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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HORN OF AFRICA
IRIN-HOA Weekly Round-up 71
05 - 11 January 2002


CONTENTS:

SOMALIA: UN security assessment team to visit
SOMALIA: Ethiopia says it has no reason to deploy troops
SOMALIA: Situation in Mogadishu improving after weeks of insecurity
ETHIOPIA: Sudan opens port to Ethiopia
ETHIOPIA: Top bank officials charged with corruption
ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: Disagreement over venue delays MCC meeting
ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: Buffer zone calm and stable, UNMEE says
SUDAN: Nuba assessments "progressing well"
SUDAN: Peace adviser condemns rebel merger agreement

SOMALIA: UN security assessment team to visit

A United Nations team will visit Somalia next week to make a comprehensive
security assessment in the country as the UN looks to increase its
engagement there, according to a press statement released by the UN
Humanitarian Coordinator's office on Wednesday. During the visit, from 15
to 24 January, the seven-member team "will travel to as many parts of
Somalia as are accessible, and speak with as many authorities as possible"
with a view to obtaining a broad picture of current security conditions.
"There have been some positive political developments, resulting in
increasing stability in various areas of the country", the statement said.
This had prompted the UN system to focus on how UN staff could continue or
increase their level of commitment, given Somalia's political and military
dynamics.

The team will renew security guarantees for UN staff from the Transitional
National Government and other groups, and examine UN operations and
programmes and how they affect staff security. It will also review
operational engagement in Somalia, the statement said. Furthermore, the
mission will consider the need for access to strategic sites such as
airports and seaports. The statement added that since March 1995, UN
agencies have operated in Somalia from bases in Nairobi, Kenya, because of
widespread insecurity in the country.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday called for reconciliation and
rehabilitation in Somalia, saying these were among the Horn of Africa's
key concerns. In these respects, he urged Somali leaders to put aside
their differences. In a message to the Inter-Governmental Authority on
Development (IGAD) summit, which convened in the Sudanese capital Khartoum
on Thursday, Annan said that IGAD member countries and other states in the
region "can and must contribute constructively to peace efforts" in
Somalia. "The United Nations will help Somalia heal its wounds and achieve
progress, including by way of the deployment of a post-conflict
peace-building mission should the security situation permit," he said.
"But no amount of goodwill, support and assistance on the part of the of
IGAD or the international community alone will bring about peace in
Somalia. Only Somalia's leaders can decide to end the suffering of their
people. They need to rise above their differences and put the interest of
the people of Somalia first and foremost." [Full report at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=18914&SelectRegion=Horn_of_Africa&SelectCountry=SOMALIA]

SOMALIA: Ethiopia says it has no reason to deploy troops

Ethiopia has denied deploying troops inside Somalia, saying it has no
reason to do so as Somalia can solve its problems alone. The denial comes
in the wake of allegations that Ethiopian military officers have been
training militia groups in the self-declared autonomous region of
Puntland, as well as in the Somali town of Baidoa. "Ethiopia has no reason
to deploy its troops inside Somalia, as it believes that a durable peace
can be achieved in that country only with the establishment of an
inclusive and broad-based Somali government," an Ethiopian foreign
ministry spokesman, Dena Mufti, told the Ethiopian News Agency. "The
Ethiopian government strongly believes the Somali people can solve their
internal problems by themselves without the intervention of a third
party."

The BBC earlier quoted eyewitnesses as saying some 300 Ethiopian troops
had arrived in Puntland, noting that Ethiopia had been supporting Somali
factions opposed to Somalia's Transitional National Government (TNG). A
local journalist in Puntland told IRIN that the troops, said to be in the
regional capital, Garowe, withdrew on Tuesday afternoon. He said they had
arrived in two batches.

The reports of a pull-out come at a time when there has been extensive
local and international media coverage of alleged Ethiopian troop
movements in Somalia, and as the IGAD summit gets under way in the
Sudanese capital, Khartoum. Both Somalia and Ethiopia are founding members
of IGAD. "The withdrawal may have been as a result of external pressure on
Ethiopia when their presence became just too public," diplomatic sources
said. Western diplomats told IRIN there were Ethiopians in Somalia, but
"it is not clear what they are doing". [Full report at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=18794&SelectRegion=Horn_of_Africa&SelectCountry=SOMALIA]

SOMALIA: Situation in Mogadishu improving after weeks of insecurity

The Mogadishu police have admitted there has been serious insecurity in
Mogadishu for the past three weeks, but said the situation is now
improving. The Mogadishu police chief, Abdi Hasan Awale Qeybdid, told IRIN
on Wednesday that restructuring and reorganisation had been going on
within the force, and it was now ready to carry out its tasks. "I now have
at my disposal over 3,000 officers to fight the crime wave," he said. He
said the police had on Wednesday "recovered four stolen vehicles, killed
two car-jackers, wounded one and arrested two". He vowed that the police
would defeat the criminals, but added that "we need the support of the
residents morally and materially".

