UN fears food scarcity in Ethiopia’s Ogaden

December 11, 2007 (ADDIS ABABA) — Poor rainfall could aggravate the dire food situation in parts of Ethiopia’s troubled Ogaden region, where the government is battling ethnic-Somali rebels, the U.N. said Monday.

“It is anticipated that the overall poor performance of the Deyr (October – December) rains in Degehabur, Fik and Warder zones, combined with the previous below normal (Gu) rains, may further deteriorate the food security situation,” the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Human Rights said in a statement.

The agency added that relief activities had resumed in the country’s southeastern Ogaden region, with over 11,000 metric tons of emergency food already dispatched under military supervision and another 12,400 metric tons to be sent soon.

Non-governmental aid organizations operating in the region had seen their operations suspended in the summer when the government launched a military crackdown on local rebel groups.

The Ogaden National Liberation Front accuses the government of summary executions, collective punishment, and widespread rape, while several aid groups have also warned of a developing humanitarian disaster.

The Ethiopian army has flatly rejected such allegations and said its campaign does not affect civilians.

(AFP)