Oromiyaan Uttuu Durreettii taattee Jirtuu Iyyeetti Fakkeessanii! Gola ishee honsannii, Seenaa ishee dhoksannii, Kunnoo guyyaan ga'ee Ifatti arginnee, Baayyee gaddinneeraa, hanga hardhaatti kan goowwoomnee, kan darbee nuga'aa dhaabbannee daawwaannee, Oromiyaa keenyaaf maaliif fala hindhoofnee! Qabeenya Uummaan akka badhaassaatti nuuf laateef Seenaa Bara dheeraa kan qabu Waa'ee Holqa Boolee quba qabdu? Ilmaan Oromoo Kan diqama Oromummaa qabu hundaaf seena kana dhaamuun barbaada, innis biyyoota alaa keessatti warri parkii ykn bakka daawwii deemtan hunduu sammuu keessaan keessatti icciittii ani isin gaaffadhu deebbii isaa mana mana keessaan keessaatti waliin mar'adha 1- Bara meeqa biyyaa alaa jiraatee? ---------- 2- yeroo meeqa bakka bashannanaa deemte? 3- Daawwannaa kee keessaatti waanti uummamaan ati argittee itti gammaddee hangam ta'aa? 4- Jireenya kee keessatti Uummamni hangam si dinqissiissa laata? 5- Yeroo biyyootta hedduu deemte ta'ee daawwannaa dhaaf hangam kaffalteetta? 6- Daandii konkollattaa/highway irraa gaafa baattu qarshii hangam kaffaltee beekta? Muuvvii ykn film fi sirboota, Farfannaa fi Qurraana dabalatee ciiddii/CD/DVD mana kee keessa jiraan hangamtu Afaan Oromoo ti? 7- Mana keessaan keessa maatin keessaan meeqa ta'uu? Meeqaan isaanniittu Afaan Oromoo dubbatta? Meeqaan isaanniittu biyyaa Oromiyaa irraa dhuffe, meeqatus biyyaa ambaattii dhalate? 8- Waa'ee biyyaaf dachee kan quba qabaan meeqa? 9- Fayyiidaa Oromiyaan akka biyyaatti nurraa eegdu maali! KKK.....ITTI FUFA. Maarree Holqa Boolee akka fakkeenyaatti yoo kaafnee, Oromiyaa soorreetti hanqina Ooggummaa fi Qarroomnaa ijoollee ishee dhabuun hiyyeettii taattee jennee dubbachuuf nama hin dhibu. Ijoolleen Oromoo qaqqaroon biyyaas ta'ee Biyyaa alaa keessatti teekkinnolloojjii Amayyaa kana wajjiin qilleensa keessa jiru, Gimbiif Danbi Looloo keessaa warri ol bahaan, Holqa BOOLEE Shawwaa keessaa uttuu hin mildhannee, Xiyyaa farranjii ballalliissannii biyyaa biyya irra yaa'uu. Oggeessoonni shawwaa fi Baalee keessaa ali yaa'aan illee fiiggichaan adunyaa irraa qaxxamurranniiruu, Holqa Boolee gadi bu'annii dhiiroo Holqi kun nu fiissisuu danda'aa jedhannii wal hin gaaffannee, Attilleettonnii Oromoo holqa Booleetti uttu gad bu'annii meettira 500-1000 kan ta'ee dorgommii holqa keessaa gochuu dhaan warqee fi albuudda cimma