Some 70 members of the rebel Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) have surrendered to the government, state media reported Tuesday.

The official Ethiopian News Agency quoted Abdi Mohammed, head of security and justice bureau of east Ethiopia's Somali state, as saying that the surrendered ONLF members, all youngsters, expressed resentments that they were members of the rebel group.

The regional government will create conducive situations to enable them to become self-supportive and lead a peaceful life, Abdi was quoted.

Some 109 youths, who were members of the group fighting for the independence of ethnic Somalis living in east Ethiopia's Ogaden region, had surrendered to the regional government earlier, according to the report.

Source: Xinhua