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Over 100 OLF rebels from Kenya surrender

Ethiopia has taken more than 100 Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) rebels into custody after they surrendered and handed over a cache of arms, the government said through state media on Sunday.

"Members of a political force operating under the name of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) handed over themselves to the government in an organised manner," state-run Ethiopian Television (ETV) reported. The group included Lucho Burbura who has been one of the group's top military commanders and its head of foreign relations, ETV said.

The OLF did not immediately deny the reports but said on Sunday it had killed three Ethiopian troops and captured five in renewed fighting.The Ethiopian opposition says the government falsely accuses Oromo politicians of OLF membership as an excuse to arrest them before national elections in May.

Oromo politicians in the capital Addis Ababa, who did not want to be named, told Reuters on Sunday that the reports on state television looked credible. A government official in neighbouring Kenya, who also asked not to be identified, told Reuters the OLF rebels had been hiding out on their side of the border.

"More than 103 fighters were brought here (Moyale) by hired trucks (and) taken to Ethiopia, where they gave all their guns and uniforms," the official said. The official said Kenya was about to deploy thousands of troops to flush the rebels back into Ethiopia. He said Ethiopia would offer defectors amnesty.

READ FULL REPORT: REUTERS

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Comments 18 comments for this article
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Added: January 18, 2010. 05:37 PM GMT
new strategy
OLF have to unite and start a new base in central somalia and sudan
Anonymous
Added: January 18, 2010. 06:48 PM GMT
100 might defect but we have 50 million more oromos suporting OLF
Kumsaa
Added: January 18, 2010. 07:53 PM GMT
Message for ruthless dictator
You will have millions of OLF until Oromo people relieved from oppression caused by self-centered Habashas. So make limit to your overjoy due to some betrayers. Now our struggle cleaned up from such stupid belly individuals like Licho Bukra and Abdeta, so that we do pursue our struggle in smartest way than ever before.

Viva OLF!!!
Tana Dubbin
Added: January 18, 2010. 09:27 PM GMT
I don't mind about the fate of any revolution but I will accept it as far as it is in the interest of the ordinary people. Please be paragmatic in your opeinion and be rational thinker.
Pragmatic
Added: January 18, 2010. 11:29 PM GMT
La luta continua
"in an organized manner". This tells us that they were Weyane puppets, abbaa garaa, like the OPDO. Time will tell, most of them will end up in Zewai after the so calle "election".
Anonymous
Added: January 18, 2010. 11:34 PM GMT
It will never be over, even if a few gave up the original goal.
OLF struggles for the liberation of Oromiyaa and its people. This liberation is to end Oromiyaa's political position as a colony and to this effect to drive the colonizers out from Oromiyaa. Hence the Oromo national liberation struggle seeks to force the withdrawal of colonial military occupation from Oromiyaa, and with that the destruction of the local pro-colonialist loyalist political Organizations, armed forces and with that the wiping out the harmful colonial political and cultural influence from Oromiyaa and winning back the lost national sovereignty with the establishment of free, democratic, and independent Oromiyaa.

It must be clearly and unambiguously understood that our struggle is not simply for the Oromiyaanization of the Ethiopian Empire's existing colonial institutions but for the destruction and abolition of them and replace them with true Oromo institutions that reflect the Oromo culture, identity, history, and the Oromo world vision. To this effect the target of Oromo national struggle is the Ethiopian colonialism, its institutions as represented by its police force, its security apparatus, its military installations and facilities, and its bureaucracy, and its local Oromo pro-colonialist loyalists, but not by means the civilians. It is for this the OLF, its leadership, and its rank-and files members, from the very inception, truly understood and distinguished the difference between the real meaning of the liberation or independence from fictitious or phony independence. It is from this understanding that the OLF, its leadership, and its members firmly and resolutely stood alone with determination opposing and fighting against some opportunists political platform of Ethiopian empire democratization, the platform that advocates for the abandoning of the independence of Oromiyaa. Anybody can asked the Oromo people and the OLF to kneel down with it in humiliation before the Ethiopian colonial rulers and in front of the World community. That will never happen, and that is why the struggle will continue for eventual freedom, even if some some may give-up before reaching the original goal. Some people may conclude from this minute defection that OLF is over, defeated. That was/is what had been projected by the colonialists at every juncture for all the National Freedom struggles around the world. Nothing new about the Oromia's case. It is not over till the Oromo people say it is over.

Oromticha irraa
Anonymous
Added: January 19, 2010. 01:42 AM GMT
Kunama
OLF LOL. Laughables.
Anonymous
Added: January 19, 2010. 04:01 AM GMT
OLF-Forver-Surrender
What a shame is that? How are they ready to lead this huge country then. They could not control their 100 plus soldiers. They surrender from Kenya. Were they fighting to liberate Kenya-Oromos!I thought they were based in Oromia? Bravo EPRDF who's shadow frustrate the hopless OLF "BRAVE" soldiers.
Anonymous
Added: January 19, 2010. 06:23 AM GMT
jilalo
What else is expected from OLF? OLF leaders need to learn from this as they should come to peaceful struggle than suffering Oromos.


Anonymous
Added: January 19, 2010. 06:45 AM GMT
It is time
We belive that it is time for OLF to get lesson from the past as betrayers that have been confusing oromos has gone to their master. We donot except that 100 betrayers will librate oromia. It is the unity and sacrify of oromos who librate oromia. If there are still remaining, don't hesitate to clear them as their input is to hinder liberty. This time around we need strong,dedicated and confident OLF that mobilises all oromos. On my side I am ready to give sacrify in any way for libration of oromia. Eventhough wayane said 100 betrayers are the last OLF fightiers,OLF is the whole oromos except few thoses who betrayed for daily bread thier father land and Oromos. We will see each other when time comes no matter it takes long time or sacrification.
Bilisuma
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