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HORN OF AFRICA
IRIN-HOA Weekly Round-up 80
09 - 15 March 2002


CONTENTS:

SUDAN: US gets agreement on attacks against civilians
SUDAN: EU urged to review proposed aid programme
SOMALIA: Parliament approves new cabinet
SOMALIA: Security Council debates reconciliation
SOMALIA: President starts tour of regions
ERITREA: US commander in talks on fighting terror
ERITREA: Protests against European resolution
ERITREA: Ireland to establish diplomatic ties
ETHIOPIA: Eritrean foreign minister in Addis Ababa
ETHIOPIA: EC gives funds to tackle meningitis
ETHIOPIA: Last jailed journalist freed
ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: Annan urges extension of peacekeeping mission
DJIBOUTI: Concern over humanitarian and environmental damage
DJIBOUTI: Over US $7 million for poverty reduction

ALSO SEE:

SUDAN: New focus on the scourge of land mines at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=25432

SUDAN: US gets agreement on attacks against civilians

The United States says it has secured agreement from the government of
Sudan and southern rebels to ensure the protection of civilians against
military attack. "We now have an agreement... that will permit, we hope,
more secure humanitarian activity in Sudan, and allow discussions on the
way forward in the peace process," the State Department spokesman, Richard
Boucher, said at a press briefing on Monday. According to Boucher,
agreement was reached with the Sudanese government last week, and the deal
was endorsed by the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A)
over the weekend.

The agreement is to be monitored by two teams of monitors: one, for the
north, in Khartoum, and the other in southern Sudan, probably near the
SPLM/A base in the town of Rumbek, Lakes (Buhayrat) State, United Press
International (UPI) quoted State Department officials as saying. "The
Sudanese government has agreed to an international monitoring mechanism to
assure that the agreement is complied with, and that will go forward as
well," Boucher said. The agreement opens the way for the US to resume
peace discussions with Khartoum, which Washington suspended in February
following an attack by a government of Sudan helicopter gunship on a
relief centre at the village of Bieh, western Upper Nile (Wahdah, or Unity
State), in which at least 24 people were killed (more than 47 met their
deaths, according to some reports).

The Sudanese government had offered an explanation and apology for the
attack, and efforts were now being made to prevent similar incidents,
according to Boucher. He said last week that the US had received a letter
from Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Uthman Isma'il in which the
Sudanese government acknowledged the tragedy at Bieh, and indicated
concrete steps it intended to take to ensure there was no repeat -
"including moving the approval process for all military flights to the
Khartoum military command". [Full report at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=24684]

SUDAN: EU urged to review proposed aid programme

The European Union (EU), recently urged by a southern grouping to
reconsider its aid policy on Sudan in light of the government attack on a
food relief centre at Bieh, said on Monday that development assistance had
not been restored to the country and that conditionality had been built
into proposals to do so. EU proposals on the progressive normalisation of
relations and restoration of development assistance would take place in
parallel with the continuing EU-Sudan political dialogue, according to
European Commission (EC) Delegate to Sudan Xavier Marchal. Marchal also
referred to an EC statement on the matter, which stated clearly that
"future developments are dependent on continuing good progress in the
political dialogue begun [with the Sudanese government] in 1999", and that
these would be reassessed later this year.

A grouping of eight southern Sudanese politicians recently urged the EU to
reassess its aid policy in light of the 20 February attack on Bieh, as
well as the general human rights situation in Sudan, according to news
reports. In a statement signed by Joseph Ukel, head of the Union of Sudan
African Parties, former Sudanese Vice-President Abel Alier and six other
politicians, it said the Bieh attack and other such incidents had made
Sudan "exceedingly well known for its bad human rights record", Agence
France Presse (AFP) reported on 2 March. The statement said it was "known
by all except the EU governments that [Khartoum] has not changed its plans
and aggressive intentions against the south, and its oppressive and
ethnic-cleansing policies", AFP reported.

