Two Swedish journalists were injured and are now in Ethiopian custody after the pair “illegally” entered an ethnically Somali part of the country where journalists are not permitted, reports say, an Ethiopian government spokesperson told the media,

Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye, photographers for Kontinent photojournalist agency, were accompanying members of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) in order to document their battle for independence against the Ethiopian army, reports say. They allegedly entered Ethiopia via Somalia last Monday, but had not been heard from since 30 June.

Ethiopian authorities told Reuters that the pair was “lightly wounded” in an attack that killed 15 ONLF members, and that they are being treated.

“The Ethiopian authorities should release these journalists as soon as possible so that they can return to their families,” IPI Director Alison Bethel McKenzie said. “Further, we urge the Ethiopian government to reconsider its policy and allow journalists to report freely on the situation in the Ogaden area.”