Mogadishu (AX) — The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) has recently stirred the pot by leveling accusations against Ethiopia’s federal government regarding the exploitation of natural resources in the Somali Region. It’s a fire they warn could flare into instability, potentially unraveling the delicate peace woven in 2018. The essence of their grievance? A feeling of marginalization.
In a candid interview with Abdijaliil Show, the outspoken ONLF spokesperson, Abdilqadir Hassan Hirmoge — or as his friends and perhaps foes call him, Adani Hirmoge — voiced concern, quite acutely, over a perceived betrayal. The ceasefire, he explained, was a pact made in good faith, facilitating a united pursuit of regional rights alongside the Somali Regional Government. Yet, according to him, the sincerity of this arrangement vanished into thin air as soon as it was realized.
“When we laid down our arms, our goal was to seek our rights together with the regional government. We didn’t surrender to be co-opted by Ethiopia—we made a concession, but that concession was rejected and we did not expect that,” Hirmoge lamented.
The man at the center of regional governance, President Mustafa Muhumed Omar—known to many as Mustafa Cagjar—is painted by ONLF as a puppet for Addis Ababa’s broader ambitions, rather than a unifying figure for Ethiopia’s Somali people. This is where it gets personal. It raises the deep-seated question: can fragmented leadership reconcile the tangled threads of a regional identity?
History is rife with such betrayals and promises unfulfilled. Take for instance the anecdote of the traveling merchant, who once set out with aspirations but found himself bereft and alone due to unkept promises. Hirmoge’s sentiment echoes—what happens when one’s concessions are discarded? Discontent fosters, sometimes leading back to former ways, as Hirmoge hints by saying they might reconsider their pacifist approach if this truce continued to betray expectations.
Cagjar hasn’t taken these accusations lying down. He retorts with his own, accusing the ONLF of echoing the interests of a single clan rather than representing the mosaic that comprises the Somali Region. Here lies the conundrum—how does one represent the whole when they are seen as a fragment?
Ensconced in the center of controversy is a recent gathering. Somali regional officials sat with representatives of the Chinese energy conglomerate, Poly-GCL, to discuss oil and gas exploration in the Ogaden Basin. The ONLF vehemently repudiates this meeting. To them, it isn’t just business—it’s a potential resource plundering venture, thrusting forward against the will of local communities.
It’s worth remembering the 2018 agreement that aimed to include ONLF in Ethiopia’s political fabric. It wasn’t just words on paper. It carried the hope of greater autonomy, particularly regarding resource governance. Fast forward to now, ONLF alleges disappointment as the federal government purportedly blocks their legal emergence into the political sphere through the National Election Board and other structures.
State media and military voices labeling the ONLF as “enemies” further fractures the faith on which the peace relied. Internal splintering within the ONLF has also added fuel to the fire. A Nairobi-based faction recently called out the peace deal as a defunct entity, charging the government with a systematic dismantling of its tenets. Meanwhile, the ONLF Central Committee in Jigjiga, adamant in their resolve, dismissed this as unauthorized noise, steadfast in their commitment to peace.
The federal voices swat away the fluttering claims, brushing them off as politically driven theatrics. But as political complexities unfold, the ONLF is not sitting idle. They engage with Somali communities across the diaspora, weaving through narratives of identity and strategy as they prepare for a pivotal Central Committee meeting come April.
Reflect for a moment: founded in 1984, the ONLF has seen decades of struggle for the Somali people’s self-determination within Ethiopia. It’s a tale as old as time—of people seeking place, identity, and voice against the backdrop of politics.
