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

Tel: +254 2 622147
Fax: +254 2 622129
e-mail: irin@ocha.unon.org


HORN OF AFRICA
IRIN-HOA Weekly Round-up 57
29 September - 6 October 2001


CONTENTS:

ETHIOPIA-ERITREA: Security Council expresses concern
ERITREA: Italy expels Eritrean ambassador
ETHIOPIA: Meles outlines development policy
SOMALIA: Value of shilling falls steeply
SUDAN: Government drops case against Turabi


ETHIOPIA-ERITREA: Security Council expresses concern

The United Nations Security Council has expressed concern over the
increasing difficulties the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea
(UNMEE) is experiencing in its operations in the buffer zone between the
two countries. In a press statement issued by Security Council President
Richard Ryan, the Council called on both parties to engage in constructive
dialogue to facilitate UNMEE's work. Of particular concern to the Council
was the continued failure of both countries to open an air corridor
between their capitals, Addis Ababa and Asmara. Last month the Council
called on both parties to completely demilitarise the buffer zone, and
expressed regret that despite the ongoing peace process the two sides
remained terribly polarised and reluctant to engage in bilateral dialogue.
The UNMEE mandate was extended last month until 15 March 2002, partly
because of these continuing differences.

ERITREA: Italy expels Eritrean ambassador

The Italian foreign ministry has given the Eritrean ambassador to Italy 72
hours to leave the country in an apparent tit-for-tat expulsion. The
announcement follows the Eritrean government's expulsion, earlier this
week, of the Italian ambassador to Eritrea, AFP reported on Tuesday. The
expulsion of Tsegai Mogos came just hours after Antonio Bandini left his
ambassadorial post in Eritrea on the orders of the Eritrean foreign
ministry. The Eritrean government was reportedly angered by a statement
that Bandini, who also held the position of the European Union (EU)
representative to Eritrea, had submitted on behalf of the EU protesting
against recent political arrests and the indefinite closure of the
country's independent press.

In announcing Tsegai's expulsion, the Italian foreign ministry also said
that the EU would be revising its existing trade and development
agreements with Eritrea. "The European Union emphasises that the expulsion
of the EU representative seriously compromises relations with Eritrea,"
the statement said. Last month Eritrea appealed for US $200 million in
foreign aid to pay for its demobilization and reintegration programme,
designed to help the country deal with the aftermath of its two-year
border war with Ethiopia. Italy is the largest single foreign donor to
Eritrea, its former colony.

Expelled Italian envoy departs

The Italian ambassador to Eritrea has left the country following his
expulsion by the Eritrean foreign ministry, the Eritrean government said
in a statement on Tuesday. Antonio Bandini, who also served as the EU
representative to Eritrea, left the country on Monday. The statement said
the decision to expel Bandini had been taken in response to "the
activities of the ambassador that were not compatible with his diplomatic
functions". It went on to stress that the expulsion was directed at the
diplomat alone, "and should not otherwise have a bearing on the close and
historical ties of partnership with Italy and other EU member states".

Bandini's expulsion was ordered on 28 September shortly after he led a
delegation of EU diplomats to deliver a statement protesting againstrecent
political arrests and the indefinite closure of the country's independent
press by the Eritrean authorities. In the letter, the EU criticised
Eritrea for human rights violations following the arrests. Semere Russom,
the director of European affairs at the Eritrean foreign ministry, told
the BBC, however, that Bandini's expulsion was a personal matter and was
not linked to the presentation of the EU statement.

"Eritrea's historic relations and ties of friendship with Italy should not
be affected. It is not about Italy and Eritrea, it is about one man," said
Russom.

Ambassador to EU defects

Eritrea's ambassador to the EU has resigned from his post and fled to the
United States, the Eritrean government said in a press statement on
Monday. The statement said that Dr Tesfai Girmatsion, who had served as
ambassador to the EU since January 2001, had left his post "without prior
notification to the government or giving any reason as regards his
action". He "simply wrote a short note on 29 August informing the
government of Eritrea about his resignation", before flying to the US. The
government accused the ambassador of attending meetings of dissident
groups in New York, and conducting "damaging campaigns against the
government he was supposed to represent", said the statement. Political
dissent has been growing in Eritrea since May when 15 prominent members of
the ruling People's Front for Democracy and Justice signed an open letter
critical of President Isayas Afewerki's allegedly autocratic style of
government.

