Ethiopia blames Eritrea for attack

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Ethiopia on Wednesday blamed its rival Eritrea for an attack on a Chinese-owned oil exploration field that killed 74 people, raising tensions between the neighbors who have yet to resolve a border issue following the end of a two-year war in 2000.

The rebel Ogaden National Liberation Front, which has been linked to Eritrea in the past, claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack, which killed 65 Ethiopians and nine Chinese. At least six Chinese workers also were kidnapped, said Xu Shuang, general manager of Zhongyuan Petroleum Exploration Bureau’s Ethiopia operation.


The rebels, ethnic Somalis who have been fighting for independence since 1984, have warned against any investment in eastern Ethiopia that could benefit the U.S.-allied government.

“Hand-in-glove with the Eritrean government, which hates to see Ethiopia’s development, the terrorist forces in the region have acted out this horrendous act of terror,” Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry said on its Web site Wednesday. It called on the U.N. to take action against Eritrea.

AP