Scores of gunmen attacked a Chinese-run oil field in Ethiopia on Tuesday, killing 74 people including nine Chinese nationals, a government spokesperson said.
”It is a massacre. It is a terrorist act, ordered by a terrorist alliance that includes ONLF,” said the prime minister’s spokesperson, Berekat Simon, referring to the Ogaden National Liberation Front separatist group.
The Chinese embassy in Addis Ababa confirmed the attack to the media but said they could give no further details. ”We are trying to get more information about it,” a spokesperson said.
Chinese state media said seven Chinese workers were kidnapped by gunmen during the attack.
The official Xinhua news agency said about 200 unidentified gunmen launched the attack on the oil field in Somali state where China’s Zhongyuan Petroleum Exploration Bureau is exploring for oil.
More than a 100 soldiers protecting the field engaged their attackers in a fierce 50-minute gun battle, the report said, citing Xu Shuang, the manager of the Chinese firm.
In an interview with Xinhua, an Ethiopian press official said that Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi had instructed the Ministry of National Defence to send immediate reinforcements to the area.
The oil field is located in Abole, a small town about 120km away from the Somali state capital of Jijiga, Xinhua said.
The ONLF is a rebel group fighting for the independence of ethnic Somalis living in Ethiopia’s Ogaden region.
In April last year the group warned international oil firms that exploring for oil and natural gas in the region ”for the benefit of the Ethiopian regime or any foreign firm will not be tolerated”. — AFP
