ADDIS ABABA: In the post Ethiopia government world without Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, many hope there will be major changes to the status quo of the past two decades. The Ogaden community in Ethiopia's regional state near the Somali border have some reason for optimism after the central government began holding talks on a framework for negotiations late last week. The aim is to end the 28-year insurgency by Ogaden rebels in the state. But residents told Bikyamasr.com on Sunday they are cautiously waiting for “serious” moves by the government. “We live in a very poor and horrible state where the government treats us all like terrorists. How is this going to change with talks?” asked one resident, who asked not to be named. “The government must make a point that they are interested in a better life for us.” That's the goal being striven for as the government and the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) said in their announcement that preliminary discussions were had in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Thursday and Friday. ONLF in a statement said “an unspecified date had been set for further talks.” Both sides appear ready to set forward goodwill and confidence-building action ahead of any formal negotiations to get the process going. Ethiopian Communications Minister Bereket Simon is calling the talks “a very positive step." He told the Bloomberg news service the government is ready to “pursue negotiations up to the last." No further details have been announced. The ONLF began battling the government in a low-level rebellion in 1984 that aimed at achieving more autonomy in the eastern Somali state. The government was quick to react, considering the region is rich in natural gas reserves, which have similar to other areas of the country, been ravaged by extended drought and severe food shortages. Ethiopia has long labeled the ONLF a terrorist organization with ties in neighboring Somalia to the al-Qaida-linked extremist group al-Shabab. The ONLF have denied connection with the Somali group, but has continued to report on human rights abuses in the Ogaden region and repeatedly claims the government has evicted residents and stolen their private property.
