Aid agency warns of possible starvation in eastern Ethiopia - McClatchy, 4 Sep.

A leading relief agency said Tuesday that Ethiopian government forces had blocked relief efforts and food supplies in parts of the rebel Ogaden region, adding the threat of starvation to a rapidly growing humanitarian crisis.

Doctors Without Borders said that Ethiopian forces — which are trying to crush a long-running separatist movement in the eastern region — repeatedly had denied its teams access to two of the worst-affected areas in recent weeks, citing security operations.

Agency staff members who traveled along some main roads in the harsh, rock-strewn Ogaden in June, July and August saw villages burned and abandoned, severe shortages of even basic medicines and widespread signs of malnutrition. They said that at least 400,000 people urgently needed help. Some doctors said Ethiopian troops were enforcing partial food blockades in certain areas ...