From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Fri Jul 11 2008 - 09:09:25 EDT
July 11, 2008 Ethiopia rebels say Addis starving Ogaden
ADDIS ABABA (AFP) — Ethiopia's Ogadeni rebels accused the regime in Addis
Ababa on Friday of deliberately blocking international aid to their
war-wracked and drought-stricken region.
The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) issued a statement following the
announcement on Thursday that the Swiss branch of Medecins Sans Frontieres
(MSF - Doctors Without Borders) was terminating its operations in the Ogaden
area due to government intimidation.
"The Ethiopian regime continues to pursue a policy of collective punishment
against the civilian population of Ogaden," the rebel group said.
"Ethiopian armed forces have deliberately prevented the delivery of
humanitarian aid by MSF solely for political reasons affecting thousands of
innocent men, women and children," the statement added.
The ONLF said the aid group's withdrawal from the Ogaden was a direct result
of efforts by the Ethiopian authorities to block humanitarian access.
"Deliberate starvation, denial of medical aid, extrajudicial killings and
arrests and the torching of village huts have all now become commonplace in
Ogaden," the statement said.
"The authorities' attitude towards humanitarian organisations has translated
into recurrent arrests of MSF Switzerland staff without charge or
explanation," MSF said in a statement Thursday.
In a report released in June, the New York-based organisation Human Rights
Watch (HRW) accused the Ethiopian army of executing, torturing and raping
civilians in the Ogaden.
The military launched an offensive against the ONLF rebels after they
attacked a Chinese-run oil venture in Ogaden in April 2007, killing 74
people.
Formed in 1984, the ONLF is fighting for the independence of ethnic Somalis
in Ethiopia's oil-rich Ogaden region, whom they say have been marginalised
by Addis Ababa.
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