Maryan Husayn Awreye of the Mogadishu-based Isma'il Jim'ale Human Rights
Centre told IRIN that there had been an increase in "robberies,
car-jackings and general banditry" in the city over the last three weeks.
"In the Monopolio market in north Mogadishu, business came to a standstill
because of insecurity," she said. As a result of the police clean-up
operation, businesses were slowly starting to operate again in the market.
She said the worst-affected area of Mogadishu was the southwestern Madina
district, where factional fighting broke out last month. [Full report at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=18640&SelectRegion=Horn_of_Africa&SelectCountry=SOMALIA]

ETHIOPIA: Sudan opens port to Ethiopia

Sudan has opened its seaport to Ethiopia for transporting goods and oil
into the landlocked country. Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi flew
into Sudan on Tuesday to inaugurate the opening of the port facilities and
a duty-free zone. The move is a significant breakthrough for Ethiopia,
which had been relying on Eritrea's Red Sea ports until their border war
broke out in May 1998. Ethiopia then turned to Djibouti, but merchants
complained about the price hikes on shipping freight through Djibouti.

Prime Minister Meles praised the cooperation between Ethiopia and Sudan,
adding that the two countries had created a "conducive atmosphere" for
improving economic relations. During his visit to Khartoum and Port Sudan
on the Red Sea, he was accompanied by Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir.
The two countries signed agreements for Ethiopia's use of the port, and a
new road is planned through the eastern Sudanese town of Gedaref.

During his stay, Meles became the first ever Ethiopian leader to visit the
Sudanese historical sites of Nagaq, Musawwarat and Bejrawia. The Sudanese
and Ethiopian leaders on Thursday joined five other heads of state at the
two-day IGAD summit. [Full report at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=18841&SelectRegion=Horn_of_Africa&SelectCountry=ETHIOPIA]

ETHIOPIA: Top bank officials charged with corruption

The government's anti-corruption commission has filed charges against 54
current and former officials of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE), as
well as a number of businessmen, according to The Reporter, a private
newspaper. The charges, brought by the Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption
Commission, accuse the CBE officials of "conspiring with the accused
business people to secure them unlawful loans amounting to over one
million birr [US $118,105]".

Among the accused CBE officials are its president, Tilahun Abay, executive
vice-president, Habteselase Hagos, and its former vice-presidents, Naser
Hasen, Alazar Dese and Hailu Legese. Some of the accused are already
facing other charges of corruption, The Reporter said.

Last August, it was reported that the State Bank of India would take over
management of the CBE. At the time, Tilahun Abay said the CBE - which is
publicly owned and Ethiopia's biggest bank - needed to modernise to cope
with possible future competition from foreign financial institutions.
[Full report at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=18593&SelectRegion=Horn_of_Africa&SelectCountry=ETHIOPIA]

ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: Disagreement over venue delays MCC meeting

A meeting of the Military Coordination Commission (MCC), due to be held on
10 January, has been delayed because Eritrea and Ethiopia disagree over
the venue. A spokesman for the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE),
Jean Victor Nkolo, told IRIN on Tuesday the issue was a minor one, and he
was confident that a common ground would be found. He hoped that the 11th
meeting of the MCC would go ahead later this month. "This is a technical
delay," he said. "The peace process is on track. It is not the MCC that is
in question, simply the venue of the meeting."

He listed possible locations as Nairobi, the Mereb River bridge or
Djibouti, where previous MCC meetings have been held. Neither had Asmara
and Addis Ababa been ruled out, he said. "If the meetings could be held in
the two capitals, this would be a further confidence-building measure at
this crucial time in the peace process," he pointed out.

This is not the first time that an MCC meeting has been delayed. There
have been three or four postponements in the past, and Nkolo said the
force commander, Maj-Gen Patrick Cammaert, was sparing no effort to
resolve the latest hitch. [Full report at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=18546&SelectRegion=Horn_of_Africa&SelectCountry=ERITREA-ETHIOPIA]

ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: Buffer zone calm and stable, UNMEE says

UNMEE has said the situation in the buffer zone between the two countries
is calm and stable, and reiterated there was no evidence of a troop
build-up. Nkolo told a press briefing in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, on
4 January that the peace process was on track and no specific difficulties
were envisaged over the next six months. Regarding freedom of movement for
the peacekeepers, he acknowledged this was a recurring problem. "We hope
that this will be resolved and that UNMEE peacekeepers will be given all
the freedom of movement that we need," he said. "However, we do not expect
that in the next six months we will face major difficulties due the lack
of freedom of movement... Nevertheless we continue to demand that this
freedom of movement be granted to us in an unrestricted manner."

