By Barry Malone
GODE, Ethiopia (Reuters) – Ethiopia Woyanne has arrested a number of American and European citizens of Ethiopian descent, accusing them of aiding separatist rebels, a senior Ethiopian Woyanne regime official said on Friday.
“I can assure you they are many,” Abdullahi Hassan, president of the country’s troubled Ogaden region, told journalists visiting the area at the government’s invitation.
He declined to say how many people had been detained or when they had been arrested.
“Those who are waging the terrorist war against our people are coming from Europe, are coming from America. They hold American passports, they hold European passports,” he said.
Hassan said the detainees were originally from Ogaden but moved to the United States and Europe where they raised money for the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF).
“They are buying with this money weapons, mines and explosives,” he said, adding that he would not contact their embassies because they were suspected terrorists.
“We don’t care whether they see (their diplomatic representatives) or not,” he said, comparing the situation to the U.S. base in Guantanamo Bay, where nearly 300 inmates are being held without charge or access to consuls.
“In America … al Qaeda members are in Guantanamo … We are faced with the same problem,” he said.
A spokesman for the U.S. embassy said they had received no official notification from the government. “We are following up with Ethiopian Woyanne authorities as we speak,” he said.
Hassan said the detainees were being held in the eastern town of Jijiga. He said they would face trial, but did not say when, or on what charges.
The barren, ethnically Somali region made headlines in April when ONLF guerrillas attacked a Chinese-run oil exploration field and killed 74 people. Both the government and rebels accuse each other of committing human rights abuses.
The ONLF are fighting for autonomy for their remote region, which borders Somalia. The United Nations says nearly a million people there are in need of humanitarian assistance.
(Editing by Tim Cocks)
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FORUM | 3 Comments
This government will do anything to keep the US on its side, and its best weapon we know so far has been the fight against terrrorism. Woyane took this drastic measure to derail HR2003 and the coming big demonstration for HR2003 in OKlahoma.
[Reply]
January 18th, 2008 at 11:18 AM
The so called arrested citizens were refugees from neighboring countries of the Horn Of Africa. When kidnapped at gun point none whatsoever were caught with the alleged weapons. Even if a single one of them was caught with the trumphed up claims of aiding resistantances, they’ve the right to due process in civilized nations. Yet, Tigreans claims and their trained and purchased spokes person are far from civilizations by a light years. The Tigreans and the ogaden sitelites would answer to the bloods spilled and grusome conditions they hold thousands of people in JiJiga.
Rest assured UNHCR has lists of names, ages, places of births, how and what day,the victims were rounded up and sent Ogaden. I’ve names lists and health conditions of all refugees captured from UNCHCR.
Go ahead abuse humanity, we’ll meet at hague for atrocities you committ under one God. You’re fully accountable for Genocide of the centuary throughout HOA. Alas! rest assured.
[Reply]
January 18th, 2008 at 2:05 PM
so much blood!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. my God!.WEknow one thing for sure. weyanes will be responsible for the whole crime against humanity at the end of theday. God bless ethiopia and it’s poor ppl. amen
[Reply]
January 19th, 2008 at 2:13 PM