Nairobi (AX) — The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) says its participation in Ethiopia’s national dialogue helped bring key concerns facing the Somali community into the country’s political discussions.
Speaking in an interview this week, ONLF Chairman Abdikarim Sheikh Muse Qalbidagah said the dialogue was established to tackle Ethiopia’s longstanding structural challenges and designed to include a broad range of voices.
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“ONLF participated actively in the process while presenting fundamental issues affecting the Somali community, and its participation resulted in the inclusion of important agendas in the dialogue process,” Qalbidagah said.
Qalbidagah dismissed reports that the organization had entered into an alliance with a group known as “Tsamdo,” calling the claims false and saying they did not reflect the ONLF’s position.
He accused unnamed forces of seeking to weaken peace efforts, warning that the ONLF would resist any move that could push the region back into conflict and suffering.
The chairman said the ONLF answered the Ethiopian government’s call for peace following the country’s political changes and brought its armed struggle to an end.
It subsequently shifted toward peaceful political engagement and took part in Ethiopia’s seventh general election, he said.
According to Qalbidagah, the decision to return to Ethiopia and pursue political change through peaceful means opened new avenues for addressing the Somali community’s longstanding demands.
“ONLF wants the current peace to be strengthened and sustained and is prepared to work with the federal government and other stakeholders to support a durable peace process,” he added.
Qalbidagah also blamed former leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) for contributing to instability and deaths in the Somali Regional State before Ethiopia’s political transition.
He alleged that some of the same actors continue to seek ways to generate security problems in the region.
His comments come as Ethiopia pursues dialogue and political participation as avenues for resolving deep-rooted political and structural disputes.
The ONLF’s stance underscores its shift from armed resistance to formal political engagement, although its allegations against other political actors have not been independently verified.