ittiin galchuu danda'uu turan. Amas yeroon jira, bakka bashannanaa yoo kaafnee addunyaa kana keessaa bakkee hedduu heeruu dandeenya garuu Uummamaan kan akka dachee Oromiyaa tasummaa arguun waan danda'amuu natti hin fakkaatu, Nus dhokkissannii seenaa keenyaas warri dhoksaan yeroo bakkeewwaan gallii cimmaaf ooluuf turaan kan akka Holqa Boolee, Maassaraa Jimmaa Abbaa Jiffaar, Gimbii dhagaamalkaa Hoolaa, Gaara Abbaa seenaa, Gabaa Maqa Najjoo mana lafa jala jiruu eenyumtuu furtuu isaa kutee itti seenuun soddaa guddaa kan Uummatta naannoo sanatti naqe, Harroojjii Lolaa Ja'aa warra riqqicha bara durrii gara sammiitti ol-ijjaarre, Dongorroo Warra Dissii bara durrii bishaan maaliif yaa eessaa deema, eessaa dhufe? Yaa'a bishaannii dhaabbuuf carraaqqii cimmaa warra godhaan, Dhagaa Dubbattuu kan gaara Kiingii, Gabaa Dabalaa lafa seenaa, bakkeewwaan hedduun karaa baalee fi Arsii Akkasumaas Harar fi Booranaa, Walloodhaaf Illuu keessaatti argamaan lakkaawwamannii dhumuu hindanda'aan. Mee ega lamaan isaanniif dursa ha laannuu! 1- Holqa Boolee naannoo finfinneetti dhi'aata 2- Maassaraa Jimmaa Abbaa Jiffaar uttuu akka Oromootti namnuu bakka jiruu walti dirmattee waan qabuu walti darbee Bakka daawwannaa guddaa bakkeewwaan kana irratti humna tokkoon ta'ee hojjetee, addunyaa keessaatti dacheen keenya seenaa isheen sadarkaa ol-aanaa keessaa dhufuun ishee shakkii tokko illee hin qabu. Kan akka Laga Malka Sadee fi kanneen birroon silaafuu haandhuura daawwii Oromootti. Maaree dhiiroo bakka jirtannittuu video kana warra tolchannii yeroo isaannii harsaa godhannii waan hawwallamee ija sabaa duraa hugguramee as baassanniif galata galchuun barbaada, hunduu naaf galateeffadha. Hojiin isaannii kun gargarsii lammii duubaan jiraannaan kan itti fuffuuf, guyyaa tokkoo bakkeewwaan Tuurziim Oromiyaa kan jedhu wajjinnuu daawwachuuf jira. Inni kun muldhat qofaa uttuu hin taannee deggerssa Waaqaa fi Hiixxannaa lammiittiin galma ga'a jedheen amana. yaada koo hin xummurree...guyyaa birraa yoo carraan argamtee dhimma kana Irraatti OBS wajjiin sagantaaf karooraa Porrojjeektii keenyaa Bakkeewwaan daawwii Oromiyaa Amayyeessuuf jedhu maali ta'uu qaba? Akkamittiin eegaluu? Misoomni inni jalqabaa maali lammii irraa hoo maltu eegama? kan jedhuun isinnittin deebi'aa Galtoomaa! Abdii Boriittiin https://youtu.be/oE_LxqUSIlk

