"The US is concerned by what we see as reduction in political space and the ability of opposition parties to operate and do what opposition parties should do," Karl Wycoff, deputy assistant secretary of state for East African Affairs, told reporters.

"There are continous reports of human rights abuse," said Wycoff, who arrived is in Ethiopia for an official visit.

Ethiopia's polls on May 23, 2010 will be the first since 2005 when disputed election results sparked violence that claimed some 200 lives.

More than 60 parties, including the ruling EPRDF, have agreed to a code of conduct for next year's polls, but a leading opposition group has shunned the rules as insufficient in confirming the electoral board's neutrality.

The Forum for Democratic Dialogue in Ethiopia has also accused Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's government of arresting its members and supporters in a bid to discourage its following ahead of the polls, a charge the government has repeatedly denied.

The head of Ethiopia's now-defunct opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy which won unprecedented seats in the 2005 polls is currently exiled in the US.

He fled the country after a two-year detention and now chairs another opposition group which has vowed to wage a war against Addis Ababa.

Authorities have accused him of masterminding an alleged coup plot over which 26 suspects were convicted on Thursday.

Food aid as a political weapon in Ethiopia

WASHINGTON (VOA) - The United States is committed to helping people in need all over the world, and it takes this mission very seriously. With billions of dollars spent on humanitarian, economic and other forms of assistance every year, the U.S. wants to be sure that the aid is properly and effectively distributed. So it is that U.S. officials are concerned about recent reports that the Ethiopian government may be politicizing humanitarian assistance ahead of next year's national elections.

Amid wide-spread food shortages caused by a long-running drought across much of East Africa, Ethiopia receives considerable aid from the U.S. and other nations. It is estimated that more than 6 million of the country's 80 million people rely on aid to survive, with another 7 million relying heavily on on the Productive Safety Net Program, a food-for-work program administered by the government and supported by foreign assistance.

A spokesman for the major opposition political coalition, the Forum for Democratic Dialogue, recently complained that the government was allowing only ruling party members to take part in the Productive Safety Net Program. To eat, he said, desperate people are forced to join the ruling party. A top government spokesman, however, flatly denies the charge.

Though unproven, the allegations echo a similar charge by the opposition that in 2005 officials in Oromiya denied food aid from international donors to residents of some communities that had voted for opposition candidates in elections that year.

The U.S. Government is aware of the recent complaints. All U.S. government humanitarian assistance agencies have monitoring systems in place to prevent or expose such activity which we are continually reviewing and working to improve. Discussions are also taking place with nongovernmental partners to ensure full compliance with the U.S. strict monitoring standards. USAID personnel in Ethiopia are increasing field visits to observe distribution dynamics with specific attention to these allegations.

The U.S. is committed to the people of Ethiopia and ensuring that its humanitarian aid does reach those most in need.