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06 November, 2007
ADDIS ABABA (AFP) - Several United Nations agencies have been cleared to start relief work in Ethiopia's troubled Ogaden region, where government troops have been battling Somali ethnic rebels, the UN said Monday.
"The (Ethiopian) Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency verbally conveyed to the humanitarian coordinator a list of NGOs that have thus far been accredited to work within areas of military operation," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement.
The agency said UN agencies had been authorised in the areas of Degehabur, Gode, Fik, Warder and Korahe.
"The UN security review of potential field offices in Degehabur and Kebridehar towns has been completed and suitable buildings have been identified for the establishment of UN offices," OCHA said.
It added that relief activities could resume as early as next week.
The last non-governmental organisations operating in the vast and troubled region of Ogaden had seen their activities suspended in the summer, when Addis Ababa launched a military crackdown against rebels fighting for independence.
No later than Sunday, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) claimed to have killed at least 270 troops in the latest fighting.
The rebels accuse government troops of summary executions, collective punishment and widespread rape, while several aid groups have also warned of a developing humanitarian disaster.
In September, a UN fact-finding panel recommended an independent probe into allegations that the army had committed serious human rights abuses against Ogaden villagers during its operations there.
The Ethiopian army has flatly rejected such claims and says its campaign does not target civilians but only rebels it accuses of "terrorist" activities.