NAIROBI (Reuters) – Ethiopian rebels denied on Tuesday government allegations that Qatar was supporting them, after Addis Ababa Woyanne cut diplomatic ties with the Gulf State and accused it of backing terrorism and destabilising the region.
Ethiopia Woyanne, a U.S. ally and the biggest military power in the Horn of Africa, said on Monday it had earlier expressed concern in private about Qatar’s “hostile behaviour” several times.
It said Qatar was backing its arch-foe Eritrea, as well as helping Islamist insurgents in Somalia and Ethiopian freedom fighters like the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF).
But the ONLF said that the charges were designed only to divert attention from what it called an “unfolding African genocide” by government forces in its remote eastern region.
“Qatar has played a constructive role in Africa , the Arab world in general and the Horn of Africa in particular,” the rebel group said in a statement.
“If there has been a destabilising factor in the Horn of Africa, it has been the regime currently in power in Ethiopia.”
The statement from Addis Ababa on Monday said Qatar’s hostile behaviour “included the output of its media outlets”, a presumed reference to the Al Jazeera Arab satellite TV network.
Al Jazeera has in recent days been broadcasting reports on the conflict in the Ogaden region that have been critical of the military’s role against local rebels.
Qatar, a member of the OPEC group of major oil producers and the world’s biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas, is also an important American ally and hosts a large U.S. military base.
On Monday, a Qatari government official in Doha dismissed the Ethiopian Woyanne accusations as “frivolous and irresponsible” and said the emirate had always done its utmost to fight terrorism.
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ER expresses heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to the government of Qatar for standing with the oppressed people of Ethiopia.
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Ethiopia Woyanne announced Monday it was severing diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing the Gulf Arab state of supporting armed opposition groups across the Horn of Africa region.
It cited Qatar’s “strong ties” with Ethiopia’s Woyanne’s arch-foe Eritrea, and alleged Qatari support to armed opposition groups within Ethiopia as well as to Islamist insurgents in Somalia, where Addis Ababa Woyanne sent troops in 2006 to prop up a weak government.
“The Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Woyanne has decided to break diplomatic relations with the State of Qatar,” said a government statement received by AFP.
“Ethiopia has displayed considerable patience towards Qatar’s attempts to destabilise our sub-region and, in particular, its hostile behaviour towards Ethiopia,” the statement said.
“Qatar has now, however, become a major source of instability in the Horn of Africa and more widely,” it added.
“All those who are prepared to foment instability in Ethiopia and undermine the country’s security have been given support and encouragement by Qatar.”
It went on: “This has gone beyond Qatar’s strong ties with Eritrea. It has indeed provided direct and indirect assistance to terrorist organisations in Somalia and other areas.”
“Whether in Somalia and in other parts of the Horn of Africa — including within Ethiopia — Qatar has been one of the most important supporters of terrorism and extremism in our sub-region.”
The statement also accused Qatar of using its “media outlets” to undermine Ethiopia.
On April 11, the Ethiopian Woyanne foreign ministry had already sharply criticised the Qatar-based news network Al-Jazeera for airing a series of TV reports on Ethiopia’s restive Ogaden region.
The Ethiopian Woyanne authorities have imposed a news blackout on the vast area populated by Somali-ethnic Muslims and slapped touch restrictions on humanitarian work.
The foreign ministry had been particularly upset by a report on the activities of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF).
“Al-Jazeera is using inaccurate and misleading information, fabricated by opposition elements backed by a state which makes no secret of its efforts to destabilise not only Ethiopia but also the entire sub region,” it had said.
“It is hard to ignore the fact that Al-Jazeera broadcasts out of Doha, the capital of Qatar. Qatar is a close ally of Eritrea. It would be totally unrealistic to imagine that any Al-Jazeera program on Ethiopia could be anything other than seriously biased.”