Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), in a statement on Wednesday, asked the Ethiopian military chief Berhanu Jula to clarify his remarks.
“The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) strongly condemns the recent provocative statements attributed to General Berhanu Jula, Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces, in which ONLF is described as an enemy of the Ethiopian state allegedly created by Egypt. A video aired on Ethio-Forum on September 8, 2024, and circulated on YouTube, showed General Jula allegedly making these statements, which we consider not only unfounded but also a blatant attack on the integrity and legality of ONLF as a recognized political party,” ONLF said in a statement.
The Somali region based political party further said, “ONLF calls on the Ethiopian government and General Berhanu Jula to immediately clarify the authenticity of this video and to publicly repudiate the statement if it is found to be doctored or misrepresented. We urge the Ethiopian government to act swiftly and responsibly to resolve this matter in the interests of peace and stability. We await an official and unambiguous response from the government, failing which ONLF will take the necessary steps to protect its rights and interests as outlined in the peace agreement.”
ONLF fought against Ethiopian security forces for years. It laid down arms and signed peace deal with the Ethiopian government in 2018. It was registered as political party. Amid rising tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia, ONLF could emerge as a key player in the Somali region of Ethiopia.
Ethiopian military or federal government have not responded to the ONLF statement so far.
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