Oromiyaan Uttuu Durreettii taattee
 Jirtuu Iyyeetti Fakkeessanii!
Gola ishee honsannii, Seenaa ishee dhoksannii,
Kunnoo guyyaan ga'ee Ifatti arginnee,
Baayyee gaddinneeraa,
 hanga hardhaatti kan goowwoomnee,
kan darbee nuga'aa dhaabbannee daawwaannee,
Oromiyaa keenyaaf maaliif fala hindhoofnee!

Qabeenya Uummaan akka badhaassaatti nuuf laateef Seenaa Bara dheeraa kan qabu Waa'ee Holqa Boolee quba qabdu?
Ilmaan Oromoo Kan diqama Oromummaa qabu hundaaf seena kana dhaamuun barbaada, innis biyyoota alaa keessatti warri parkii ykn bakka daawwii deemtan hunduu sammuu keessaan keessatti icciittii ani isin gaaffadhu deebbii isaa mana mana keessaan keessaatti waliin mar'adha

1- Bara meeqa biyyaa alaa jiraatee? ----------
2- yeroo meeqa bakka bashannanaa deemte?
3- Daawwannaa kee keessaatti waanti uummamaan ati argittee itti gammaddee hangam ta'aa?
4- Jireenya kee keessatti Uummamni hangam si dinqissiissa laata?
5- Yeroo biyyootta hedduu deemte ta'ee daawwannaa dhaaf hangam kaffalteetta?
6- Daandii konkollattaa/highway irraa gaafa baattu qarshii hangam kaffaltee beekta?
Muuvvii ykn film fi sirboota, Farfannaa fi Qurraana dabalatee ciiddii/CD/DVD mana kee keessa jiraan hangamtu Afaan Oromoo ti?
7- Mana keessaan keessa maatin keessaan meeqa ta'uu? Meeqaan isaanniittu Afaan Oromoo dubbatta? Meeqaan isaanniittu biyyaa Oromiyaa irraa dhuffe, meeqatus biyyaa ambaattii dhalate?
8- Waa'ee biyyaaf dachee kan quba qabaan meeqa?
9- Fayyiidaa Oromiyaan akka biyyaatti nurraa eegdu maali!
KKK.....ITTI FUFA.
Maarree Holqa Boolee akka fakkeenyaatti yoo kaafnee, Oromiyaa soorreetti hanqina Ooggummaa fi Qarroomnaa ijoollee ishee dhabuun hiyyeettii taattee jennee dubbachuuf nama hin dhibu. Ijoolleen Oromoo qaqqaroon biyyaas ta'ee Biyyaa alaa keessatti teekkinnolloojjii Amayyaa kana wajjiin qilleensa keessa jiru, Gimbiif Danbi Looloo keessaa warri ol bahaan, Holqa BOOLEE Shawwaa keessaa uttuu hin mildhannee, Xiyyaa farranjii ballalliissannii biyyaa biyya irra yaa'uu. Oggeessoonni shawwaa fi Baalee keessaa ali yaa'aan illee fiiggichaan adunyaa irraa qaxxamurranniiruu, Holqa Boolee gadi bu'annii dhiiroo Holqi kun nu fiissisuu danda'aa jedhannii wal hin gaaffannee, Attilleettonnii Oromoo holqa Booleetti uttu gad bu'annii meettira 500-1000 kan ta'ee dorgommii holqa keessaa gochuu dhaan warqee fi albuudda cimma ittiin galchuu danda'uu turan. Amas yeroon jira, bakka bashannanaa yoo kaafnee addunyaa kana keessaa bakkee hedduu heeruu dandeenya garuu Uummamaan kan akka dachee Oromiyaa tasummaa arguun waan danda'amuu natti hin fakkaatu, Nus dhokkissannii seenaa keenyaas warri dhoksaan yeroo bakkeewwaan gallii cimmaaf ooluuf turaan kan akka Holqa Boolee, Maassaraa Jimmaa Abbaa Jiffaar, Gimbii dhagaamalkaa Hoolaa, Gaara Abbaa seenaa, Gabaa Maqa Najjoo mana lafa jala jiruu eenyumtuu furtuu isaa kutee itti seenuun soddaa guddaa kan Uummatta naannoo sanatti naqe, Harroojjii Lolaa Ja'aa warra riqqicha bara durrii gara sammiitti ol-ijjaarre, Dongorroo Warra Dissii bara durrii bishaan maaliif yaa eessaa deema, eessaa dhufe? Yaa'a bishaannii dhaabbuuf carraaqqii cimmaa warra godhaan, Dhagaa Dubbattuu kan gaara Kiingii, Gabaa Dabalaa lafa seenaa,
bakkeewwaan hedduun karaa baalee fi Arsii Akkasumaas Harar fi Booranaa, Walloodhaaf Illuu keessaatti argamaan lakkaawwamannii dhumuu hindanda'aan.
Mee ega lamaan isaanniif dursa ha laannuu!
1- Holqa Boolee naannoo finfinneetti dhi'aata
2- Maassaraa Jimmaa Abbaa Jiffaar
uttuu akka Oromootti namnuu bakka jiruu walti dirmattee waan qabuu walti darbee Bakka daawwannaa guddaa bakkeewwaan kana irratti humna tokkoon ta'ee hojjetee, addunyaa keessaatti dacheen keenya seenaa isheen sadarkaa ol-aanaa keessaa dhufuun ishee shakkii tokko illee hin qabu. Kan akka Laga Malka Sadee fi kanneen birroon silaafuu haandhuura daawwii Oromootti. Maaree dhiiroo bakka jirtannittuu video kana warra tolchannii yeroo isaannii harsaa godhannii waan hawwallamee ija sabaa duraa hugguramee as baassanniif galata galchuun barbaada, hunduu naaf galateeffadha.

