The Ogaden National Liberation Front describes itself on its website as a "grassroots social and political movement" that serves as an "advocate for and defender of" Somalis in Ogaden, a region of eastern Ethiopia with a large ethnic Somali population, against Ethiopian regimes.
Founded in 1984 by members of a variety of ethnic Somali liberation groups, it can also be described as a separatist rebel group fighting to make Ogaden an independent state.
Its main tactics include countering government influence in the region and using violent force, including kidnappings and bombings. The ONLF is believed to be responsible for the deaths of thousands of government forces.
ONLF supporters say the group does not use bombing as a tactic and has a policy of deliberately not targeting civilians in its military operations. While some experts consider the ONLF's activities terrorism, the U.S. State Department does not include the OLNF on its Foreign Terrorist Organization list and the group is not on similar lists maintained by the European Union and Britain.
In 1991, the ONLF joined the political process, and performed well in regional parliamentary elections. The group's political wing later merged with another political party to form the Somali People's Democratic Party.
The ONLF has instigated ambushes and guerrilla-style raids against Ethiopian troops since its inception, and has kidnapped foreign workers presumed to be agents or supporters of Ethiopia's government.
It has launched attacks on Ethiopian military convoys, and it has been accused of bombings in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa.
A particularly fierce dispute has long simmered between the central government and ONLF over the presence of energy companies in the region; the ONLF insists it will not allow the exploration of oil and gas in the area until the region gains independence, and threatens foreign companies that try.
Source: Council on Foreign Relations