VZCZCXRO9495
PP RUEHDE RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHDS #2439/01 2141617
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 021617Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7298
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ADDIS ABABA 002439 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF, AF/E, INR/AA, AND PRM/AFR 
LONDON, PARIS, ROME FOR AFRICA WATCHER 
CJTF-HOA AND USCENTCOM FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF PGOV PINS PHUM EAID EAGR ET
SUBJECT: ETHIOPIA: (C-AL7-01035) UNOCHA REPORTS EMERGENCY 
FOOD STILL NOT DELIVERED TO OGADEN 
 
REF: A. ADDIS ABABA 2413 (AND PREVIOUS) 
 
     ¶B. ADDIS ABABA 2415 
     ¶C. ADDIS ABABA 2376 
     ¶D. STATE 83346 (NOTAL) 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY.  An August 2 briefing by the UN Office for 
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reports 
that despite the recent decision by Somali Region officials 
to allow emergency food relief to the Ogaden area---where 
military operations against suspected Ogaden National 
Liberation Front (ONLF) insurgents are continuing--no such 
food delivery has been undertaken yet.  Moreover, GOE 
restrictions on commercial food remain in effect and are 
being strictly enforced by the military.  UN agencies and 
NGOs, including WFP, concur that the resumption of commercial 
food deliveries to the area is key, especially as the 
emergency allocation represents only one-eighth of the food 
needed by the population.  UN officials report incidents of 
alleged forced displacement and extrajudicial killings 
(including the alleged hanging by the military of 13 
villagers), but note that abuses have also been attributed to 
the ONLF.  While the foreign ministry asserts that ICRC was 
expelled from the Ogaden because it was collaborating with 
the ONLF, the GOE's acceptance of UN agencies and NGOs 
working on health issues (such as cholera) may provide an 
opening for expanding humanitarian access to the Ogaden.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
ETHIOPIAN MILITARY TO ESCORT FOOD RELIEF 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) On August 2, UNOCHA Head of Office and Deputy to the 
Humanitarian Coordinator Paul Hebert briefed humanitarian 
NGOs, UN agencies, and donor representatives on his 
consultations with Somali Region officials during a visit to 
Jijiga, capital of Ethiopia's Somali Region. 
 
-- EMERGENCY FOOD STILL NOT DELIVERED TO OGADEN:  Hebert 
underscored that the GOE had not banned humanitarian relief, 
but noted that no allocation had been made.  The WFP, 
federal-level Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency 
(DPPA) and the regional state-level Disaster Prevention and 
Preparedness Bureau (DPPB) were still in the process of 
working out "modalities" to deliver emergency food to the 5 
conflict zones.  The GOE was supposed to have delivered food 
to the 5 zones in the previous zone, but had not. 
 
-- MILITARY ESCORT TO ZONES:  WFP reported that military 
escort of food convoys was "unavoidable."  The Ethiopian 
military would escort emergency food convoys at the zonal 
level, but that distribution would be under the DPPB, not 
under military escort.   It was not yet clear whether 40 
distribution points identified by the DPPA, DPPB, and WFP 
would be used.  "With the consent of the military," trucks 
were expected to depart Dire Dawa on August 3 for delivery in 
the following week to 2 woredas (out of 4) in Warder; the 2 
woredas were outside the area of current military operations. 
 
-- BAN OF COMMERCIAL FOOD CONTINUES:  GOE restrictions on 
commercial food in the Ogaden were still in effect and 
strictly enforced, according to Hebert.  GOE officials 
(including the head of the regional justice bureau) justified 
the ban on "contraband" as being "essential" and one that 
would last for several more weeks.  Officials asserted that 
food trucks had been used previously to smuggle arms to the 
ONLF.  While some food had been trucked to the towns of 
Kebridehar (Korahe Zone), Fik, and Warder (i.e., in three of 
the five zones where military operations against the ONLF are 
continuing), Hebert said both NGOs and local officials 
reported that the military was not allowing food to leave the 
towns but was confiscating it at checkpoints. 
 
