Friday 7, March 2025 {HMC} The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) has warned of potentially resuming armed conflict with Ethiopia, citing the Ethiopian government’s failure to honour a 2018 peace agreement. The agreement, signed under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration, included key promises to grant the Somali region autonomy over its resources, address historical human rights violations, promote free trade, and enhance human rights protections. However, ONLF Chairman Abdikarim Sheikh Mohamed Mahdi, also known as Maaday, stated these commitments have not been fulfilled.
In an interview with BBC Somali, Maaday explained that the ONLF is exploring multiple responses, including military action, peaceful resistance, or renewed negotiations. “We are currently holding consultations. Our response could involve taking up arms, exerting political pressure, engaging in peaceful resistance, or resuming negotiations,” Maaday said, highlighting the group’s frustration with the lack of progress.
ONLF, which fought for self-determination and Somali rights within Ethiopia since its founding in 1984, reached a ceasefire agreement with the Ethiopian government in 2018 following the promise of reforms. However, Maaday argued that Abiy’s government has failed to follow through on these promises, accusing the Ethiopian authorities of intentionally weakening ONLF through a strategy of divide-and-rule. This accusation stems from a recent meeting between the Somali regional government and a breakaway ONLF faction in Jigjiga, which Maaday described as a tactic to undermine the group’s unity.
“They create divisions by backing individuals who claim to have ousted the leader, and then they tell both sides, ‘We recognize you both, so reconcile among yourselves,'” Maaday added, stressing that such actions directly contravene the spirit of the 2018 agreement.
In response, Mustafe Mohamed Omar’ Cagjar,’ President of Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State, rejected ONLF’s claims, accusing the group of attempting to destabilize the region. Cagjar dismissed allegations that Ethiopia had not met the terms of the 2018 agreement, asserting that the government had brought significant reforms, including the end of oppression and the expansion of freedoms.
“In the past, our people suffered from oppression and lack of freedom. Today, those struggles have mostly ended, and people now enjoy freedoms they never had before,” Cagjar said, defending the government’s track record.
Cagjar also addressed ONLF’s accusations of government-instigated divisions within the group, describing ONLF as a political party lacking maturity. He criticized the group for blaming the government for its internal disputes, suggesting that ONLF’s failures were of their own making.
“Freedom has led to some strange situations, like a political party blaming its rival for splitting them apart or an unstructured group demanding government funding, then threatening to expose state failures if they don’t get it,” Cagjar said, urging the public to better understand the political changes of the last six years.
Despite the Ethiopian government’s assertions, Maaday maintained that ONLF is prepared to resume armed resistance if the government continues to neglect the terms of the 2018 ceasefire agreement.
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