Seven Chinese workers abducted during a bloody attack on an oil plant in eastern Ethiopia last week were freed on Sunday, AFP reported. The announcement was made by Abderahmane Mahdi, the London-based spokesman for the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), the group was responsible for the attack in which 77 people were killed, including nine Chinese. The release of the Chinese workers, together with one Somali and one Ethiopian, was confirmed by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Last week the ONLF indicated that it wanted to hand over the Chinese as soon as possible without any demands because the attack was not targeting in China. However, it did call on Beijing to stop cooperating with Addis Ababa on oil exploration. Sinopec, which operates the Ogaden-based oil venture, has said it has no plans to exit the region. The bodies of the nine Chinese victims of the attack were flown back to their hometown on Sunday.
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