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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| China condemns Ethiopia oil raid | China condemns Ethiopia oil raid |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| China has strongly condemned a separatist rebel attack against its interests in Ethiopia, in which nine Chinese and 65 Ethiopian workers died. | China has strongly condemned a separatist rebel attack against its interests in Ethiopia, in which nine Chinese and 65 Ethiopian workers died. |
| Several Chinese were also abducted when the Ogaden National Liberation Front attacked a Chinese-owned oil field in Ethiopia's remote Somali region. | Several Chinese were also abducted when the Ogaden National Liberation Front attacked a Chinese-owned oil field in Ethiopia's remote Somali region. |
| Beijing urged the government in Addis Ababa to ensure the safety of Chinese expatriates after the "atrocious" act. | Beijing urged the government in Addis Ababa to ensure the safety of Chinese expatriates after the "atrocious" act. |
| The Ethiopian leader denounced the attack as "cold blooded murder". | |
| The clashes took place at an oil field in Abole, a small town about 120km (75 miles) from the regional capital, Jijiga. | The clashes took place at an oil field in Abole, a small town about 120km (75 miles) from the regional capital, Jijiga. |
| "It is an outrage," Ethiopian Prime Minster Meles Zenawi said at a news conference. | "It is an outrage," Ethiopian Prime Minster Meles Zenawi said at a news conference. |
| "I can assure you that those responsible for this act will pay in full for what they did." | "I can assure you that those responsible for this act will pay in full for what they did." |
| A government spokesman said a rescue mission was being sent to to try to find those kidnapped. | |
| The bodies of the nine Chinese oil workers are due back in the Ethiopian capital within hours. | |
| A government official said the bodies of the Ethiopians who were also killed on Tuesday morning will be returned to their families. | |
| Firefight | Firefight |
| The ONLF has been waging a low-level insurgency with the aim of breaking away from Ethiopia. | The ONLF has been waging a low-level insurgency with the aim of breaking away from Ethiopia. |
| An ONLF spokesman in London, Abdirahman Mahdihe, insisted in a BBC interview that the raid had been a justified reaction to Ethiopian oppression. | An ONLF spokesman in London, Abdirahman Mahdihe, insisted in a BBC interview that the raid had been a justified reaction to Ethiopian oppression. |
| OGADEN NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT (ONLF) Want Somali-speaking region to break away from EthiopiaFounded in 1984Has been accused of bomb attacks in Somali region and the capital, Addis AbabaFought major battles with Ethiopian government in 2006 class="" href="#"> href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/worldservice/focusonafrica/meta/dps/2007/04/070424_ethiopia_onlf?size=au&bgc=003399&lang=en-ws&nbram=1&nbwm=1" onclick="window.open(this.href, this.target,'status=no, scrollbars=no, resizable=yes, width=409, height=269'); return false;" target="avaccesswin"> ONLF statement class="" href="/1/hi/world/africa/6588981.stm">Q&A: ONLF rebels | |
| "We have warned the Chinese government and the Ethiopian government that... they don't have a right to drill there," Mr Mahdihe told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme. | |
| "Unfortunately nobody heeds our warning and we have to defend our territorial integrity," he said. | "Unfortunately nobody heeds our warning and we have to defend our territorial integrity," he said. |
| 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 in the past made threats against foreign companies working with the Ethiopian government to exploit the region's natural resources. |
| A Chinese oil worker said about 200 gunmen attacked the field, where the Zhongyuan Petroleum Exploration Bureau is searching for oil. | A Chinese oil worker said about 200 gunmen attacked the field, where the Zhongyuan Petroleum Exploration Bureau is searching for oil. |
| 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, said. | 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, said. |
| China has been working to increase its influence and investment in Africa in recent years as it looks to secure energy supplies for the future. | China has been working to increase its influence and investment in Africa in recent years as it looks to secure energy supplies for the future. |