Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com). Voice of America is funded by the US Federal Government and content it exclusively produces is in the public domain. July 4, 2007 Rights Group Says Ethiopia Punishing Civilians in Insurgent Crackdown --------------------------------------------------------------------- http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1808C12:A6F02AD83191E160BB22C6540426A1B89574F7DCC14957C0 Human Rights Watch Africa director calls abuses violation of 'laws of war' A human rights organization has accused the Ethiopian military of destroying homes and displacing thousands of civilians in a campaign against separatists in the country's eastern Ogaden region. In a statement released Wednesday, Human Rights Watch says government soldiers carrying out a crackdown on rebels from the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) have burned villages and crops and, in at least one incident, allegedly killed civilians. The New York-based rights group says the military has also been arbitrarily detaining people with family connections to the rebel group in larger towns. The Human Rights Watch Africa director Peter Takirambudde calls the abuses a violation of the "laws of war". Last month, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi announced the campaign against the separatist group after an attack on a Chinese-run oil venture that left at least 74 people dead. Human Rights Watch has also accused the rebel group of civilian abuses, including a May grenade attack that left at least 17 people dead. The ONLF is seeking independence for ethnic Somalis who, it says, have been marginalized by the Ethiopian government. Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.