Prominent businessman arrested

Tewelde Tesfamariam, better known as Wedi Bacaro, one of the wealthiest
men in Eritrea, was reportedly arrested by the authorities, the opposition
web site Awate.com reported on 27 September. Tesfamariam is part-owner of
the Asmara Intercontinental Hotel and also owns the Red Sea resort of
Gurgusum, among other business interests, said Awate. Eritrean sources
told IRIN that they "believe the reports of Tesfamariam's arrest". His
arrest follows a spate of arrests of reformers, journalists and students
perceived as being opposed to the government. It is unclear whether
Tesfamariam's arrest was connected to the previous arrests, the sources
said. He had not yet been charged with any crime, said Awate. In another
development, the Eritrean government reportedly dismissed Shaykh Al-Amin
Uthman al-Amin, the Mufti of Eritrea, Awate reported on 27 September. The
Mufti, who is the highest religious authority of Eritrean Muslims, is a
government appointee, according to Awate.

Dissident plans to return

One of the three members of the Eritrean opposition group which was in the
US when 11 other members of the group were arrested in Eritrea last month,
has announced that he will return to Asmara. Mesfin Hagos, a former
defence minister, said that he would return to Eritrea despite the fear of
arrest, the BBC reported on Wednesday. In an open letter posted on the
Asmarino website, Mesfin said he would be returning "as a nationalist and
a citizen", but with "the concern that I will lose my liberty". Mesfin,
who currently has no travel papers, because his diplomatic passport was
withdrawn by the Eritrean government following the arrest of his
colleagues, gave no date for his return to Eritrea.

Hagos is one of 15 former senior members of the Eritrean government who
were sacked in May after writing an open letter critical of Eritrean
President Isayas Aferwerki's style of leadership. In his letter issued
this week Mesfin launched fresh criticism of Isayas, whom he accused of
"becoming an old-fashioned dictator, who reacts to any form of criticism
with arbitrary, cruel and excessive measures". Mesfin said his colleagues
had been arrested, because "they dared to challenge his dictatorial,
unpredictable and arrogant behaviour". Last month Eritrean authorities
ordered the indefinite shutdown of the country's independent press, and
arrested at least nine of its journalists. Last week the Italian
ambassador was expelled from Eritrea.

ETHIOPIA: Meles outlines development policy

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said on Friday that although the
country would not abandon its agriculture-led development plan, the
Ethiopian government would in future attach more importance to industrial
and urban development than it had done in previous years. He said one of
Ethiopia's main priorities for achieving this goal would be to promote the
inflow of foreign investment while sourcing new markets for Ethiopian
exports, the pro-government Walta Information Centre reported on 28
September. Meles admitted to local journalists that it had become evident
that the government was not functioning as required, and announced a
series of reform measures designed to correct these faults, Ethiopian
radio reported.

Meles said there would be a separation of political and civil service
positions to enable professional government employees to carry out their
duties free from political intervention, and that promotion within the
ranks of the civil service would henceforth depend on efficiency and
professionalism. Meles said preparations were under way to amend
Ethiopia's penal and civil codes. He also said the government would embark
on a new campaign to publicise its policies. "The dream to bring
development in Ethiopia will be realised when the citizens are aware of
the socioeconomic and political policies and directives of their country,"
he said.

British Airways begins flights to Addis Ababa

British Airways has announced that it is to begin operating flights from
its base in London to the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. The inaugural
flight was scheduled to leave London on Thursday afternoon, AFP reported
on Thursday. At a time when airlines around the world are reducing routes,
British Airways says that it will now fly twice weekly from London to
Addis Ababa. Flights will leave the British capital on Tuesdays and
Thursdays and will leave Addis Ababa on Tuesdays and Fridays.

SOMALIA: Value of shilling falls steeply

Between August 2000 and August 2001, the value of the Somali shilling in
Mogadishu dropped from Ssh 9,500 to Ssh 20,500 per US dollar, a
depreciation of nearly 116 per cent, while the value of the Somaliland
shilling in Hargeysa fell from SLsh 3,000 to SLsh 6,000 per US dollar - a
fall of 100 percent. In a report on the subject on Tuesday, the
USAID-funded Famine Early Warning System (FEWS) network noted that "this
is the sharpest annual drop in the value of the Somali/Somaliland shilling
in the last six years".