-- COMMERCIAL FOOD IS WHAT IS NEEDED:  A key finding of an 
UNOCHA report to UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes 
was that restrictions on the transport and delivery of 
commercial food were "the most important impediment" to food 
security in the Ogaden, as 90 percent of food availability 
depended on commercial--not emergency--food.  Thus, the 
 
ADDIS ABAB 00002439  002 OF 004 
 
 
delivery of humanitarian food relief was not key; if 
commercial food were allowed, the Somali Region would not be 
experiencing a "food crisis."  WFP Officer-in-Charge Sonali 
Wickrema noted that the current emergency food allocation 
totaled only 4,000 metric tons, whereas WFP assessed some 
30,000 metric tons were needed for the Ogaden per month. 
 
-- ADDITIONAL FOOD ASSESSMENTS NEEDED: While joint 
assessments for the current "Gu" (rainy) season had been done 
for all zones of the Somali Region, and showed that good rain 
and other factors had led to "very little need" for 
humanitarian food assistance, the methodology of such 
assessments did not/not take into account the lack of 
commercial food, the closure of borders, or population 
displacement.  (NOTE: In fact, the partner-funded assessment 
teams were unable to travel to large areas of 4 of the 5 
conflict zones; see REF A.  END NOTE.)  Additional 
assessments would thus be required in the future. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
GOE ACCUSES ICRC OF COLLABORATING WITH ONLF REBELS 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Military operations against suspected insurgents 
continued.  While the foreign ministry asserted that ICRC's 
expulsion from the Somali Region was a local, not federal, 
decision, the foreign ministry had accused the ICRC of 
collaborating with the ONLF: 
 
-- There was "no apparent relaxation" of military activities 
in the Ogaden.  Hebert reported that the regional government 
had increased the Somali Region security budget from 15 to 53 
million birr (USD 5.8 million), the bulk of which would go to 
government militia.  No one had the ability to move freely in 
the Ogaden without dealing with "cumbersome procedures"; GOE 
approval was required to leave major towns. 
 
-- There were 4 non-Ogadeni woredas where there were no 
military operations ongoing:  Misrak Gashamo (Degehabur Zone) 
 
-- A July 29 landmine incident--involving a vehicle belonging 
to the Ogaden Welfare and Development Association (OWDA) 
traveling east from Degehamedo to Degehabur Woredas (in 
Degehabur Zone)--killed three individuals (ref B).  The 
incident raised concerns about the safety of UN and NGO 
personnel, should they be allowed to travel to the Ogaden. 
UNOCHA Information and Advocacy Officer Greg Beals said that 
UNOCHA assumed the ONLF were using landmines to target ENDF 
military vehicles, as they were the only ones on the roads; 
the ONLF had not previously used landmines against civilian 
vehicles. 
 
-- Hebert noted that an August 1 foreign ministry statement 
asserts that the ICRC had been asked to leave at the request 
of the regional government, and that the ICRC was 
collaborating with the ONLF.  He said there were 
"indications" of a government committee being formed to 
examine activities of other NGOs, but noted that no other 
NGOs had been asked to depart the Somali Region.  Hebert said 
the UN may issue a statement calling for the return of the 
ICRC, as the ICRC's presence was "crucial." 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
UN MAY REQUEST GOE TO INVESTIGATE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) UNOCHA's report recommended that the UN Emergency 
Relief Coordinator John Holmes request--through the GOE 
PermRep to the UN in New York--that the GOE conduct an 
investigation of allegations of instances of violations of 
international humanitarian law, such as allegations of burnt 
villages and extrajudicial killings.  UN officials noted the 
GOE's obligations to observe international humanitarian law, 
which applied to civil wars.  The ICRC had declared the 
situation in the Ogaden to be a "non-international conflict," 
requiring both the ENDF and ONLF to observe international 
norms. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Hebert said the UN had "corroboration," but not 
 
