2007–2008 Ethiopian crackdown in Ogaden
| Ethiopian crackdown in Ogaden | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Insurgency in Ogaden | |||||||
Ogaden rebels filmed in an Al-Jazeera report. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| 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.