Hojiin isaannii kun gargarsii lammii duubaan jiraannaan kan itti fuffuuf, guyyaa tokkoo bakkeewwaan Tuurziim Oromiyaa kan jedhu wajjinnuu daawwachuuf jira. Inni kun muldhat qofaa uttuu hin taannee deggerssa Waaqaa fi Hiixxannaa lammiittiin galma ga'a jedheen amana.
yaada koo hin xummurree...guyyaa birraa yoo carraan argamtee dhimma kana Irraatti OBS wajjiin sagantaaf karooraa Porrojjeektii keenyaa Bakkeewwaan daawwii Oromiyaa Amayyeessuuf jedhu maali ta'uu qaba? Akkamittiin eegaluu? Misoomni inni jalqabaa maali lammii irraa hoo maltu eegama?
kan jedhuun isinnittin deebi'aa

Galtoomaa!
 
  Abdii Boriittiin

https://youtu.be/oE_LxqUSIlk

 

Qe'ee Oromoo Holqa Boolee

youtu.be

Oromia Broadcasting Services (OBS) is an independent and

VOA Interview with Obbo Leenco Lata - July 28, 2012 www.youtube.comVOA Interview with Obbo Leenco Lata - July 28, 2012

Oromo Affairs: WikiLeaks on "REACHING OUT TO THE [Shanee Group of] OLF ..."

Oromo Affairs: WikiLeaks on "REACHING OUT TO THE [Shanee Group of] OLF ..."

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By Kasembeli Albert* | Editor, East Africa Investor Magazine

WEF Should Petition Ethiopia over Oromo Human Rights

RELATED:
Call for Ethiopian Airlines Boycott Grows

Background:
Call for boycott of Ethiopian Airlines is growing after the publication of Mr. Dirribi Demissie Bokku’s testimony, which described the injustice he had faced at Ethiopian Airlines (EAL) because of his national identity and civic activities. Mr. Dirribi Demissie Bokku is an Oromo, the largest nation in the Horn of Africa and Ethiopia, but a nation politically and economically marginalized and repressed for the last 120 years in its own homeland, Oromia.

In 2004, with Mr. Dirribi Demissie Bokku as its President, the Maccaa-Tulama Self-Help Association, the oldest Oromo civic group, called for public demonstration to express its view against the decision to move the capital of Oromia out of Finfinne, which is the constitutionally designated seat of Oromia. In short, the Association’s call was a call for the respect of the Constitution. Instead, the government violently crashed the demonstration and blamed the Association for blackmailing the state. Thereafter, Mr. Dirribi Demissie Bokku was put behind bars for 3 years (from May 18, 2004 up to March 2007) as an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience.

After he was acquitted of all charges in 2007,Ethiopian Airlines (EAL) dismissed him from his position without any sufficient ground. In addition, later on in 2008, he was refused rehire, and denied his severance and retirement packages, which he was entitled to for working with the company for over 20 years.

In his testimony, he said, “even if at this stage, there are not many things that we could do, I demand our people to boycott flying the EAL until and unless it reverses the action it took against me and change its way of discouraging Oromos from struggling for their people.”

Demands:
1. EAL should reverse the action it took against Mr. Dirribi Demissie Bokku.
2. EAL should change its policy that discourages Oromos from struggling for their people.