After 11 years during which formal EU development assistance to Sudan was
suspended due to peace, governance and human rights concerns, the EC
announced on 31 January that it intended to embark on a progressive
normalisation of relations. The Commission would now begin the process of
working with Sudan to prepare a country strategy for assistance, at the
same time as political dialogue with Khartoum continued "to address
enduring concerns about the internal armed conflict in the country", it
said. [Full report at: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=24513]

SOMALIA: Parliament approves new cabinet

The Transitional National Assembly (TNA) has passed a vote of confidence
in the newly formed cabinet of Prime Minister Hasan Abshir Farah, a member
of the cabinet told IRIN on Monday. "The parliament on Saturday passed a
strong vote of confidence in the government and its programme for the
country," the minister of information, Abdirahman Adan Ibrahim Ibbi, said.
The new 31-member cabinet was named by the prime minister on 16 February.

Ibbi told IRIN that after a lengthy discussion of the government's
programme, presented by the prime minister, 158 members who were present
in the assembly voted on the motion. He said 137 voted in favour, 19
against, plus two abstentions. The parliament has a total of 245 seats.
Hasan Abshir was named prime minister on 12 November to replace the former
premier, Ali Khalif Galayr, who was voted out of office by the TNA in late
October last year.

The Transitional National Government (TNG) says reconciliation is its
priority. "As the prime minister has already said, this government's first
priority will be reconciliation. Bringing security under control and
raising revenue will also be high on the agenda," Ibbi said. He added that
the new cabinet would hold its first official meeting on Monday. [Full
report at: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=24437]

SOMALIA: Security Council debates reconciliation

After a closed-door session on Somalia on Monday, the UN Security Council
held an extensive open debate on the situation in the country, a UN report
said. Over 20 countries took part in the meeting which, among other
issues, discussed "ways of promoting the national reconciliation process".
Jordan's ambassador to the UN, Zeid Ra'ad Zeid, who spoke on behalf of the
Arab group of states, underscored the importance of the Arta process
(which set up the TNG), while at the same urging support for the interim
government "in its efforts to promote a comprehensive reconciliation
process and national unity". Zeid called on the Council to send a
fact-finding mission to Somalia to begin the process of "setting up an
observation mechanism to verify the arms embargo", imposed by Security
Council resolution 733 in 1992.

The Spanish ambassador, Inocencio F. Arias, speaking on behalf of the EU
and associated states, said he welcomed the proposed Inter-Governmental
Authority on Development (IGAD) meeting on Somalia, to be held in late
April in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. He stressed that the parties must
put aside their differences and participate in the talks "without
preconditions and with a genuine resolve to complete the national
reconciliation". Arias also stressed the importance of resolution 733,
calling on all countries to comply with its terms.

Addressing the Council, Ambassador Richard S. Williamson of the US also
called on the Somali parties to attend the April reconciliation conference
"without reservations and preconditions". According to a US mission press
release, Williamson urged all neighbouring countries to "play a
constructive role in efforts aimed at Somalia political reconciliation".
He said they should encourage all the Somali parties to attend the
conference "and approach it with the goal of fostering political stability
in Somalia". "We believe that ultimately, the Somali people control their
own political destiny, and must choose to lay down their arms and end the
interminable cycle of violence that has engulfed Somalia since 1991," he
stated. "Nonetheless we also recognise that the international community
and we must also do our part." [Also see:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=24673]

SOMALIA: President starts tour of regions

The president of Somalia's TNG, Abdiqassim Salad Hassan, started a tour of
the country's regions on Wednesday, the TNG information minister told IRIN
on Thursday. "The president and his delegation landed at Dhusa Mareb
[capital of Galgudud Region, central Somalia] airport, yesterday,"
Abdirahman Adan Ibrahim Ibbi said. Abdiqassim was on his way home after
attending a summit of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States. After a stop
in Djibouti, he flew directly to Dhusa Mareb, about 400 km northeast of
Mogadishu. He and his delegation were met by the governor of Galgudud
Region, Yusuf Hasan Iyow Gobe, and other senior regional officials, Ibbi
told IRIN.

