The United Nations wants an independent investigation into reports of human rights abuses in Ethiopia's Ogaden region, a report by a mission to the area said.
UN investigators spent a week touring the impoverished, predominantly ethnic Somali region, where Ethiopian soldiers have been fighting separatist rebels for months.
The team said it received "reports and direct accounts of serious violations of human rights, including substantive protection concerns for the civilian population". But it said those needed independent verification.
The report, released last night, made a number of recommendations to improve what it said was a deteriorating humanitarian situation in the remote region.
Among the recommendations made by the UN team was a call for access to "areas of concern" for aid agencies.
The UN team also recommended the government let commercial food supplies enter Ogaden "in sufficient quantity to stabilise the food security situation," while allowing exports of livestock to resume from areas affected by military operations.
Ethiopia's government said the UN officials had found no humanitarian crisis in Ogaden but that the government was worried people's health there would worsen within two to three months if food was not provided.
"The government of Ethiopia assured the UN humanitarian assessment mission that prompt action will be taken to ensure adequate food supply and health services reach all those in need in collaboration with stakeholders," it said.
The Ogaden National Liberation Front rebels accuse Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's administration of blockading the region - the poorest part of Ethiopia - risking a "man-made" famine, along with burning down homes and summary executions.