Graphics: Oromo Affairs

“Justice will only exist where those not affected by injustice are filled with the same amount of indignation as those offended.”Plato (c.427 – 347 BC)

Ethiopia is set to host the next World Economic Forum's 22nd annual conference in May 2012. Among the reasons for holding its African forum in Addis Ababa, said a WEF spokesperson, are that it is a diplomatic hub – including: it hosts the African Union; it is extending development to the rural poor, with lessons for the rest of Africa; and it has never been colonized.

This is an irony as the Ethiopian government has one of the worst human rights records on the continent. To the contrary, the Addis Ababa regime is setting a dangerous precedent and bad lessons to the rest of the continent. The uninterrupted human rights violations by the Ethiopian government should be a disgracing factor among the community of nations, including the WEF.

By allowing Ethiopia to host the WEF parley next year, the international community is directly endorsing the protracted annihilation of the Oromo people. WEF, among other international institution, should be on the fore front of petitioning the Addis Ababa regime to grant the liberty of the Oromia.

It is through such fora that attention could be drawn to the widespread imprisonments, harassment and indiscriminate killing of Oromo students, men and women of different ages, religious backgrounds, and professions by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) led Ethiopian government – motivated by fear of public uprising and hate against the Oromo people.

By taking the conference to Addis Ababa, WEF will be joining the ranks of AU and COMESA, among other international institutions, which have failed to use their enormous influence on the government of Ethiopia to stop the imprisonments and killings of innocent Oromo in particular, and other people of Ethiopia in general.

The Oromo people constitute the single largest national group in Ethiopia and the Greater Horn of Africa. The size of the Oromo population and the geographical location of their country, Oromia, make the Oromia regional state in the heart of Ethiopia. Ethiopia mainly depends on the human and natural resources of Oromia. However, the Oromo people are one of the most impoverished and terrorized indigenous African people.

The Zenawi regime fears the Oromo numerical voting power. In fear of free and fair elections, the regime has been systematically destroying all independent Oromo political and civic organizations, and closed down their newspapers and magazines.

Even the Macha and Tulama Association, a civic association, which was established in 1963 was banned, its leaders detained, and its property confiscated. The Oromo Relief Association, established in 1979, was also closed down by the Zenawi’s regime and millions worth of property seized.

Out of hate and fear, the TPLF led government is currently perpetuating collective violence and indiscriminate shooting against the Oromo students. Currently, the Ethiopian Prime Minster Meles Zenawi is worried that the people’s revolution that forced the Tunisian and Egyptian dictatorial regimes out of power is coming to Ethiopia.
Driven by fear, the Zenawi security forces in a single event shot and wounded over one hundred Oromo students in Tepi-Mizan University and are massively imprisoning Oromo men and women throughout Ethiopia. According to the Human Rights Leagues of the Horn (HRLHA, April 11, 2011), the students, who are the victims of the rampage shooting, did nothing illegal, but simply asked the administration of the University to discipline Mr. Zenawi’s agents and cadres, who made blatant racist remarks against the Oromo people.

Unfortunately, Meles Zenawi is also resorting to very alarming and inhuman acts against the Oromo University students. Recently, the regime’s security forces allegedly poisoned the food prepared for University students at the Adama and Arba Minch Universities. The timing and the site of poisoning the Oromo students are not coincidental. It is a deliberate and desperate act to terrorize the Oromo people in general, and the youth in particular. This act proves that TPLF regime has a proclivity of committing genocide against the Oromo and the other peoples of Ethiopia in order to perpetuate its minority and unjust rule.

The extent of human rights abuse in Ethiopia is documented by annual reports of Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the US State Department. Other reports by Human Rights Watch and the Oromia Support Group (OSG) include many detailed accounts of individual violations of basic human rights.

A large number of Oromo asylum-seekers escaping persecution in Ethiopia have fled to neighbouring countries like Kenya, where many have been subject to killings and refoulement. It's especially saddening for refugees to be affected by internal crises of their temporary host countries in North Africa and Middle East countries.

The land grabbing, which is currently displacing many farmers across the country, particularly in Oromia and Gambella regions, is another worrying situation in Ethiopia.

