O.N.L.F Forces In Control of Hilala Oil Field
Saturday, 29 May 2010 19:40 Ogaden Online
Special forces of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) yesterday liberated and are now in control of the Hilala oil field in Eastern Ogaden. Troops of the regime abandoned the field after being surrounded by our forces and determining their chances for survival were slim. Those troops were given safe passage out of Hilala fields as they had indicated they did not want to fight and willingly shared valuable intelligence. As such, there were no casualties in the operation on either side.
Former HIlala area residents who had been forced to relocate by the Ethiopian regime were seen slowly returning to the area with their livestock today.
As we have indicated on several occasions. Ogaden is a war zone and the scene of war crimes and crimes against humanity against our people. Oil companies seeking to invest in Ogaden at this time are therefore engaged in gross corporate irresponsibility at the very least and most likely complicit in war crimes as areas are being cleared and people relocated by force, and sometimes arrested or killed if they resist, in their name by the Ethiopian regime. For those Oil companies who recognize that it is not appropriate to invest in Ogaden at this time and cease operations, such a decision will be noted by the Ogaden people once their political aims are achieved.
In that context, the ONLF wishes to welcome, if true, reports that Petronas has decided to cease operations in Ogaden. If this is the case, Petronas has chosen wisely and this decision will not be forgotten.
The ONLF maintains a policy that we will not allow this regime to continue to relocate our people by force, destroy our environment and exploit our natural mineral wealth only to use the proceeds to fund
war crimes and crimes against humanity being committed against our people. As such, we wish to reaffirm again that we will not allow Oil exploration in Ogaden by this regime at this time. We also urge major
oil companies interested in investing in Ogaden to play an active role in realizing a just, comprehensive and lasting political settlement to the Ogaden conflict.
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Ogaden National Liberation Front (O.N.L.F)
onlfpress@onlf.org
