Ethiopia, rebel group talks collapse

The Ethiopian government on Friday said its peace talks with the Ogaden National liberation Front (ONLF) rebel group had collapsed.

The two sides started negotiations in September and further talks had been scheduled to be held in Kenya on Tuesday and Wednesday.

But government representatives at the talks said the ONLF had refused to recognise the Horn of Africa country's constitution, after they demanded the rebels to adhere to Ethiopian rules.

The government delegation was led by Defense minister Seraj Fegesa and Kenyan Defense minister Mohamed Yusuf Haji who was the mediator.

ONLF said during the initial round of talks both sides agreed that there would be no preconditions to create goodwill.

ONLF, which says it is fighting for the independence of the Ogaden region of Ethiopia, is active in the eastern part of the country, an area that borders Somalia.

"We have been battling the Ethiopians since '84 and the Ethiopian constitution was adopted in 1994," the group said.

"So we should not be forced to recognise their constitution."

Ethiopia launched a military offensive against ONLF a few years ago after the front killed 64 Ethiopian and nine Chinese oil workers in the Ogaden region.

In October 2010 a faction of the ONLF signed a peace deal with the government.

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Ethiopia beats Sudan 2-0 qualifies for African Cup of Nations after 31 years

Ethiopia beats Sudan 2-0 today in Addis Ababa and qualifies for African Cup of Nations for the first time in 31 years.

Ethiopia took the lead through Alula Girma's goal and Saladin scored the crucial goal beating Sudan 2-0. Ethiopia moves on to Cup of Nations with away goal advantage. Ethiopia's former coach Iffy Onuoura said

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Ethiopia ready for Sudan clash, says coach

Ethiopia is facing a must win, and win big, match on Sunday against Sudan in the African Cup of Nations qualification. Down five goals to three, the Ethiopians must win by at least two goals in order to secure a spot in the next round.

And fans are already beginning to feel the excitement, with large gatherings already preparing to hit the stadium and cheer on their national side.

“It is very important game and we have to win at all costs. I think we can,” said Assefo Yemati, who added to Bikyamasr.com that “we are proud of our team and know they will give it all they have.”

National team coach Sewnet Bishaw believes his side can overcome the deficit and push on to advance to the continent’s top tournament.

Ethiopia is to play host to Sudan on Sunday and needs to win by at least two goals in order to advance. If they can secure a 2-0 victory, they will win on away goals.

“I cannot deny that it was a heavy defeat,” Bishaw told CAFonline in an interview ahead of the match. “But it is possible to reverse that result with a simple 2-0 win in front of our fans.”

He detailed the strange first match between the two sides in saying anything was possible.

“If one remembers the scoring pattern in the first leg one can easily observe that we were able bounce back two times. Sudan had a 1-0 lead, and then we crawled back to 1-1.

“The Sudanese side extended the lead to 3-1, it we fought back with two goals to make it 3-3 after 82 minutes. In the remaining 8 minutes Sudan scored two goals from penalties to win 5-3.

“My senses tell me that it is possible to reverse the deficit and gain victory over the Sudanese side,” he added.

Ethiopians are excited about the potential of supporting their home side in the qualifier.

“I think we can achieve success and if you took away the penalties from the first match, we would be in solid position,” one Ethiopian youth and avid football fan told Bikyamasr.com on Wednesday.

“I will be at the match and ready to go all out.”

BM

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Ethiopian Police Seize Weapons Smuggled From Sudan

Ethiopian security forces have seized hundreds of illegal weapons smuggled into the horn of Africa nation from neighboring Sudan, federal police said on Saturday.

Ethiopian police in collaboration with regional border guards confiscated the weapons in Metama town in the Amhara region which borders the Blue Nile state of Sudan.

"Police have seized a total of 481 pistols and 13,000 bullets" Fekadu Berhe of the Ethiopia's Federal Police Media and Communication Department told Sudan Tribune.

The added that a number of smugglers have been arrested during the operations without giving an exact figure.

It is not yet clear if the smugglers belong to any rebel groups. Other than confirming that the smugglers were all Ethiopian nationals, police officials declined to give further details saying the case is under investigation.

The federal police also say they have managed to intercept large amount of arms of various types during the past few months. Metema has long been a gateway for arms smugglers who attempt to cross Ethiopia via the Sudanese borders by hiding on cars and trucks.

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