The WEF, slated for Addis Ababa next year, should instead take practical measures, to reduce human misery and promote democracy in Ethiopia by petitioning Meles Zenawi to respect the constitution and stop extra-judicial killings, rampage shootings and arbitrary arrests of innocent people and prolonged detention without trial.

The forum should also petition the western powers to suspend economic assistance to the Ethiopian government until such a time that the government of Meles Zenawi shows its commitment to the rule of law and exert pressure on the regime to bring individuals who have committed the killings to justice.

It is only prudent that the international community compels Zenawi to bring to speedy trials or unconditional release of hundreds of Oromo students who have been detained without due process of law and to allow all Oromo students to continue with their education freely, legally and peacefully without fear of harassment, detention and loss of life. WEF has the capacity to positively contribute to creating a conducive political environment for establishment of the rule of law in Ethiopia.

* Kasembeli Albert is the Editor, East Africa Investor, a regional financial magazine

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Minneapolis, MN - About 100 students, mostly from the University of Minnesota, were gathered at Coffman Memorial Union to mark the second annual Oromo Awareness event. The event is hosted annually by Oromia Student Union (OSU). The ballroom was decorated by Oromo artifacts, history, and pictures depicting, at times horrific, human rights violations perpetuated by the Ethiopian government.

OSU was formed, among other things, "to promote education within the [Oromo] community and create a transitional bridge for Oromo students from high school to college." OSU hosts numerous events throughout the year to “educate the campus [University of Minnesota] community about Oromo history and culture.”

According to the organizers, the Oromo Awareness Day event was intended to shed light on the human rights abuses and political calamities in Ethiopia. It is a way for OSU to represent the voice of its members and community– by introducing Oromo culture and history - to non-Oromos on campus. The posters plastered around the room show everything from Oromo religion, food, history to upcoming OSU events.

A moving poem by Milko Abdurahman titled “My Oromia” was followed by a keynote address by Jawar Siraj Mohammed, an independent researcher and a non-violent struggle consultant. His talk, "How Transnational Identities Are Formed," focused on how migration transforms identities. Jawar identified socio-cultural and economic differences and reception at destination as key factors that affect such transformation.

Jawar then discussed the formation of ethnic enclaves where individuals of particular ethnic groups lead a self-imposed marginalization. Assimilation into predominant culture is less likely because people tend to congregate and do business within the enclaves. As a negative consequence of such marginalization, immigrant cultures sometimes “start imitating the culture of host societies without even understanding the culture”, he noted. At the absence of ethnic enclaves, a true formation of transnational identity takes precedent as individuals will be forced to buy from mainstream businesses and engage in activities with others who are not necessarily like them.

He remarked that ethnic enclaves also nurture undesirable cultural practices such as marrying at an early age. Jawar encouraged the participants to go outside of their comfort zone and socialize with non-Oromos to fully benefit from the opportunities in host countries.

The rest of the program consisted of trivia questions focused mostly on non-Oromos – asking key facts about Oromo people, poems, fashion show, and music. The trivia game was an engaging exercise to help non-Oromos remember what they have heard or read from the poster displays. A free food was also provided.

  
Related:

Video 

U.N

U.N., donors meet on Somalia famine as aid groups seek more help

From David McKenzie, CNN

July 25, 2011 1:18 p.m. EDT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: In Dolo, people are getting registered but the aid had not yet arrived
• The World Bank will provide more than $500 million for famine victims
• The United Nations plans to hold an emergency meeting Monday in Rome
• The meeting will address the famine and the emergency response in Somalia

Dolo, Somalia (CNN) -- The World Bank has pledged more than $500 million for famine victims in Somalia as the United Nations met in emergency session Monday to address the aid response in Somalia, the hardest-hit nation in the region.

"Immediate relief and recovery is the first priority, and it is important to act fast to reduce human suffering," World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick said in a news release.

Also Monday, representatives of 191 member countries of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization met in Rome to devise a plan to head off the imminent food crisis, which the UN has said is affecting more than 12 million people. Two regions in southern Somalia are suffering famine.

