Ethiopia: Front alleges regime understates extent of famine in Ogaden

Ogaden, Ethiopia

ESAT News (January 27, 2017)

The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) says the regime in Ethiopia is systematically underestimating the severity of famine and that the UN toes the line.

In a statement released on Thursday, the Front, which is fighting for the liberation of the Ogaden region of Ethiopia, accused the Ethiopian regime is “more interested in projecting false image about the Ogaden than taking care of the victims of the drought.

The statement said Hailemariam Desalegn, the Prime Minister, attended a pastoral festival in Jigjiga, the capital of the Somali region, “while thousands of pastoralist families are dying in adjacent villages.”

“What is even more lethal is the ongoing, aid, trade and media blockade that has gravely reduced the capacity of the people to use their own coping mechanism. ICRC and major international NGOs are banned from the Ogaden and there are no local or international free media outlets to report the severity of the famine.”

The Front called on the international community to come to the aid of the  people and force the regime to facilitate ways for international NGOs to provide the aid needed.