Eric Watkins
Senior Correspondent
LOS ANGELES, Apr. 27 -- The Ogaden National Liberation Front, which attacked a Chinese exploration crew in eastern Ethiopia on Apr. 24, has promised to return six captured oil workers soon (OGJ Online, Apr. 26, 2007).
The group, which said it would work through the International Committee of the Red Cross, warned that the workers were in danger due to military operations being conducted by the Ethiopian government, which has vowed to rescue them.
The separatist ONLF also warned foreign oil and gas companies to stay out of the area as long as the people of the Ogaden region are "denied their rights to self-determination" by the Ethiopian government.
The government, which rejected the claim, vowed to track down the "terrorists" responsible for the attack and said, "The exploration in no way harms the people of the region. In fact, it contributes to the growth and economic welfare of the region's inhabitants."
China also rejected the ONLF warning. "China supports its enterprises in conducting economic cooperation based on equality and mutual benefits in other countries, including those in Africa," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao in Beijing. "This is our set policy, and it will not change."
Contact Eric Watkins at [email protected].