Thousands of people gathered at the airport, which is about five
kilometres outside the town, to welcome the president, a Dhusa Mareb
resident told IRIN. "It seemed as if the whole town had turned up at the
airport," businessman Abdullahi Fanah said. Abdiqassim, who arrived ahead
of the security detail dispatched from Mogadishu, inspected a guard of
honour mounted by the local police, and was escorted by local security
officials, Fanah said. This is the first time since his election in 2000
that the president has travelled within Somalia beyond the capital and its
surrounding areas. "This is a very significant step, but he needs to go
farther afield and visit other regions," a diplomatic source told IRIN.

On Wednesday evening, Abdiqassim met Galgudud community leaders, with whom
he discussed ways of setting up "a functioning regional administration and
district authorities", according to Ibbi.  "The president encouraged the
leaders to hold a reconciliation conference within the region to sort out
any existing differences affecting the community, before embarking on the
task of setting up an autonomous regional administration and district
authorities," Ibbi said. He added that Abdiqassim had stressed to his
audience, which comprised elders, religious leaders, women's groups and
civic leaders, that "the days when Mogadishu appointed local officials are
over. You have to take responsibility for your affairs". The president
left for Abud Waq District, about 50 km west of Dusa Mareb, on Thursday
morning, Fanah said. Ibbi told IRIN that the president would tour all the
region's districts, and "will probably proceed to other regions before he
returns to Mogadishu".

ERITREA: US commander in talks on fighting terror

Chief of the US Central Command, General Tommy Franks, left Asmara on
Thursday at the end of a two-day visit to Eritrea, local media reports
said on Friday. According to Eritrean radio and the pro-government Shaebia
website, he held talks on the fight against terrorism with top officials
including President Isayas Afewerki and Defence Minister Sebhat Ephrem.
Isayas told the general that Eritrea had been a victim of terrorism for
the past 10 years and its support for the fight against terror "emanates
from its national interest". He said Eritrea had, from the outset, backed
steps taken by the US in Afghanistan after the 11 September attacks.
Eritrean radio quoted Franks as saying the similar stance of the two
countries against terrorism would boost bilateral ties.  [Full report at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=25629]

ERITREA: Protests against European resolution

Eritreans around the world have been protesting against a resolution
issued by the European Parliament last month accusing Eritrea of human
rights violations. The resolution, adopted on 7 February, expressed
concern over the "authoritarian trend" in the country, highlighting the
arrests of prominent dissidents, the ban on the private press,
non-implementation of the constitution, and failure to hold parliamentary
elections. It also condemned Eritrea's expulsion of the Italian ambassador
last September and demanded his "immediate reinstatement".

In the French city of Strasbourg, home to the European Parliament, about
2,000 Eritreans held a peaceful demonstration this week to express "anger
and dismay" at the resolution, the US-based Eritrean website Dehai said.
They called on the Parliament to "rescind its hasty resolution" and to
"respect Eritrea's sovereignty and territorial integrity". Their
sentiments were echoed in other European countries and in the US. A
petition signed by 9,000 Eritreans was handed over to the European
Parliament in Strasbourg, Dehai said. The petition claimed the European
Parliament had failed "to take into consideration the facts on the
ground". It stressed that the country's democratisation and development
had been hampered by the two-year border war with Ethiopia, and said the
recent National Assembly session in Asmara "had addressed the issues
raised".

