U N I T E D   N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Integrated Regional Information Network for Central and Eastern Africa

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e-mail: irin@ocha.unon.org


HORN OF AFRICA
IRIN-HOA Weekly Round-up 41
9 - 15 June 2001


CONTENTS:

SUDAN: Khartoum announces resumption or air strikes
SUDAN: People displaced by fighting flee towards Darfur
SUDAN: US clamps down on oil companies
SUDAN: Government, SPLA cited in child soldiers report
SOMALIA: Alert on crop failure in south
SOMALIA: Business community reluctant to give up weapons
SOMALIA: Power-sharing agreement reached in Bulo Hawa
SOMALIA: Eighteen jailed for "undermining national security"
SOMALIA: Puntland elders discuss elections
SOMALIA-ETHIOPIA: New hopes expressed over talks
ETHIOPIA: Former defence minister's bail revoked
ETHIOPIA: University students leave classes
ERITREA: Two ministers dismissed
ERITREA: Senior party official jailed over corruption
ERITREA: Returnees face water problems

SUDAN: Khartoum announces resumption or air strikes

On Monday, the Sudanese government announced its intention to resume air
strikes in the south and the Nubah Mountains. A statement from the
Sudanese foreign ministry said the government was resuming the bombings to
"defend itself in the face of continued aggression" from the rebel Sudan
People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A). Also on Monday, Brigadier
Galwak Deng, chairman of the Southern States Coordination Council (SSCC)
announced on Monday that a battalion of the South Sudan Defence Forces
(SSDF), a pro-government militia, would to go to Western Bahr al-Ghazal to
take part in the recapture of Raga and Daym Zubayr.

Muhammad Dirdiery, Sudanese embassy spokesman in Nairobi, told IRIN on
Wednesday that the Sudanese government was now preparing for a full-scale
offensive against the SPLA both in Western Bahr al-Ghazal and other
locations. "We are going to mobilise all the forces available to us," he
said.

SUDAN: People displaced by fighting flee towards Darfur

Fighting associated with an offensive by the rebel SPLA in Western Bahr
al-Ghazal has led to the displacement of an estimated 30,000 civilians,
according to diverse humanitarian sources. The "great majority" of those
fleeing are headed in two lines towards the Darfur region, and are
reported to be from one tribal group, the Fertit, according to the UN
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Sudanese
capital, Khartoum. Following the SPLA's capture of the towns of Daym
Zubayr and Raga in Western Bahr al-Ghazal, there had been an exodus of
civilians, most of them on foot, north and northwestwards into areas still
controlled by the government, the agency reported on 10 June.

Over 10,000 of the displaced had concentrated around the village of
Timsahah, 144 km north of Raga, OCHA reported. The condition of the
displaced people there was deteriorating rapidly, and aid workers hoped
that relief supplies would reach them within days, it said. The WFP and
UNICEF were moving quickly to identify what food, water, shelter and
health supplies could be provided immediately. An emergency response team
- to include the WFP, UNICEF, local and international NGOs, and donors -
had been established to coordinate interventions to mitigate the looming
humanitarian crisis in Western Bahr al-Ghazal and Southern Darfur, OCHA
added.

SUDAN: US clamps down on oil companies

The United States House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill
which, if given Senate and presidential approval, will require companies
operating in Sudan to fully disclose their activities in that country
before being listed on US stock exchanges. The proposed Sudan Peace Act
stipulates that companies working in Sudan should disclose the
"relationship of the commercial activity to any violations of religious
freedom and other human rights". Since the bill would cover both US and
foreign companies operating in Sudan, it would apply to multinational
consortiums developing oilfields in the south.

