Quote :

" Scores die in Ethiopia oil attack Rebel gunmen have killed at least 74 people in an attack on an oil field in Ethiopia's remote Somali region, the Ethiopian government says. Sixty-five Ethiopians and nine Chinese oil workers were killed in the incident early on Tuesday, an adviser to the prime minister told the BBC. Besides those killed, seven Chinese workers were taken captive, he said. A spokesman for the separatist group, the Ogaden National Liberation Front, said it had launched the attack. The clashes took place at an oil field in Abole, a small town about 120km (75 miles) from the regional capital, Jijiga. "It is a cold blood killing, a massacre. It is a terrorist act," Berekat Simon, an adviser to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, said. He blamed the ONLF, which he said had the backing of the Eritrean government. "The government has launched hot pursuit," he said. OGADEN NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT (ONLF) Want Somali-speaking region to break away from Ethiopia Founded in 1984 Has been accused of bomb attacks in Somali region and the capital, Addis Ababa Fought major battles with Ethiopian government in 2006 A spokesman for the ONLF in London, Abdirahman Mahdi, said Ethiopian troops had been forcing nomadic tribes to leave their traditional grazing areas. "Because of that we had to take action," he said. "We have warned the Chinese government and the Ethiopian government that... they don't have a right to drill there," he told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme. "Unfortunately nobody heeds our warning and we have to defend our territorial integrity." He disputed the government's figures, saying seven Chinese were killed and five seized. The captives were not being treated as hostages and would be handed over to appropriate authorities, he said. "We will treat humanely all those under our protection." A Chinese oil worker said about 200 gunmen attacked the field. The workers were employed by the Zhongyuan Petroleum Exploration Bureau, part of China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation, China's Xinhua news agency reported. Gunmen briefly took control of the field after a 50-minute fire fight with soldiers protecting it, Xu Shuang, a manager for the oil group, told the agency. Violent politics In recent years, China has been working to increase its influence and investment in Africa as it looks to secure energy supplies for the future. The Somali region - known locally as the Ogaden - is known for its often violent clan politics, the BBC's Amber Henshaw reports from Addis Ababa. The ONLF has in the past made threats against foreign companies working with the Ethiopian government to exploit the region's natural resources. The ONLF has been waging a low-level insurgency with the aim of breaking away from Ethiopia. The incident will also step up tensions in the region, which borders Somalia - where there are often clashes between Ethiopian troops and Islamists, our correspondent adds. "

Any chance this doesn't get overshadowed by the VT shooting?

4/24/2007 12:48:53 PM

if (Blacksburg > (Ethiopia | China ))

return !care();

4/24/2007 12:55:34 PM

Quote :

"A Chinese oil worker said about 200 gunmen attacked the field."

and only killed 70+?

god they suck.

4/24/2007 1:19:38 PM

Well, they weren't psychotic South Koreans, durr.

4/24/2007 1:26:44 PM

The people they were attacking had guns, so after the initial shock of a surprise attack the death toll should have been relatively low.

4/24/2007 2:31:54 PM

The question is, how will the Chinese government react? The Chinese are starting to get involved in Middle Eastern and African politics with these investments. These types of reactions are probably going to increase as people figure out the Chinese are looking out for their interests, not African and Middle Eastern interests.

4/24/2007 2:39:17 PM

Well, to be brutally honest the Chinese are not just looking out for their interests, they are looking out for the interests of the entire oil consuming world. Sure, the specific Chinese enterprise makes profits by boosting oil production through such investments, but in doing so they provide the oil desired by the rest of us. Even if all of the oil goes to China, that is oil Chinese consumers will not need to purchase elsewhere and therefore there is more oil available for the rest of us, lowering prices commensurately. But this is a fact of business: no company is ever acting in the best interests of the local community, since it exists to serve its customers and there are very few automobile owners in Ethiopia. Or is it your assertion that the same oil firm would somehow act differently if it was drilling for oil in western China?

These armed bandits are just upset they are not getting a share of the money; and in a fit of jeolous rage are attempting to make sure no one else gets to profit either.

I'm not saying the Chinese firm is in the right, perhaps it used the Government to take the land from its owners. If so, it seems to me a more appropriate solution would be to file a lawsuit in a Chinese court seeking compensation, not murder 74 people. The case may by thrown out, but in 20 years when property rights are more secure in China you could appeal, having locked in the statute of limitations.

4/24/2007 4:30:00 PM

Quote :

"a more appropriate solution would be to file a lawsuit in a Chinese court seeking compensation"

That made me lol


Somalis never were the best shots, guess it's still true

4/24/2007 5:01:45 PM

it is running out

4/24/2007 5:15:16 PM

Somalis? Nope, we'll always have more Somali around, no need to worry about that. (j/k)

4/24/2007 6:08:39 PM