In Kenya, the huge Eritrean community complained via the EC against the
"extreme and unjustified" resolution. "The resolution does not take stock
of the situation the average Eritrean in Eritrea finds himself in
nowadays," the community said in an open letter. It expressed anger over
the "illegal action" taken by the European Parliament, which, it said, was
"tantamount to interference in the domestic affairs of our country". "We
call on the European Commission to pay more attention to the endeavours of
Eritrea to re-emerge from the destructive war with Ethiopia, and continue
the development partnership between Europe and Eritrea, which the European
Parliament failed to do," the letter stated. [Full report at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=25198]

ERITREA: Ireland to establish diplomatic ties

Ireland is to establish diplomatic relations with Eritrea, an Irish
government official confirmed to IRIN on Wednesday. Ronan Corvin, the
Irish charge d'affaires to Tanzania, said his appointment as charge
d'affaires to Eritrea had been announced by the foreign ministry in Dublin
and he would be presenting his credentials to President Isayas Afewerki.
The appointment is on a non-resident basis, he added.

The Irish defence minister, Michael Smith, is currently visiting Eritrea.
On Tuesday, he held talks with President Isayas who said he hoped the
visit would "lay the foundation" for diplomatic ties and for development
cooperation. According to Eritrean radio, Smith also met his Eritrean
counterpart, General Sebhat Ephrem, and the commissioner for coordination
with the UN peacekeeping mission, Brigadier-General Abrehaly Kifle.
Ireland has 221 troops as part of the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea
(UNMEE), and the two sides discussed aspects of the mission, as well as
next month's international ruling on border demarcation between Ethiopia
and Eritrea.

Reacting to the move by Ireland, Eritrea's deputy ambassador to Kenya,
Teweldemedhin Tesfamariam, said it was a "very welcome development". But,
he added, it was "long overdue". "Given the similarity of our struggles
for independence from a bigger neighbour, this must only be the first step
towards greater relations between our two countries," he told IRIN. [Full
report at: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=25055]

ETHIOPIA: Eritrean foreign minister in Addis Ababa

Eritrean Foreign Minister Ali Sayyid Abdallah is in the Ethiopian capital,
Addis Ababa, the highest-ranking Eritrean official to arrive in Ethiopia
since the two countries ended their border war in 2000. According to
Eritrean radio, the minister is attending an Organisation of African Unity
(OAU) ministerial meeting from 13 to 15 March. The visit comes ahead of a
crucial border ruling to be announced next month by an international
Boundary Commission in The Hague.

Eritrea's deputy ambassador to Kenya, Teweldemedhin Tesfamariam, said he
knew nothing about any meetings with Ethiopian officials. "As far as we
are concerned, the minister is in Ethiopia for the OAU meeting," he told
IRIN on Wednesday. "The position of the Eritrean government is clear," he
added. "We want a normalisation of relations with Ethiopia once the border
issue has been settled. Our president has been unequivocal about that."
[Full report at: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=25039]

ETHIOPIA: EC gives funds to tackle meningitis

The EC has allocated one million euros (about US $873,534) to help control
a meningitis epidemic in Ethiopia. As of 3 March, the Ethiopian health
ministry reported a total of 2,329 cases of meningitis, including 118
deaths. The disease first broke out in September 2001, with the Southern
Region worst-affected. About 2,022 cases have been reported there, with 89
related deaths.

According to an EC statement, the funds are being channelled through the
EC Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) to nongovernmental organisations
involved in tackling the current outbreak. The money will be used to
support mass vaccination campaigns, to purchase the vaccines and to
improve treatment in the affected areas.

The Ethiopian government has appealed for US $2.5 million to deal with the
outbreak, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported.

ETHIOPIA: Last jailed journalist freed

Ethiopia has released the last remaining journalist from prison, the media
watchdog Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) announced on Thursday. It said
Tamrat Zuma, managing editor of the private weekly Atkurot newspaper, was
freed on 4 March after being detained for nearly 10 months in Addis
Ababa's Kerchiele prison. "It is the first time since 1993 that a
journalist is not in prison in Ethiopia," the RSF general-secretary,
Robert Menard, said. "It is very good news but one must not forget that
over 30 professionals working in the press are currently being taken to
court and risk being imprisoned at any moment."