ADDIS ABAB 00002439  003 OF 004 
 
 
confirmation, of villages being burnt, villagers being 
harassed or killed extrajudiciously, and denial of access to 
water.  Several alleged incidents of forced displacement and 
alleged extrajudicial killings included: 
-- In Kebridehar, a military commander had told local elders 
to assembly villages into 4 specific villages; all other 
areas were considered "off-limits." 
-- In Warder), non-ethnic Ogadeni villagers were reportedly 
told to "help the government" or else they would be "treated 
like Ogadeni." 
-- In an unspecified village, the military had allegedly 
rounded up 13 villages by name, removed them to another 
location, and then killed them by hanging them from the side 
of the road.  Hebert said this incident had been reported by 
multiple UN and ONLF sources. 
-- Hebert hastened to add that there were "similar reports" 
of abuses attributed to the ONLF, as well as the Ethiopian 
military; "all sides" were committing "human rights 
violations." 
 
¶6. (SBU) The UN was reviewing whether it should seek a 
"semi-permanent presence" in the 5 conflict zones of the 
Ogaden, in order to enhance its ability to provide protection 
and monitoring.  Currently, UN agencies were based only in 
Jijiga (outside the Ogaden) and Gode. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
HEALTH A CONCERN--AND POTENTIAL ENTRY POINT 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) UNOCHA Head of Office Hebert highlighted the GOE's 
acceptance of UN agencies and NGOs working on health issues, 
such as acute watery diarrhea (AWD) or cholera, to note that 
this could provide an "entry point" in an incremental 
approach to expanding humanitarian access to the Ogaden.  The 
head of the Somali Region health bureau had called for "as 
many health NGOs as possible" to come to the Region.  The UN 
would therefore push for a joint assessment, via the WHO and 
the GOE Ministry of Health; discussions on "modalities" were 
underway. 
-- WHO representative, noting that WHO was based in Jijiga, 
said WHO lacked the capacity to monitor health conditions in 
the Somali Region, and appealed for information from NGOs. 
-- According to Hebert, the Somali Region health bureau 
reported "severe malnutrition" in 5 specific woredas:  Segeg, 
Gerbo, and Dihun (in Fik Zone); Degehamedo (in neighboring 
Degehabur Zone); and Denan (in Gode Zone).  Deaths from 
AWD/cholera were also reported in Fik.  AWD had previously 
been reported throughout the Ogaden, but no detailed 
information had been received on the situation since (the 
launch of the counterinsurgency) in May.  Local health 
officials were appealing for international and NGO assistance. 
-- MSF-Holland representative noted that MSF did not observe 
a health crisis in Warder Zone.  When conducting 5 mobile 
clinics in the Ogaden, MSF-Holland had been able to access 
villages.  MSF was reassessing security in Warder, which it 
vacated following an ONLF attack on the ENDF garrison town, 
but MSF would not accept military escort.  MSF-Belgium was 
pushing to open a project in Fik. 
 
¶8. (SBU) COMMENT.  To exchange further information on the 
situation in the Somali Region, and to consider alternatives 
for future action, Ambassador will convene a meeting of UN 
agencies, USAID-funded NGOs operating in the Ogaden, and key 
donor embassies, on August 3--following up on a similar 
meeting held July 3.  The UN publicly calling for the return 
of the ICRC to the Somali Region could further strain GOE 
relations with the ICRC, which so far has maintained a 
low-key approach to its expulsion, and which has not been 
asked to curtail its other operations throughout Ethiopia. 
The ICRC was likely expelled because of its sensitive work on 
human rights: in May, it had presented a report on the 
Ethiopian military's activities in the Ogaden, and its effect 
on the civilian population, to a senior ENDF principal (ref 
C).  If so, then any potential USG interventions on behalf of 
the ICRC should highlight the ICRC's work on health and water 
issues, rather than the ICRC's equally important--but more 
politically sensitive--work on international humanitarian 
law.  END COMMENT. 
 
ADDIS ABAB 00002439  004 OF 004 
 
 
YAMAMOTO