worldwide attention in April when it attacked a Chinese-run oil exploration field in Ogaden, killing 74 people and kidnapping seven Chinese workers who were later freed.
