Seven Chinese and two Ethiopian oil workers were released Sunday by an Ethiopian rebel group that attacked a Chinese oil exploration facility last week, officials said. Patrick Megevand, spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Ethiopia, said the men were released at 2:30 p.m., but declined to provide any other details, according to AP. «They've been handed over to the ICRC,» he said. The Red Cross would transport the men to a safe location before handing them over to Ethiopian and Chinese authorities, he added. The rebel group, the Ogaden National Liberation Front, said all of those held were in good health and had been treated well. The group, which is made up of ethnic Somalis from the eastern Ogaden region, says it is fighting for the region's right to self-determination. The Front claimed responsibility for the attack on the Chinese-owned oil exploration field in eastern Ethiopia on April 24, killing 65 Ethiopians and nine Chinese. The group said in a statement that six other Chinese workers «were removed from the battlefield for their own safety.» Ethiopian and Chinese officials said seven Chinese workers were missing and there was no immediate explanation for the difference in numbers. The rebels said it would resume fighting after the Chinese workers were transferred to the Red Cross. «Despite the cease-fire, Ethiopian armed forces are currently engaged in a major crackdown in the (regional capital) city of Jijiga against ethnic Somalis,» the rebel group said in a new statement released Sunday. «Civilians in Ogaden are being told by (Ethiopian) troops that they will pay the price for the recent ONLF military operation causing widespread panic among residents of Jijiga.» Late Sunday, the official Ethiopian News Agency released a statement from the Ministry of Information saying the oil workers had safely arrived in the town of Degehabur, while repeating earlier allegations that long-time rival Eritrea sponsored the rebel attack. «ONLF perpetrated the horrendous act of terrorism in a plot orchestrated by the government in Asmara,» the ministry said. Ethiopia and Eritrea have yet to reach a final resolution on their mutual border, which they fought a war over from 1998-2000. Tensions between the two countries have worsened in recent months. Officials at the Chinese embassy to Ethiopia said they could not provide any immediate information on the report. The rebels also said that no foreign company should try to work in the Ogaden region, a large state along the Somali border. The Chinese government has condemned Tuesday's attack and rejected the group's warning. -- SPA
