Field Marshal Berhanu Jula, Chief of the General Staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF), has been reported to have made “provocative statements.” The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) has released a statement “strongly condemning” these claims.
The ONLF’s statement alludes to a video that Field Marshal Berhanu released on Ethio-Forum on September 8, 2024, characterizing the party as an Egyptian-created “enemy of the Ethiopian state.”
The ONLF describes these claims as “blatantly attacking the integrity and legality of the ONLF as a recognized political party” and “unfounded.”
These comments, according to the organization, “contradict the spirit and letter” of the 2018 peace agreement that the ONLF and the Ethiopian government signed in Asmara, Eritrea.
The ONLF demanded that the Ethiopian government “publicly repudiate the statement if it is found to be doctored or misrepresented” and “immediately clarify the authenticity of this video.”
In the event that the claim is verified, the ONLF demands that the government “make a swift and unambiguous statement distancing itself from this damaging discourse and restating its dedication to the peace accord.”
Declaring that it will persist in pursuing “the Somali people’s right to self-determination, as recognized by international laws and the Ethiopian constitution, through non-violent political means,” the party reaffirmed its dedication to the peace process.
But the ONLF warned that “the Ethiopian government’s silence or inaction will not be acceptable” and that this could force the group to “reassess its position and actions moving forward.”