FEWS attributed the deterioration of the shilling to a "massive injection"
of counterfeit banknotes into the main markets of southern and
northeastern Somalia in 2001. The situation brought about in this way was
then made worse by the ban on livestock imports from Somalia imposed by
the Gulf countries in September 2000, which is estimated to have cost the
country hard currency earnings estimated at US $120 million. Meanwhile,
confidence in the currency also waned as the result of the hardening of
the attitude of faction leaders opposed to the Transitional National
Government (TNG) in Mogadishu and strengthening their unity through the
formation of the Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council.

The effect on commodities of the shilling's nose dive is that their prices
have doubled, along with those of fuel and fares. "Reliable reports from
Somalia/Somaliland indicate that many small businesses (bakeries, teashops
etc) were forced to shut down because - on one hand - the owners were not
able to buy the imported commodities with hard currencies - and on the
other hand - consumers were not able to buy expensive goods," the FEWS
report said. Hardest hit by the devaluation of the currency, according to
FEWS, are the urban poor and internally displaced people living around the
main towns.

UN resumes flights

The United Nations announced on 29 September that it was resuming flights
to Somalia after a six-day hiatus provoked by the temporary loss of its
war-risk insurance. According to a press statement issued on 29 September
by the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Randolph Kent, the UN has
received the necessary insurance guarantees and resumed its flight
operations at the weekend. Kent said the first priority would be the
return of 45 essential personnel, who were withdrawn from Somalia last
week following the loss of insurance cover.

"We are delighted to have resolved this issue so quickly and get our
people back on the ground where they are needed," said Kent. "Our main
concern is to ensure that we continue assisting those in need and be ready
to respond to current drought and food insecurity." The UN employs more
than 560 national staff, who have been managing the UN programme in
Somalia in the absence of its international staff members. The UN has in
recent months sought to increase its presence in Somalia so as to provide
more emergency relief and extend existing development programmes. As many
as 1,000 UN and NGO staff travel every month to Somalia on board UN
flights.

Djibouti ambassador presents credentials

The new ambassador of Djibouti to Somalia presented his credentials to the
president of the TNG, Abdiqassim Salad Hassan, on Monday, a Somali foreign
ministry official told IRIN. Ambassador Isma'il Guleyn Budi, who arrived
on Saturday, the next day paid a courtesy call on the foreign ministry,
where he met the deputy foreign minister, said the ministry's acting
permanent secretary, Ambassador Abdisalam Haji Liban. Even though the TNG
has been recognised by a number of countries, Djibouti was the first to
send a full ambassador, and it was also the first time in 11 years that a
Somali president had received the credentials of an ambassador, sources
told IRIN.

Kenyan ship and crew still being held

A Kenyan-registered ship and its crew hijacked off the northeastern coast
of Somalia in late July is still being held by its captors, a local
journalist told IRIN on Thursday. The ship, the MV Bihari, is being held
in the coastal town of Eyl, 150 km southeast of Garowe, the capital of the
self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia. The
captors are reportedly demanding US $700,000, while Somali representatives
of the owners are offering US $500,000, said Adan Abdirahman Dolar, editor
of the Garowe-based 'Nugal Times'. Dolar said the captors were also
insisting on keeping the ship's consignment of lobsters, fish and shark
fins, "which probably is worth more than the ransom".

In another development the Mombasa-based Seafarer's Assistance Programme
(SAP), said it was worried about the safety of 17 Kenyan fishermen who are
among the ship's crew of 32, the Kenyan newspaper 'Daily Nation' reported
on Thursday. SAP was concerned that the US might carry out attacks against
Somalia in response to the 11 September terror mounted by alleged Islamic
extremists, which would put the lives of the Kenyans at risk, said the
'Daily Nation'. Among organisations whose assets were frozen by the US
government, is the Somalia-based Al-Ittihad Al-Islami group. The SAP
called for immediate intervention by the Kenyan government, reported the
newspaper.

