Ethiopia rebels claim 71 civilians killed by army

Friday, 11 June 2010 20:42 |

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Ethiopia rebels claim 71 civilians killed by army

ADDIS ABABA (AFP) –

Ethiopia's rebel Ogaden National LiberationFront (ONLF) on Friday claimed that 71 civilians had been killed by government forces during an operation launched last month.

"The ruthless troops had so far massacred 71 innocent civilians with impunity while wounding and torturing hundreds," the ONLF said in a statement.

The rebel group said the operation has been ongoing since May 18 and was launched in retaliation for a raid during which it claimed to have captured a town previously controlled by the government.

The Ethiopian government flatly denied the accusations.

onlf "We are still gathering information about these accusations, but so far we can say that these allegations are entirely baseless," government spokesman Shimeles Kemal told AFP.

AFP/File – Ethiopian soldiers man a check point on a road leading to the eastern Ethiopian border town of Badme …

He denied any government military operation was under way in the restive Ogaden area, a vast area in easternEthiopia which is almost impossible to access independently.

Formed in 1984, the ONLF is fighting for independence for ethnic Somalis in the Ogaden whom it says have been marginalised by the regime in Addis Ababa.

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