Gunmen raided a Chinese-run oil field near the Somali border on Tuesday, killing 65 Ethiopians and nine Chinese workers, an official of the Chinese company said. An Ethiopian rebel group claimed responsibility.Seven Chinese workers were kidnapped in the morning attack at the oil installation in a disputed region of eastern Ethiopia, Xu Shuang, the general manager of Zhongyuan Petroleum Exploration Bureau, told The Associated Press.
China has increased its presence in Africa in recent years in a hunt for oil and other natural resources to feed its rapidly growing economy. Its forays into areas considered politically unstable, however, has exposed Chinese workers to attacks.
The Ogaden National Liberation Front said in a statement sent to the Associated Press they had launched "military operations against units of the Ethiopian armed forces guarding an oil exploration site," in the east of the country.
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