UNMEE wants unrestricted freedom of movement in the areas adjacent to the
northern boundary of the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) to check on the
redeployment of forces. Eritrea's stance is that according to the peace
agreement of December 2000, UNMEE has freedom of movement within the 25-km
area of the TSZ. Extending the area would enlarge the buffer zone to 40 km
and encroach on Eritrea's sovereignty, which, Asmara says, is not part of
the agreement. But, Eritrea says, that with prior notification, UNMEE's
requests to visit adjacent areas can be met. [Full report at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=18402&SelectRegion=Horn_of_Africa&SelectCountry=ERITREA-ETHIOPIA]

SUDAN: Nuba assessments "progressing well"

A joint humanitarian assessment mission to the Nuba Mountains region of
Southern Kordofan State, south-central Sudan, by the Sudanese government's
Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC), the US Agency for International
Development (USAID) and other relief organisations was on Wednesday
reported to be going "very well" and nearing a finish. A complementary
multi-agency and multi-sectoral assessment to rebel-held areas of the Nuba
Mountains, coordinated by the United Nations, also got under way as
planned on Tuesday, according to aid workers. The assessment mission is
addressing agriculture, animal resources, health, education, water, roads
and food needs, prior to attending to the preparation of rehabilitation
and development plans for the areas involved.

After a visit to Sudan by the US peace envoy, John Danforth, in November,
the government of Sudan and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation
Movement/Army (SPLM/A) agreed on an internationally monitored cease-fire
to cover the Nuba Mountains, and to the immediate dispatch of a relief and
rehabilitation assessment mission to the region. The continuing
assessments in government- and rebel-held areas of the Nubas are in
fulfilment of that agreement, after a delay associated with planning and
logistical requirements, as well as the intervening Muslim fasting month
of Ramadan and the Christmas festival, according to humanitarian sources.

Danforth - who is leading a US effort to promote humanitarian access and
development in Sudan as an end in themselves and as a tool for renewed
peace efforts - is due to return to Sudan this month to gauge progress on
the government's and the SPLM/A's commitment to the Nuba agreement and
other proposals. [For full report see:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=18644&SelectRegion=East_Africa&SelectCountry=SUDAN]

SUDAN: Peace adviser condemns rebel merger agreement

The government's peace adviser, Dr Ghazi Salah al-Din al-Atabani, has
described as "a negative step" an agreement earlier this week by the
SPLM/A and the Sudan People's Defence Forces (SPDF) militia to merge and
conduct immediate military operations against government forces, Sudanese
official radio reported on Wednesday. In an interview with Republic of
Sudan Radio, Salah al-Din said this move, coming "at a time when the
government is working to bring about peace and when the IGAD peace summit
is being convened in Sudan", could affect the peace process, the report
stated.

The SPDF leader, Riek Machar, welcomed the agreement as "a new beginning"
for the combined rebel movement, which is to operate under the name
SPLM/SPLA and come under collective leadership, the Sudanese newspaper
Al-Ayyam reported on Tuesday. According to the newspaper, Machar said that
when he had severed ties with the SPLM/A in 1991, its goals were unclear,
but that they were clear now. Garang told the BBC that he did not believe
Machar's grouping would again sign its own peace deal with the Sudanese
government, as it did in 1997. That agreement collapsed three years later.
Machar belongs to the Nuer ethnic group, while Garang is a Dinka. Ethnic
rivalry was one of the reasons for the original split of the SPLM/A in
1991, after which Machar created his own rebel movement, according to
regional analysts.

In a news conference in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Monday, Garang and
Machar committed the merged movement to establishing a secular confederal
or federal, democratic New Sudan, on the basis that unity was "paramount
for the success of the liberation struggle". According to what the SPLM/A
and SPDF called their Nairobi Declaration on Monday, the merged rebel
movement reaffirmed the IGAD peace process and the Declaration of
Principles upon which it is based, as "the most credible peace process
that will bring about a just and lasting negotiated political settlement
in the Sudan". [Full report at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=18641&SelectRegion=East_Africa&SelectCountry=SUDAN]


IRIN-CEA
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