"World leaders have no excuses for not generously responding," Oxfam Chief Executive Barbara Stocking said in a statement. "This should not be happening. It is a colossal outrage that the warnings went unheeded, that the lessons of previous famines have been ignored. Yes, we need to save lives today, but we also need to ensure that people have a future. Above all, we need to build a global food system that allows everyone enough to eat."

East Africa Crisis

11 million starving in Somalia

Hungry refugees flood Mogadishu

But such efforts will take time to translate into aid on the ground for the many people in Somalia whose needs are immediate. In Dolo, across the border from Ethiopia, World Food Program workers were registering women and children Monday in a rocky square in this dusty town dotted with thorn bushes.

In a visit Monday by CNN, no one appeared to be receiving aid, and no one was receiving medical help -- they were just getting registered.

Aid officials said they hoped to get food to areas in need in the coming days. They said that some people who had fled across the border into neighboring Ethiopia or Kenya were returning after hearing that distribution was set to begin soon.

At a second registration point nearby, neat lines of women, their children and grandchildren also waited to get registered. Mixed with the town's residents were people who had fled from other parts of the country in search of aid. Children were drinking water from an oil drum perched atop a donkey.

CNN's journalists reached the town by driving in a convoy protected by armed militia members aligned with the government. The militant Islamist group Al-Shabaab, which has sworn allegiance to al Qaeda and is designated a terrorist group by the United States, is less than 50 miles away and could easily move into this area if they wished, according to UN security officials on the scene.

Al-Shabaab has reversed a pledge to allow foreign aid agencies to operate in famine-struck regions in the nation. The group originally banned the aid agencies from areas under its control in 2009, describing them as Western spies and Christian crusaders.

"We are building up in Mogadishu, where we are reaching up to 300,000 people," Josette Sheeran, executive director of the World Food Program, said about the violence-ravaged capital. "But the World Food Program has lost 14 people since 2008, just trying to get kids food. It's dangerous, and it's risky, and we are committed to going to where the people need the most."

The World Food Program has airlifted supplies to Dolo, which borders Ethiopia.

"One thing that is important is to get the supplementary nutritional foods to these children, because children get very weak quickly on these treks," Sheeran said.

Fixing Somalia's economic crisis

Hunger in the Horn of Africa

Famine strikes Somalia

RELATED TOPICS

• Somalia
• Mogadishu
• Horn of Africa
• Al Shabaab

The International Committee of the Red Cross said operating in the nation is a challenge.

"We have teams deployed throughout the country," said Yves van Loo, a spokesman for the Red Cross. "Logistically, it is very complex to operate in Somalia."

More funds are needed to expand aid, the spokesman said.

"We are covering most of the most vulnerable people in the areas we reach, but more needs to be done," he said. "If we can get more money, we can do it."

He said the ICRC was continuing to operate throughout Somalia, as it has for the past 20 years, without encountering problems with Al-Shabaab. "We are deployed in all provinces, while most of the organizations have just a few spots," he said.

The World Bank announced Monday that it is providing more than $500 million to assist drought victims and $12 million in immediate aid to the hardest-hit areas.

The drought has led to starvation and the loss of crops and livestock. Food prices have nearly tripled in some areas since last year, worsening the crisis.

The funds will go toward battling the worst drought in 60 years in Horn of African nations, including Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti, the World Bank said.

The pledge comes as international aid groups warned that most Somalis have no access to food, and failure to reach them puts children most at risk as their parents trek for days in search of help.

"Women have been telling us throughout the area that they've had to leave children along the road who can't make it, who are too weak to make it and have died along the way," Sheeran said.

As the crisis escalates, relief agencies are scrambling to find ways to deliver supplements to areas that are hardest-hit. About 60% of the Somali population is not getting aid, Sheeran said.

Aid groups are hoping to reach Somalis in the country before they flee to overcrowded camps in Kenya and Ethiopia for help.

"When children have to move long distances, their bodies deteriorate very quickly," Sheeran said. "For children under 5 years old, their bodies and brains can't grow normally."