KENYA-ETHIOPIA: NAIROBI DENIES HELPING ETHIOPIAN REBELS

NAIROBI, Nov 11 (IPS) - THE KENYAN GOVERNMENT FRIDAY DENIED REPORTS THAT IT HAS BEEN ASSISTING AN ETHIOPIAN REBEL GROUP FIGHTING TO OVERTHROW PRESIDENT MELES ZENAWI'S INTERIM ADMINISTRATION.

MINISTER IN THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, JULIUS SUNKULI, ALSO DENIED THAT THE OROMO LIBERATION FRONT (OLF) HAS A MILITARY BASE IN KENYA.

"THE OROMO ARE KNOWN TO HAVE SOME CAMPS ON THE ETHIOPIAN SIDE OF THE BORDER AND THE KENYAN GOVERNMENT HAS NO INTENTION OF INTERFERING WITH THE INTERNAL AFFAIRS OF HER NEIGHBOURS," SAID SUNKULI.

THE WAR BETWEEN THE OLF AND THE ETHIOPIAN GOVERNMENT FORCES ERUPTED AFTER THE OROMO GROUP WITHDREW FROM MELES' ADMINISTRATION FOLLOWING SHARP POLITICAL DIFFERENCES ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO.

THE OLF CLAIMED THAT THE ETHIOPIA PEOPLE'S REVOLUTIONARY DEMOCRATIC FRONT (EPRDF), LED BY MELES, HAD RENEGED ON THE IDEA OF SELF-DETERMINATION FOR THE VARIOUS ETHNIC GROUPS IN THE HORN OF AFRICAN COUNTRY.

MELES, WHO DRAWS HIS SUPPORT FROM THE REGION OF TIGRAY IN THE NORTH, TOOK OVER POWER AFTER FORMER ETHIOPIAN DICTATOR, MENGISTU HAILE MARIAM, FLED TO ZIMBABWE IN 1991.

THE OLF PURPORTS TO REPRESENT THE OROMO, ALSO KNOWN AS GALLA, WHO COMPRISE MORE THAN HALF OF THE 46 MILLION ETHIOPIANS. TIGRAYANS, WHOSE REGION IS LOCATED ON THE BORDER WITH SUDAN AND ERITREA BORDER, MAKE UP 12 PERCENT OF ETHIOPIA'S POPULATION.

NAIROBI'S DENIAL THAT IT IS HELPING THE OLF CAME AFTER MAALIM FARAH, A PARLIAMENTARIAN FROM NORTHERN KENYA, ALLEGED IN PARLIAMENT THURSDAY THAT THE KENYAN GOVERNMENT WAS INVOLVED IN THE ETHIOPIAN CONFLICT.

FARAH CLAIMED THAT: "THE OROMO MILITIAS HAVE A CAMP IN NORTH- EASTERN PROVINCE JUST AS GENERAL MORGAN OF SOMALIA HAD CAMPED IN LAMU (ON THE KENYA BORDER) BEFORE THE FIGHTING IN SOMALIA BROKE OUT."

HE WAS REFERING TO GEN. MOHAMED HERSI MORGAN, SON-IN-LAW OF FORMER SOMALI DICTATOR, SIAD BARRE, WHO SOUGHT REFUGE IN KENYA IN EARLY 1991 BEFORE LAUNCHING A CAMPAIGN TO REGAIN POWER FOR BARRE THE FOLLOWING YEAR.

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