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Ethiopia Forces Untrained Civilians Into War

Posted Dec 15, 07 11:08 AM CST in World 

(Newser) – Ethiopa's overstretched army is forcing untrained civilians into the bush to fight guerrillas, the New York Times reports. Office clerks, teachers, and other white-collar workers face imprisonment or torture if they refuse to comply, but many have been killed in battle, say aid workers. “We don’t know how to operate guns, but the government sent us to the front lines,” said one civil servant.

"It’s terrifying,” said a teacher who was pulled from school and put in a militia. “You can’t see the rebels when they’re shooting at you. And the Ethiopians will kill you if you try to run.” The government, which has most of its army in Somalia or near the Eritrea border, denies the charges and says the civilians have volunteered for duty.

Source New York Times

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John Holmes, the U.N.'s humanitarian chief, right, greets residents of Kebridehar in the eastern Ethiopian region of Ogaden, Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007. Holmes urged officials to allow freedom of movement...   (Associated Press)
Ethiopian soldiers on their way to battle the unrest in Ogaden. With much of the Ethiopian army in Somalia or massed along the Eritrean border, the government has forced untrained civil servants into...   (Getty Images)
The escalating insurgency in Ogaden, and the Ethiopian response, could lead to a huge humanitarian crisis, aid officials fear.   (KRT Photos)
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