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| Rebels accuse Ethiopian army of ethnic cleansing Posted: 21 Jan 2011 07:12 AM PST ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Government troops have executed civilians and conducted ethnic cleansing in Ethiopia's Somali Region, a rebel group said on Friday. The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) said the bodies of a civil servant and a businessman were found dead in Kebridehar in eastern Ethiopia on Jan. 17, a day after they and 17 other people were rounded up by security officials. The government rejected the allegations. Government spokesman Shimelis Kemal told Reuters a small gunfight had erupted between local police and ONLF fighters in Kebridehar on Jan. 10 after ONLF members killed a civilian. "The Ethiopian army was not even involved, and this cannot be considered as ethnic cleansing. It was a measure taken by police against terrorist activities," Shimelis said. The ONLF said in a statement "Wires that were used to asphyxiate the victims were left wrapped around their necks for further terrifying the town's people." The fate of the rest of the group was unknown, it added. The ONLF is fighting for independence for the ethnic Somali-dominated Ogaden province. Ethiopia believes the Ogaden basin may contain 4 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves and major oil deposits, drawing interest from foreign firms. The rebels said that in a second incident, government troops had beheaded a woman and injured 27 people while looting the town of Higlalay. "Since it is at the height of the dry season and both water and food are scarce, there is an urgent need of humanitarian aid for the victims, but the same army that is committing these crimes controls aid," the ONLF statement said. It is not the first time the ONLF has accused government troops of atrocities in the region. It said in November last year that soldiers had tortured hundreds of civilians who had been displaced from their homes. The allegations are impossible to verify because journalists and aid groups cannot move unhindered in the area. Ethiopia signed a peace deal in October with one faction of the ONLF, though another faction called the deal "irrelevant". The faction with which Addis Ababa sealed the accord says it represents 80 percent of ONLF fighters. (Editing by Richard Lough and Tim Pearce) Copyright © 2011 Reuters | ||
| Heavy snow in SW China forces 79,000 to evacuate homes Posted: 21 Jan 2011 07:12 AM PST SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Heavy snow and rain in southwest China have forced over 79,000 people to evacuate their homes as traffic, power and communication lines remain disrupted, the official Xinhua news agency said on Friday. In Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, heavy snow and icy rain caused houses to collapse and forced 6,200 people out of their homes, local authorities said on Friday. In the neighboring province of Hunan, a blizzard that started early this week has forced 73,000 to evacuate their houses, the Hunan provincial government said at a press conference on Friday.
In major city Chongqing, nearly 360,000 people are facing water shortages after cold weather damaged hundreds of km of water pipes. Icy rains have hit 87 counties, cities and districts in China causing direct economic losses of over 3.9 billion yuan, Xinhua reported. On Thursday, close to 100 international and domestic flights to and from China's most populous city Shanghai were delayed due to heavy snow. Officials have warned rain, snow and ice could disrupt travel plans for millions who aim to get on the road during the Lunar New Year holiday. (Reporting by Melanie Lee; Editing by Daniel Magnowski) Copyright © 2011 Reuters |
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