The Ethiopian government has released 1500 people allegedly affiliated with Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), the group announced.
The move comes a week after a talk between Ethiopian officials and representatives from the ONLF was held in Nairobi.
Ahmed Abdi, a journalist specializing in the Horn of Africa and Yemen said that around 100 of the released were political prisoners and liberating them was part of the agreement reached between the government and ONLF a week ago.
Most of the detainees have spent several years in captivity and according to family members, they were in bad physical and health condition.
All of them were imprisoned in the notorious prison in Jigjiga called Jail Ogaden, about 80 kilometers eastern of the city of Harar, has been the scene of repeated atrocities carried out by the prison guards.
In a Twitter post, ONLF said that there are still many others “languishing in different part of army bases.”
The ONLF seeks to defend the Ogaden and its people and resources against all internal and external enemies; restore civil, human, and religious rights; reclaim the right to national self-determination. The group has been labeled as a terrorist by the Ethiopian government which accused of for serious abuses, including abductions, beatings, and summary executions of civilians in their custody, including government officials and individuals suspected of supporting the government.