The Sudan Peace Bill also proposed that the US Congress officially condemn
the "aerial bombardment of civilian targets sponsored by the Government of
Sudan", and urged US President George W. Bush to promptly make available
US $10 million that Congress approved last year to assist the opposition
coalition group, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The bill received
overwhelming support in the House, and was passed with 422 votes in favour
and two against, according to details on the US House of Representatives
website. [for further details, go to:  
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:HR02052:@@@L&summ2=m&]

SUDAN: Government, SPLA cited in child soldiers report

There has been extensive use of child soldiers, including some as young as
10 years of age, by both government and opposition armed forces in the
Sudanese civil war, which has led to the direct or indirect loss of some
two million lives, the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers
reported on Tuesday [http://www.child-soldiers.org/]. The government had
also provided military support to the Ugandan opposition Lord's Resistance
Army (LRA), a group notorious for its abduction, forced recruitment and
brutal treatment of children, the report stated.

Within Sudan, paramilitaries and other armed groups aligned with the
government had a long history of forced recruitment, including that of
children under 18 years of age, the Coalition reported in its 'Global
Report on Child Soldiers'. Armed opposition groups, including the SPLA,
were also known to have children in their ranks, according to the
Coalition. The SPLA had repeatedly assured the UN that it would
discontinue the use of child soldiers and, in February this year,
cooperated with UNICEF and other agencies in the demobilisation of 3,200
such fighters, it said. However, the SPLA had stated that there were 7,000
more child soldiers to be demobilised, the report added. [for further
details, see separate IRIN story of 14 June headlined SUDAN: Use of child
soldiers "extensive"]

SOMALIA: Alert on crop failure in south

Crop failure in primary agricultural regions of southern Somalia is likely
to lead to serious food shortages over the next year, the USAID-funded
Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET) warned in an alert released
on Tuesday. It called on the donor community and humanitarian agencies to
"intervene before conditions worsen and basic household assets are lost".  
A FEWS-NET Rapid Crop Assessment carried out in June in the two most
important agricultural regions of Somalia, Bay and Lower Shabelle, found
that poor sorghum and maize crops indicated that southern Somalia may
suffer a 38 percent drop in average harvest levels. In a normal Gu season,
Bay and Lower Shabelle produce more than 60 percent of the staple sorghum
and maize crops consumed in Somalia, the report said.

"This is a serious alert, a looming crisis... There must be a sense of
responsibility for Somalia," Abdulkadir Shirwa, FEWS NET agriculturalist,
told IRIN. He said that although there had been two or three good seasons
last year, poor security in the south had meant there had been little
marketing of the grain. Scanty and poorly distributed seasonal Gu rains
this year had resulted in widespread failure in many rainfed areas of
southern Somalia. Shirwa said there was concern over the limited amount of
food aid positioned for Somalia by humanitarian agencies.

SOMALIA: Business community reluctant to give up weapons

The Transitional National Government (TNG) has denied local media reports
that there is a rift with the business community, its most important
source of funding. Local reports had said the TNG had complained that the
business community was dragging its feet over surrendering weapons to the
government. Maj-Gen Muhammad Abdi Muhammad, chief of staff of the TNG's
national army, told IRIN that there were "no major differences" on
disarmament, but acknowledged there was some reluctance to disarm. He said
the TNG had promised to pay for every battle-wagon ("technical") handed
over by the businessmen, but that at present it did not have enough
financial resources to buy up all the weapons.

Representatives of the business community, meanwhile, said there was some
concern as to whether the TNG would be able to provide effective security
if the weapons were surrendered. Meanwhile, concern about increasing
insecurity in Mogadishu this week has been expressed by a Mogadishu human
rights organisation, and the local media. Sixteen people were killed in
two separate car-jackings in Mogadishu on 10 June. Local sources told IRIN
that robberies and car-jackings had been on the increase in Mogadishu for
the last few days.

SOMALIA: Power-sharing agreement reached in Bulo Hawa

Rival clan militias responsible for fighting in the border town of Bulo
Hawa, Gedo Region, southwestern Somalia, have reached an agreement.  The
inter-clan fighting claimed the lives of at least 30 people and displaced
thousands in early April. Humanitarian sources told IRIN said there was
hope that the "power-sharing agreement" would encourage some 7,000
displaced people camping out with relatives and friends in the Kenyan
border town of Mandera, to return home.