SUDAN: Government drops case against Turabi

Sudanese President Umar Hasan al-Bashir has suspended legal action against
opposition leader Hasan al-Turabi and four of his colleagues, news
agencies reported on Monday. Bashir was quoted as saying that he was
suspending the cases against the Popular National Congress (PNC) officials
and would release all, "except those who the country's supreme interest
necessitates their continued detention". Turabi, however, was kept in
"precautionary detention" under the National Security Act, which could
keep the radical Islamist scholar in detention for another four months,
AFP said.

The five men had been in detention since February facing charges of
attempting to undermine the constitution and waging war against the state,
crimes punishable by death in Sudan, AFP said. The charges were brought
after Turabi's PNC signed a memorandum of understanding with the rebel
Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army, which undertook to step up
"peaceful popular resistance" in Sudan. Turabi helped Bashir seize power
in a bloodless coup d'etat in 1989. However, following a power struggle,
Bashir dismissed Turabi from his post as parliamentary speaker in December
2000, and expelled him from the ruling National Congress party several
months later.

UN lifts diplomatic sanctions

The United Nations Security Council on Friday voted to lift the diplomatic
sanctions imposed on Sudan five years ago. Following a Security Council
meeting, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said it had been important for
the Council to lift the sanctions, thereby "sending the message that it
can impose sanctions, but it can also suspend and lift [them], if the
conditions they sought to correct have been amended". The resolution to
remove the restrictions was adopted by the 15-member Council with 14 votes
in favour, and one abstention from the US.

The sanctions, imposed in 1996 to force Sudan to hand over suspects in an
assassination attempt on Egyptian President Husni Mubarak, required all
states to reduce Sudanese diplomatic representation on their territory,
and to restrict the entry of Sudanese government officials. In its
statement on lifting the sanctions, the Council noted Sudan's recent
efforts to combat terrorism, and its accession to two conventions for the
elimination of terrorist activities: the 1997 International Convention for
the Suppression of Terrorism and the 1999 International Convention for the
Suppression of Financing Terrorism. Explaining the decision to abstain in
the vote, the US ambassador to the UN, James Cunningham, said the suspects
had not been turned over to the appropriate authorities, but added that
"they were no longer in Sudan". Annan said Egypt, on whose behalf the
sanctions were imposed, and Ethiopia, where the assassination attempt took
place, had supported lifting the sanctions.

The Sudanese government in a statement welcomed the lifting of the
sanctions. "The decision was the fruit of a realistic policy by the
government for cooperation with the international community," the
statement said. Khartoum's close observance of the sanctions had
"convinced the world of the Sudan's sincere efforts for maintaining
international peace and security", it added.

US sanctions remain in place

The US said on 28 September that it would continue to impose restrictions
on Sudan despite the UN Security Council's decision on Friday to lift its
five year-old sanctions, news agencies reported. "The United States
continues to maintain its bilateral sanctions against Sudan," AFP quoted
US State Department spokesman Ari Fleischer as saying.

Following Friday's Security Council decision, Sudanese Foreign Minister
Mustafa Uthman Isma'il said he would now seek to persuade the US to lift
its sanctions against Sudan and play an active role in ending the
country's 18-year civil war. "The Sudan will now seek, through diplomatic
means, to regain its rights with the regional and international
institutions and to have the remaining unilateral and multilateral
sanctions removed," he was quoted as saying by AFP.

The US abstained in Friday's Security Council vote lifting the sanctions,
making it the only member of the 15-member Council not to vote in favour.
Unlike the recently lifted UN sanctions, which were largely symbolic, US
economic sanctions prevent any business dealings between the US and Sudan,
the BBC said.

Although Washington says the Khartoum government has been cooperating with
intensified US efforts to combat terrorism following the 11 September
attacks on New York and Washington, Sudan remains on a list of seven
countries the US accuses of sponsoring terrorism. "They've provided
information on the past doings of terrorist groups in Sudan, they've
recently apprehended extremists who might threaten people there," the BBC
quoted US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher as saying. Boucher
added, however, that Sudan still needed to do more before sanctions were
lifted, and said Washington would continue to "work with Sudan and
pressure Sudan to take those kinds of steps".


distributed by
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Center for International Disaster Information
Volunteers in Technical Assistance
                                          web: www.cidi.org
                                     listserv: www.cidi.org/listsub.htm
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Horn of Africa                   www.cidi.org/humanitarian/irin/hafrica