ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopia Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced on Monday it has signed a peace deal with a prominent rebel group Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), formally ending the group's 34 years of insurgency.
In a press statement, the MOFA said a delegation led by Ethiopian Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu reached a peace deal with the ONLF Chairman, Admiral Mohammed Omar Osman in Eritrean capital, Asmara, allowing ONLF to undertake peaceful political struggle in Ethiopia.
Formed in 1984, ONLF had been fighting for more than three decades for the rights of ethnic Somalis living in eastern Ethiopia to have self-determination rights, including the option of secession.
The removal of ONLF from a terror list by the Ethiopian parliament in July, and the announcement of indefinite unilateral ceasefire by the rebel group in August facilitated the resumption of the recent peace talks.
Ethiopia's rapid diplomatic thaw with former bitter rival Eritrea since July also helped turn Eritrea from a chief sponsor of ONLF to one that is mediating between the two sides.
The ONLF made international headlines on April 24, 2007, when it launched a deadly raid on an oil field. The attack left 74 people dead.
After the attack the Ethiopian government undertook a vigorous counterinsurgency campaign.
Ethiopia also undertook large scale infrastructure projects to win the hearts of local population who were thought to be sympathetic to ONLF.