The fighting, which broke out in early April, between the rival Marehan
sub-clans, and pitted the Rer Eli Dheere and Rer Ahmad on one side and the
Howrarsame, Rer Hasan and Habar Yakub on the other, claimed the lives of
at least 30 people and displaced more than 7,000.The talks which led to
the agreement were brokered by the Ethiopian government, local Kenyan
authorities and Somali elders, local sources said.

Meanwhile, are high rates of moderate malnutrition in Bula Hawa with 40
percent of children screened malnourished, the June nutrition report by
the USAID-funded Food Security Analysis Unit said. Apart from the security
concerns, the area has experienced dry weather conditions, which led to
the movement of livestock out of the area, FSAU said. Humanitarian sources
told IRIN that mining of roads during the inter-clan fights had also
affected movement and livelihoods. 

SOMALIA: Eighteen jailed for "undermining national security" 

The authorities in the self-declared independent state of Somaliland
sentenced 18 people to six months each in prison on suspicion of
"undermining national security", AFP said on Tuesday. The 18 who were
arrested on 9 June at the port town of Berbera were sentenced before a
Berbera court, said AFP.

The 17 men and one women, flew in from Mogadishu, the Somali capital,
after participating in last year's Djibouti-hosted Somali peace
conference.  The peace conference, which was boycotted by the Somaliland
administration, resulted in the establishment of the TNG was established.
The Somaliland authorities consider any Somalilanders who attended the
conference as "associates of the enemies of the nation", said AFP. 

SOMALIA: Puntland elders discuss elections

Over 60 traditional elders from the self-declared autonomous region of
Puntland, northeastern Somalia, are meeting in Garowe, the regional
capital, to discuss whether to extend the mandate of the administration, a
senior Puntland official told IRIN. The elders' conference, which opened
on Wednesday, would discuss, among other things, the way forward for
Puntland, and whether to extend the mandate of the administration, Isma'il
Warsame, Chief of Cabinet to president said. The mandate of the current
administration runs out on 30 June 2001, when presidential and
parliamentary elections are expected to be held.

Puntland President Abdullahi Yusuf, who addressed the gathering, said that
before elections were held, time was needed to conduct a referendum on a
new constitution, and carry out a population census, according to Warsame. 
Abdullahi Yusuf did not elaborate on how much time was needed, but Warsame
said he had previously proposed a two-year extension. Abdullahi Yusuf told
the conference that it was up to them to extend the mandate or to elect
new people to lead Puntland. The elders' conference had no time limit, but
was likely to last for at least a week, by which time they were expected
to announce their decision, a local source told IRIN. 

SOMALIA-ETHIOPIA: New hopes expressed over talks

A high-level delegation from the TNG of Somalia arrived in Addis Ababa on
Wednesday, to discuss bilateral issues with the Ethiopian government. The
nine-man delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minster Usman Jama, held
discussions with senior Ethiopian officials, including Foreign Minster
Seyoum Mesfin. Usman Jama told IRIN by telephone from Addis Ababa that the
talks were aimed at mending relations. "We expect to get from these talks
a real understanding of the each other's positions."  He said that the two
sides were striving to "correct past mistakes", and that they were being
held in a "different atmosphere". 

The TNG has repeatedly accused the Ethiopian government of undermining it,
including arming and backing factions opposed to it, and maintaining a
presence of Ethiopian troops in southern Somalia. It is a charge the
Ethiopian government has consistently denied, insisting that it has played
only a positive role in the Somali peace process.
 
ETHIOPIA: Former defence minister's bail revoked

Former Defence Minister Siye Abraha has had his bail revoked, after being
released by an Ethiopian court on 8 June. The decision was rescinded on 12
June, the pro-government Walta Information Centre (WIC) said on Tuesday.
Siye, leader of a dissident group within the dominant Tigray People's
Liberation Front (TPLF), was arrested late last month on corruption
charges along with 20 others, including his three brothers. He was granted
bail of 7,000 birr (US $850) last week by the first criminal bench of the
Federal First Instance Court, news agencies reported.

The court rescinded its decision after an appeal against the bail by the
Federal Police Investigation Coordination Main Section. The court's new
decision will stand pending another ruling by the Federal High Court, WIC
said.

ETHIOPIA: University students leave classes

Students at Addis Ababa University are the leaving the university campus
following attempts by university-authorities to end a two month-old class
boycott, the BBC said on Tuesday. Students said they were leaving campus
because their demands had not been met, the BBC said. Students at the
university returned to campus in early May after protests led to violent
riots in April. Although the students had been persuaded to return to
campus, class attendance had been minimal since April, the report said.
The university administration warned that students may face expulsion if
they left the campus, but the students countered that this crisis could
lead to more student protests unless satisfactorily resolved, the BBC
said. 

Among the recent demands is one for a two-week extension of the academic
year to make up for the time lost during the riots. The students are also
demanding the release of some students who were arrested during the April
riots and remain in detention. The students said they were fed up with the
lack of response to their demands from the government, the BBC said. 

ERITREA: Two ministers dismissed

The ministers of trade and industry and of maritime resources were
dismissed from the cabinet on 8 June, Eritrean radio, monitored by the
BBC, reported on 8 June. The two ministers, respectively Haile Woldetensae
and Petros Solomon, were among 15 senior ruling party officials who signed
a letter critical of President Isayas Afewerki last week. The Eritrean
government spokesman, Yemane Ghebremeskel, on 9 June denied that the
dismissals had anything to do with criticising the president. "Reshuffling
is part of a normal process of government," AFP quoted him as saying.
Yemane added, however, that "if you are part of the government, you cannot
publicly criticise its policies. Either you're part of the policy or
you're out," he told said.

To replace the dismissed ministers, Giorgis Teklemikael was appointed
trade and industry minister and Ahmad Haji Ali maritime resources
minister, Eritrean radio reported. A regional analyst said that Eritrea
was suffering "post-war political upheavals", since suffering defeat in
the two-year Ethiopian-Eritrean border war.

ERITREA: Senior party official jailed over corruption

A member of the central committee of the ruling People's Front for
Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) was jailed for corruption by a special court,
Eritrean radio, monitored by the BBC, reported on 8 June. The former
Eritrean ambassador to China, Ermias Debesay, known as Papayo, was
sentenced to seven years for "theft, embezzlement and abuse of power". The
accused was reported to have opened three bank accounts, respectively in
Singapore, Hong Kong and Britain, totalling more than US $1.2 million. 
The money had now been returned to the government, said the radio. 

ERITREA: Returnees face water problems

More than 10,500 refugees have returned to the Gash Barka Region of
southwestern Eritrea since UNHCR began a repatriation operation from Sudan
on 12 May. UNHCR spokesman Kris Janowski said most of the returnees who
fled the recent Eritrea-Ethiopian conflict had been able to regain their
land and homes, but some had approached UNHCR and Eritrean authorities for
assistance in rehabilitating damaged homes. Some 62,000 refugees are
expected to be brought from neighbouring Sudan back to Eritrea by the end
of the year, according to UNHCR. Refugees who had chosen to return to Gash
Barka after decades of exile in Sudan were being allocated land by local
authorities. Where available, families had received up to two hectares of
arable land in the area, which is the breadbasket of Eritrea, UNHCR said.

Returnees said their biggest problem was water, as the region had been
affected one of the worst droughts in years. UNHCR said it was working
with the Eritrean Relief and Refugee Commission to repair or expand water
sources in the southwest. 

Nairobi, 15 June 2001


[IRIN-HOA: Tel: +254 2 622147 Fax: +254 2 622129 e-mail:  
irin-hoa@ocha.unon.org]


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Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2001


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