ETHIOPIA:Ethiopia's government is not blocking aid to the remote Ogaden region, but trade restrictions combined with floods could trigger a humanitarian crisis there, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said yesterday.
A rebel group in the desolate area bordering Somalia demanded a United Nations investigation after the New York Timesquoted western diplomats and aid officials on Sunday accusing Ethiopian authorities of stopping food aid reaching the Ogaden region.
A WFP spokesman in Nairobi said the government was not "blockading" Ogaden because the organisation was distributing food in three of the region's zones, while assessments had started or were about to start in its other three zones, but it and other donors were concerned, he said.
Restrictions on trade and the movement of aid due to military operations, as well as seasonal floods, rising prices and other factors could cause a humanitarian crisis among some communities, the WFP's Peter Smerdon said.
"The military operations and restrictions on movement in some areas have affected all humanitarian actors providing assistance . . . including other UN agencies and NGOs, but we are working with the government to gain access."