ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Somali authorities have handed over to Ethiopia a senior official of the ONLF rebel group, which is fighting for the secession of Ogaden from Ethiopia, the group said. The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) launched its bid for secession of the Somali Region, also known as Ogaden, in eastern Ethiopia in 1984. In 2007, Ethiopian forces waged a large-scale offensive against them after the group attacked a Chinese-run oil facility, killing 74 people. The region they operate may contain 4 trillion cubic feet of gas and major oil deposits, mining experts say. China's GCL-Poly Petroleum Investments signed a production sharing deal with the government in late 2013 to develop two gas fields.

Source: Ethiopian News August 31, 2017 15:22 UTC