O.N.L.F Press Release
October 26, 2007
The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) has had a consistent and long standing policy welcoming direct negotiations with the regime currently in power in Ethiopia provided that such negotiations are held in a neutral third country with the presence of a neutral third party arbiter of international standing with no preconditions placed on either party.
In that context, the ONLF welcomes the appeal made by several members of the United States House of Representatives and Senate requesting the President of the United States to instruct the United States Department of State to facilitate negotiations between the ONLF and the regime currently in power in Ethiopia. The ONLF, on behalf of the people of Ogaden, welcomes the concern and commends the leadership of these representatives of the American people.
The Ethiopian regime has shown that, left to its own devices, it will continue to pursue a war it can not win in Ogaden characterized by a policy of collective punishment tantamount to genocide. As such, the international community bears a moral responsibility to intervene in order to hold this regime accountable for its actions.
The United Nations in particular bears a responsibility to act on the recommendations of the recent humanitarian fact finding mission to Ogaden which called for an “independent investigation” into human rights abuses in Ogaden.
As the legitimate representatives of the people of Ogaden, the ONLF stands ready to partner with the United Nations and members of the international community who seek to alleviate the suffering deliberately imposed on our people by the Ethiopian regime as well as those genuinely seeking to find a just, lasting and comprehensive political solution to the Ogaden conflict.
Click here to read the Congressional letter to President Bush
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Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF)