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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Fax: +254 2 622129
e-mail: irin@ocha.unon.org


HORN OF AFRICA
IRIN-HOA Weekly Round-up 45
7 - 13 July 2001


CONTENTS:

HORN OF AFRICA: New regional plan for food security
SOMALIA: Over 25 killed in Mogadishu clan fighting
SOMALIA: Somalia takes its seat at the OAU summit
SOMALIA: OAU condemns faction leaders
SOMALIA: Security Council tells factions to stop fighting
SOMALIA: MSF withdraws from SACB over "neutrality"
SUDAN: Government and opposition ready to talk peace
SUDAN: Senior US official talks peace with Garang 
SUDAN: Foreign minister says US role "vital" for peace 
SUDAN: Raga depopulated after fighting, bombings
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA: Leaders complain to UN Secretary-General
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA: Map is "the best" option
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA: Border bridge reopened
ETHIOPIA: April riots detainees released


HORN OF AFRICA: New regional plan for food security

In a new attempt to tackle hunger in the disaster-prone Horn of Africa
region, government experts and international aid organisations have vowed
to move forward a UN-sponsored initiative to develop country-based and
regional food-security strategies. These would aim to boost investment in
the drive to reduce poverty, seen as being at the root of many of the
problems facing the region. In a World Bank-convened meeting between 2 and
4 July in Nairobi, Kenya, participants were told that of the 160 million
people living in the Horn of Africa, more than 40 percent were
undernourished.  With serious drought occurring every three to four years,
herds of livestock had been devastated and traditional ways of life
undermined.  Large numbers of pastoralists had become stranded in relief
camps, or were living in rough shelters on the fringes of urban centres.

The meeting was the culmination of work by a high-level task force formed
by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the height of last year's drought
emergency in the Horn. A report entitled "The elimination of food
insecurity in the Horn of Africa"  calls for, among other things, major
new investments, regional food-security policies, and national
food-security teams to be built by governments. [For more details see IRIN
Focus - Fighting the hunger war]

IRIN Horn of Africa Web Special:"Struggling with the legacy of drought" -
looks at the problems faced by communities and countries after prolonged
regional drought in Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia and Sudan.  
This Web Special is a region-wide look at the devastating effects of
drought, and the strategies being designed to break the cycle of disaster,
and help recovery.[See:  
http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/webspecials/drought/index.phtml]

SOMALIA: Over 25 killed in Mogadishu clan fighting

Over 25 people were killed and more than 30 wounded when fighting erupted
in north Mogadishu in the Suq-Ba'ad market, the second largest in city, on
Thursday, local sources told IRIN. The fighting was between the Warsangeli
and Wa'asle sub-clans of the main Abgal clan, Awil Hashi, a Mogadishu
resident said. It started at around 1100 a.m. local time, but gained in
intensity at around 1400, with both sides using hundreds of militia and
battle-wagons, he said. Part of the Suq-Ba'ad Market was burned down and
many residents were fleeing the area. The death toll is likely to rise
once the fighting subsides and people start counting.

The fighting was started by the revenge killing of two Warsangeli
businessmen in the market area by suspected Wa'asle militia early on
Thursday morning, Hashi told IRIN. "There has been some bad blood between
these two sub-clans for some time," he said. A Wa'asle businessman was
reportedly killed last week by the Warsangeli. The fighting, however, has
its roots in a dispute between the two sub-clans over the running of
El-Ma'an beach port, in north Mogadishu, which was normally controlled by
the two groups, but was currently under the Warsangeli, Hashi said.

On Thursday evening the recently formed Mogadishu Police reportedly
intervened, and the fighting died down as darkness fell, sources said. Two
police officers were wounded when the police came under attack from the
combatants, they said. "There is no fighting going on this morning", but
the area remained tense, Hashi told IRIN on Friday.

SOMALIA: Somalia takes its seat at the OAU summit

Somalia has officially taken its seat at the Organisation of African Unity
(OAU) summit for the first time in 11 years. A Somali delegation headed by
interim Somali President Abdiqassim Salad Hassan arrived in Lusaka,
Zambia, on 8 July, and was welcomed by Zambian President Fredrick Chiluba,
Ambassador Muhammad Warsame Kimiko, a member of the Somali delegation,
told IRIN. The OAU has granted Somalia a temporary and exceptional
exemption from sanctions, according to a decision reached by the 13th
ordinary session of the committee of ambassadors of the OAU held in Lusaka
on 2 July. The OAU said that Somalia, which had just returned to the OAU
fold, would enjoy the exemption until the opening of the 75th ordinary
session of the Council of Ministers, on the condition it submitted a
rescheduling plan and started paying assessed contributions.

Meanwhile, members of the opposition Somali Reconciliation and Restoration
Council (SRRC) had condemned the OAU for recognising the TNG, AFP said on
6 July. The SRRC brings together most of the southern factions opposed to
the TNG. In a statement issued in Lusaka, the SRRC said: "We strongly
protest against the move... It will provoke political complications of the
Somali crisis." The SRRC described the recognition of the TNG by the OAU
as "illegal and... a violation of the aspirations of the Somali people",
AFP said.

SOMALIA: OAU condemns faction leaders

The OAU subsequently condemned the Somali faction leaders for impeding
peace efforts in Somalia. According to a statement issued on Monday, the
74th ordinary session of the OAU council of ministers "strongly condemns
the warlords who persist in their stubbornness in blocking the peace
efforts in Somalia". The council reiterated its commitment to the "unity,
territorial integrity and sovereignty of Somalia". It also called on the
TNG to intensify its efforts to bring about comprehensive and lasting
national reconciliation, and expressed concern over the continuing
insecurity and prevalence of acts of violence in the country, especially
in Mogadishu.

The council requested the OAU secretary-general to work closely with the
Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the Arab League, the
Organisation of Islamic Conference and the wider international community
on continuing to support the TNG's efforts to promote reconciliation and
reconstruction in Somalia.

SOMALIA: Security Council tells factions to stop fighting

The United Nations Security Council has called on Somali factions to lay
down their weapons and engage in peaceful dialogue with the TNG, the
current Council President, Ambassador Wang Yingfan of China, said on
Wednesday. "Council members reiterate their call on neighbouring states to
refrain from any action that will be detrimental to the peace, including
political dialogue and national reconciliation." Council members
underlined the importance of the of full implementation of the arms
embargo on Somalia, said a statement.

The Council expressed support for the OAU's stance on Somalia, and
reaffirmed that country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Council
members strongly urged the IGAD countries, especially those neighbouring
Somalia, as well as other interested states, to coordinate their efforts
in support of the peace process. The Council members noted with concern
the situation in Somalia and urged the international community to help its
vulnerable population, "including by making contributions to a UN fund".

SOMALIA: MSF withdraws from SACB over "neutrality"

All sections of the international medical aid organisation Medicins sans
Frontieres (MSF) have withdrawn from the inter-agency Somali Aid
Coordination Body (SACB), citing fears that humanitarian neutrality has
been compromised. In a statement released on Wednesday, MSF said it saw
"the trend within the SACB to - sometimes publicly - affirm and support
peace-building through the support to [the] Transitional National
Government as a threat to the neutrality of humanitarian assistance, and
understands [it] is not the humanitarian agencies' role to strengthen any
administration".

According to the organisation, the SACB's mandate to "provide policy and
operational coordination for rehabilitation and development activities"  
has led some SACB actors to be increasingly involved in peace-building
efforts. The statement said that, with a view to recent political
developments, MSF saw peace-building activities by humanitarian
organisations as "a threat to the basic principle of neutrality and
impartiality in providing assistance to people in need... which could
limit access". The agency said it had tried to "reverse this trend within
the SACB", but without satisfactory results. It said it would like to
continue to work in Somalia "in a spirit of cooperation with other
actors", and would continue to liaise with the technical health working
groups... "where direct return to the beneficiaries is felt".

SUDAN: Government and opposition ready to talk peace

The Khartoum government is preparing to take part in a peace conference
with opposition groups after both sides accepted a joint Egyptian-Libyan
proposal designed to end the country's 18-year civil war. Sudanese
newspaper 'Al-Ra'y al-Amm' quoted political sources as saying that a
preliminary meeting was being arranged between Sudanese President Umar
al-Bashir and the leader of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA),
Muhammad al-Mirghani.

Pagan Amum, secretary-general of the NDA, an umbrella grouping of southern
rebels and northern opposition factions, was quoted as telling AFP: "We've
accepted the initiative. Of course, acceptance means a readiness to go to
such a conference."

At the end of a two-day visit to Khartoum, Egyptian Prime Minister Atif
Ubayd on 8 July urged all sides to start work to towards carrying out the
plan, and underlined the importance of an immediate ceasefire in the
south. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Mahir was quoted by AFP as saying
he was already studying "arrangements for holding a conference for
reconciliation for Sudan".

Although the NDA has endorsed the joint Egyptian-Libyan memorandum, it
wants to add the principle of self-determination for southerners, AFP
reported. For many southern Sudanese, self-determination would be expected
to mean effective secession from the north. However, during a visit to the
southern town of Juba on 5 July, Bashir was quoted by the government-owned
'Al-Anba' newspaper as saying that self-determination would result in a
united Sudan and not the secession of southern Sudan.

SUDAN: Senior US official talks peace with Garang

A senior United States official has held talks with John Garang, leader of
the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), to outline the US
government's policy towards Sudan, Associated Press (AP) reported. Walter
Kansteiner, US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, was
quoted as saying on Wednesday that he had had a "get-to-know-you meeting"  
with Garang, and that there "seemed to be some receptivity" from the rebel
leader to the US's approach to bringing peace to Sudan.

Kansteiner told reporters in Nairobi that the review of US policy towards
Sudan had been completed, and the conclusion had been reached that the US
needed to become more involved. "It [the US] needs to be engaged to pursue
peace," he said. "We are going to have to talk to all belligerents, as
well as the neighbours."

SUDAN: Foreign minister says US role "vital" for peace

The Sudanese foreign minister has called on the US government to take a
leading role in the search for peace in Sudan. Mustafa Uthman Isma'il told
a press conference on Thursday that a constructive and positive role for
the US was "vital" to ending the country's 18-year civil war. "I can
assure you that if we had a fair, constructive [US] administration we
could see cessation of hostilities, we could see peaceful settlement to
the problem of the south," Isma'il said on a visit to the Kenyan capital,
Nairobi. He urged the US government to adopt a "constructive, neutral
policy", and to encourage the SPLM/A to accept a ceasefire. Isma'il
asserted the Khartoum government was prepared to accept an immediate
ceasefire agreement: "If you are going to ask are you going to be ready to
accept ceasefire tomorrow, my answer is yes," he said.

Isma'il admitted that government aircraft were continuing bombing raids on
territory disputed with the SPLM/A. He said resumption of the raids
following a suspension in May had been restricted to areas where forces
loyal to Khartoum were fighting the SPLA. "In Bahr al-Ghazal, where we
have active engagement between the SPLA forces and the Sudan government,
we [have] started the aerial bombardment," he said. An SPLM/A spokesman
told IRIN on 12 June that there had never been a halt to the air strikes,
claiming that there had been at least 11 air attacks on civilian targets
during the ceasefire period.

SUDAN: Raga depopulated after fighting, bombings

Raga town in western Bahr al-Ghazal has been bombed continuously since 2
June, when it was captured from government troops by the SPLM/A, the WFP
reported this week. A security assessment in late June by Operation
Lifeline Sudan (OLS) estimated that only 10,000 of a population,
previously estimated at about 40,000, remained in the town, WFP stated in
its June report for the southern sector of humanitarian operations in
Sudan. In addition to Raga, several other locations in the region had been
bombed, resulting in much of the area being inaccessible to OLS
operations, it said. Several areas in great need of humanitarian
assistance - such as Marial Bai, Nyamlell and Bararud - were added to the
list of areas denied government flight access last month, WFP stated this
week.

Reacting to a large increase in the number of internally displaced people
in Bahr al-Ghazal as a result of fighting associated with an SPLA
offensive in June, WFP distributed 2,598 (115 percent of the amount
planned under the annual needs assessment) to just over 241,000
beneficiaries in northern Bahr al-Ghazal, the agency stated. In Aweil
West, meanwhile, over 150,000 targeted beneficiaries could not be accessed
due to insecurity or flight denials. The use of alternative airstrips in
areas cleared by the government for aid flights was being considered by
OLS, according to WFP.

ETHIOPIA-ERITREA: Leaders complain to UN Secretary-General

During the OAU meeting in Lusaka, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan met the
leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea. During talks with Annan, Ethiopian Prime
Minister Meles Zenawi complained that Eritrea had been deploying its
regular army in violation of the Algiers peace accord, the official
Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) said on Tuesday. Meles warned that Eritrea
would "bear full responsibility for the instability and tension that would
take place in the region", ENA said. It said Meles also discussed with
Annan the issue of opening direct flight routes between Addis Ababa and
Asmara to facilitate the needs of the peacekeeping forces. Meles
"reassured the Secretary-General that the peacekeeping forces can use any
route of their choice, except one route that the Ethiopia government
considers sensitive to its national security", ENA said. Ethiopia has
asked for a small deviation from the most direct route between the two
capitals, while Eritrea has asked the UN to stick with the direct route.

Eritrean President Isayas Afewerki also held talks with the
Secretary-General, and complained that Ethiopia was hindering the peace
process. Isayas said that while Eritrea had accepted the establishment of
the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) on the disputed border, Ethiopia was
obstructing implementation of the security agreement by refusing to issue
"the required information on the mines it had left inside Eritrean
territory", official Eritrean radio said on Tuesday. "Regarding the
deployment of militia and police, he said that since they are being
deployed inside Eritrean sovereign territory, it is not of any concern to
any other group," Eritrean radio said.

ETHIOPIA-ERITREA: Map is "the best" option

The final version of a map produced by the UN of the TSZ is a compromise,
based on information from both parties to the conflict, the UN Mission in
Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) has said. In parallel briefings to the press
in Addis Ababa and Asmara on 6 July, UNMEE said the final version of the
map was "the best we are going to get". It said the map was a guidance on
what was expected from both sides in the establishment of the TSZ, but had
no bearing on the outcome of the work of the Boundary Commission. "When
the Boundary Commission finishes its work, there will be an independent
judgement on where the boundary between the two countries lies... This map
will apply to ensure that peace has the best chance while we await the
umpires' decision." Both Ethiopia and Eritrea have rejected the map.

ETHIOPIA-ERITREA: Border bridge reopened

A strategic bridge over the Mereb river on the disputed common border was
reopened on 7 July, UNMEE said. The bridge traverses river between the
towns of Rama in Ethiopia and Adi Kwala in Eritrea. During the two-year
war, a six-metre span of the bridge was destroyed, causing difficulties in
crossing the river for Dutch peacekeepers patrolling the area. "The
mandate of UNMEE is to keep two armies apart, but underlying this is a
desire to bring two peoples together. How better to symbolise this than a
bridge?" Ian Martin, UNMEE's Officer-in-Charge and Deputy Special
Representative of the Secretary-General, said at the reopening ceremony.

The government of the Netherlands had donated a prefabricated Bailey
bridge to UNMEE for the purpose, which Indian and Slovak peacekeepers had
"worked day and night" to install it before the rainy season started, the
statement said. The ceremony was attended by UNMEE Force Commander Maj-Gen
Patrick Cammaert, the Netherlands ambassador to Eritrea and the
Netherlands charge d'affaires to Ethiopia. Also present were senior
officials from Ethiopia and Eritrea, and the Organisation of African
Unity.

ETHIOPIA: April riots detainees released

Ethiopian authorities have released people detained in connection with
April's student riots, the pro-government Walta Information Centre
reported on 6 July. According to Walta, the Addis Ababa police commission
on 4 July released 107 people who had been in custody since the riots took
place. The head of the commission's legal service department, Sisay
Tadese, said a further 150 detainees had been released on bail by the
Kewit District Court of North Shewa. The same court rejected bail
applications from 16 people. All the detainees had been held on suspicion
of involvement in the riots. Over 30 people died and more than 250 were
injured on 17 and 18 April when police clashed with student demonstrators
and rioters in Addis Ababa.
 
Nairobi, 13 July 2001


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