Ogaden Online Editorial

July 25, 2007

This past weekend, the New York Times, NYT, articulated with the use of
multiple sources what Ogaden Online reporters have been reporting for
months now. Ethiopian military diversion of funds is commonplace as we have
known for a long time BUT was corroborated on the NYT article this past
weekend by a defected federal member of the Ethiopian parliament Mr. Jemal
Dirie Kalif.

There has been total blockade in most parts of Ogaden. This blockade is to
this very moment preventing the movement of goods and people throughout
Ogaden. The blockade is such that even within a city vehicular or donkey
transport of goods is not allowed. It is quite telling that the head of the
World Food Programme, WFP, in Ethiopia Mr. Mohammed Diab believes that food
cannot get in Ogaden while a WFP spokesman, one Peter Smerdon, in Nairobi
argued that there was no blockade but there were concerns.

We, the Ogaden Editorial Board, OEB, wonder why Mr. Smerdon of the WFP has
concerns if there is no blockade in Ogaden. We wonder whether this man even
understands Ogaden and its geography. Even if the WFP as claimed by Mr.
Smerdon, is allowed access to three zones, what about the remaining six
zones or provinces? It is a fact that the Ogaden civilians do not rely
heavily on food aid for their existence. They rely on trade and transport
from Somalia, which this blockade has completely stopped.

Regardless of the choice of words such as total blockade or concerns as Mr.
Smerdon puts it, what is happening in Ogaden is genocide full stop. Total
blockade was put in place in Ogaden in the pretext that this blockade was
to hamper Ogaden National Liberation Army, ONLA. Since only the Ethiopian
military and its associated militias are granted freedom of movement and
access to vehicular transport throughout Ogaden, this total blockade is
actually helping ONLA easily target the Ethiopia military and its militias
without worrying about civilian casualties.

Ethiopian pretext aside, the blockade was put in place to cause maximum
harm to the Ogaden civilian population. To that extent this blockade is
achieving its intended objective as it starves the local civilian
population en mass. While the United Nations argues about Ogaden blockade
semantics, thousands and thousands of Ogaden citizenry are starving to
death. It is about time the world community come to the aid of the mass
starved, extra judicially killed and maimed Ogaden civilians. Let the world
community not fail yet another African community facing preventable
genocide.


editorial@ogaden.com
Ogaden Online Editorial