An Ethiopian official says the gunmen who carried out a deadly attack on a Chinese-run oil field in eastern Ethiopia Tuesday were wearing Eritrean military uniforms.
The president of the Somali region where the attack occurred, Abdullahi Hassan, made the accusation Wednesday.
An Ethiopian rebel group known as the Ogaden National Liberation Front claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it will not allow firms to exploit mineral resources in the region.
The attack killed 74 oil workers, 65 Ethiopians and the rest Chinese.
A manager with the Zhongyuan oil company says seven Chinese were kidnapped during the attack, which occurred in the town of Abole.
China has condemned the incident.
Ethiopian troops searched today for the hostages and those who carried out the attack.
Ethiopian Prime Minster Meles Zenawi called the attack an outrage and said his government is working hard to find those responsible.
Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a border war that ended in 2000 and killed some 70,000 people. Relations between the two countries remain tense and hostile.
