JIGJIGA (Halbeeg News) – The leaders of Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State are expected to hold talks with representatives of Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) on Monday in Jigjiga town.
ONLF delegation led the group’s spokesman, Abdkadir Hassan Hirmoge has arrived in Jigjiga on Sunday night for the first time in 20 years.
The representatives were welcomed by the leader of the state, Mustafa Omer and other officials from the state.
Reports say the sides will hold their follow-up meeting to discuss several issues including cooperation between them, plans to start reconciliation and peace talks and possible rehabilitation and integration of the group’s fighters.
Mid this Month, the leaders from both sides held talks in Asmara town, the capital city of Eritrea. Their discussions focused on “ways of resolving the longstanding conflict in the Somali Region.
They agreed to work together peacefully to protect the interests of the people of the Somali Region and collaborate on national issues including the future of Horn of Africa integration
The ONLF is one of the oldest separatist rebel groups established in 1984. The group has been on Ethiopia’s terror list until recently when the Ethiopian parliament removed three opposition rebel groups: OLF, PG7, and ONLF, off the list.
On August 12, ONLF declared a unilateral ceasefire and some of its members have returned to Ethiopia. However, this is the first formal peace talk between ONLF and the Ethiopian government.
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