ONLF calls for urgent intl aid following food shortage in Ogaden

Dec 30th 2005 — The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) calls upon aid agencies to
come to the urgent aid of the Somali people of Ogaden in order to avoid
yet another devastating famine in Ogaden.

The failure of the October to December ?Deyr’ rains coupled with poor and
illegitimate governance as well as the unjustified designation of large
areas in Ogaden as ?security zones’ by Ethiopian government troops making
them off limits to aid agencies has once again pushed Somalis in the
region to the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe.

All indications suggest that a famine is imminent in Ogaden threatening
over a million people with severe food shortages. The situation is more
alarming in areas which experienced poor rainfall during the preceding
April through May ?Gu’ season. The upcoming January through March ?Jillal’
dry season is sure to make matters worse unless urgent aid is allowed to
reach the Somali people of Ogaden without hindrance from the Ethiopian
government. For a famine to be avoided, politics must be put aside and
food aid should not be used as a weapon by the EPRDF regime to suppress
political dissent.

We encourage aid agencies and the international community to bear pressure
on the EPRDF regime to lift restrictions on the movements and operations
of aid agencies in Ogaden in order to avoid another famine. The ONLF
pledges to work with all aid agencies seeking to deliver assistance to
needy civilians in all areas under our direct control and we affirm our
longstanding position that all humanitarian aid agencies are welcome in
Ogaden without reservation.

Ogaden National Liberation Front (O.N.L.F)