2007–2008 Ethiopian crackdown in Ogaden

Ethiopian crackdown in Ogaden
Part of the Insurgency in Ogaden

Ogaden rebels filmed in an Al-Jazeera report.
DateJune 2007 – May 2008
Location
Somali Region, Ethiopia
Result Indecisive; Both sides claim victory
Belligerents

Ethiopia

ONLF
Commanders and leaders
Girma Wolde-Giorgis
Meles Zenawi
Unknown
Casualties and losses
375 killed (Ethiopian claim)
950 killed (ONLF claim)
~500 killed (Ethiopian claim)
Civilian casualties:
<1,000 killed

The 2007–2008 Ethiopian crackdown in Ogaden was a military campaign by the Ethiopian Army against the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF). The crackdown against the guerrillas began after they killed over 60 Ethiopian troops and several foreign workers during a raid on a Chinese-run oil exploration field in April 2007.

The main military operations were centered on the towns of Degehabur, Kebri Dahar, Werder and Shilavo in Ogaden, which are in the Ethiopian Somali Region. The area is home to the Ogaden clan, seen as the bedrock of support of the ONLF.

During the crackdown, the Ethiopian government put hundreds of thousands at risk of starvation by blockading food aid to the region. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), various human rights abuses were committed by the Ethiopian military.