The organisation urged the Ethiopian authorities to modify the press law
of 1992 "which is particularly strict" and to do everything in their power
to enable Ethiopian journalists to work in complete freedom and security.
"The government should also quickly take measures to allow the creation of
private radio stations and television channels," Menard said. "The state
monopoly over radio and television broadcasting prevents the institution
of a real pluralism of news items."

Since 1991 when the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front took
power, almost 180 journalists have been jailed at one time or another, RSF
reported. Many others fled the country for fear of reprisals. [Full report
at: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=24211]

ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: Annan urges extension of peacekeeping mission

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended a six-month extension of
the UNMEE. In his latest progress report on the two countries, Annan said
the mission - whose current mandate expires this month - should be
extended until 15 September to support implementation of a decision on
border demarcation between Ethiopia and Eritrea. "The implementation of
the Boundary Commission's decision, which will be final and binding, will
also continue to demand statesmanship on the part of the two governments
and their leaders," Annan added. "The United Nations and its peacekeeping
mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea will remain committed to playing a major
role through delimitation and demarcation."

The Secretary-General recommended the establishment of a "wide-ranging
mechanism" aimed at consultation and problem-solving during the
implementation period. In addition, he said, it would be equally important
to continue helping the people of Eritrea and Ethiopia overcome their
humanitarian difficulties.

"Together with reconstruction and development, the two parties will also
need assistance to attain the ultimate objective of the peace process,
namely reconciliation and normalisation of their bilateral relations," he
said. "The United Nations... encourages the parties to search for mutually
agreeable ways of building trust through increased official and unofficial
contacts with each other. The international community stands ready to
assist the parties in this regard."

DJIBOUTI: Concern over humanitarian and environmental damage

The authorities in Djibouti have expressed serious concern over the
humanitarian and environmental impact of a toxic leak which occurred in
the port of Djibouti earlier this year. According to a report by the UN's
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), five sites at
the port have been contaminated and a number of people are undergoing
treatment in Djibouti hospitals. In addition, some domestic animals which
entered the sites have died. The leakage of the highly toxic and corrosive
substance known as chromated copper arsenate occurred in January. The
chemical - which is used for preserving wood - was stored in 10 containers
which had arrived from Britain, destined for the Ethiopian Power
Corporation. When the leak first occurred, the area was not isolated and
port operations continued, the OCHA report said.

At the request of the national authorities, OCHA arranged for a UN
Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team to go to Djibouti. The
four-member team is assessing the humanitarian and environmental
consequences of the accident, and an expert ecotoxicologist from
Switzerland is also flying out to Djibouti. After a first phase cleanup,
which consisted of isolating the contaminated areas and equipment, the
second phase may involve isolating the toxic material itself and treating
the contaminated soil, OCHA said. "International assistance is required
because of the lack of expertise and the absence of the necessary
financial resources," it stressed.

DJIBOUTI: Over US $7 million for poverty reduction

The Abidjan-based African Development Bank (ADB) has signed a number of
agreements with Djibouti aimed at poverty reduction and improving the
situation of women. According to an ADB press release, two loan and two
grant agreements were signed amounting to a total of US $7.22 million.

A structural adjustment loan will help reduce poverty through the
promotion of good governance, improving the legal framework for business,
and the greater participation of civil society in development. The second
loan is aimed at boosting the fishing sector by increasing fish production
and reducing Djibouti's food dependence on the outside world. The first
grant will finance an institutional capacity building project for the
"good governance of public finances". The second grant will fund a project
to improve the condition of women and thus "enable them to make a better
contribution to the country's development". To this end, the project will
strengthen the ability of government departments, civil society
organisations and the media to prepare and promote women's advocacy
programmes.

The press release said these four projects bring to about US $109 million
the ADB's total commitment to Djibouti. "They will contribute in a
significant manner to government efforts towards poverty reduction and
improving the situation of Djibouti citizens," it added.


IRIN-CEA
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Fax: +254 2 622129
Email: IRIN@ocha.unon.org

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