U N I T E D   N A T I O N S
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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 91
25 - 31 May 2002


CONTENTS:

AFRICA: OAU chief urges more action to stamp out conflict
ETHIOPIA: Meles blasts western governments
ETHIOPIA: At least 15 killed in Awasa riots
ETHIOPIA: Wildlife under threat of extinction
ERITREA: Ethiopia "essentially contesting" border ruling - Isayas
SOMALIA: Over 60 killed in latest Mogadishu fighting
SOMALIA: Uneasy calm returns to Mogadishu
SOMALIA: Rahanweyn Resistance Army denies split
SOMALIA: Kidnapped UN staffer freed
DJIBOUTI: Food supplies for refugees running out
SUDAN: Investigators say slavery "commonplace"
SUDAN: No rapid solutions in Ugandan anti-LRA campaign
SUDAN: Food deliveries vital for Nuba ceasefire

ALSO SEE:

ERITREA: Interview with Yemane Gebreab, PFDJ political boss at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=27952

ERITREA: Rehabilitation reversing trail of destruction at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28010

ERITREA: Returnees happy to be home after years away
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=27966

ETHIOPIA: Interview with Afar president at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=27937

SUDAN: Focus on aerial bombing of Rier at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=27939



AFRICA: OAU chief urges more action to stamp out conflict

Africa has to act more decisively in stamping out the wars that blight the
continent, the head of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) said on
Tuesday. In a speech to mark the OAU's 39th anniversary, Secretary-General
Amara Essy said it was imperative to find lasting solutions to conflicts
across the continent. He said the new African Union - due to be launched
in South Africa in July to replace the OAU - would give fresh impetus to
promoting peace and security in Africa.

"We have to show greater determination and political will and mobilise
more resources, means and talents to take up, in a decisive manner, the
challenges of conflicts faced by the continent," he said. "The
Constitutive Act of the African Union intends also to give a new impetus
aimed at promoting peace and security, which are indispensable for the
economic and social progress of our continent." Essy said the persistent
wars in Africa "summon us and remind us of the imperative need to find
lasting solutions to these conflicts which afflict our continent and
annihilate its efforts for socioeconomic recovery". [Full report at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28007]

ETHIOPIA: Meles blasts western governments

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi launched a stinging attack on western
governments on Monday on the eve of a visit to Ethiopia by US Treasury
Secretary Paul O'Neill. Speaking at the opening of the Africa Development
Bank annual meeting, he accused the west of hypocrisy by calling on
African countries to open up their markets, while imposing tariffs and
handing out enormous subsidies to farmers. The visit by O'Neill and Irish
rock star Bono comes barely a week after US President George W. Bush
signed a new farm law increasing dairy and crop subsidies by 67 percent.
The pair are on a 12-day, four nation, fact-finding tour of Africa to
assess the effectiveness of development aid.

"They [western governments] are erecting tariff and non-tariff barriers
and doling out enormous subsidies affecting the very products that we have
comparative advantage in," Meles said. "This is clearly and blatantly
hypocritical."

"But perhaps more importantly, it serves to drastically reduce the global
cake for us all," he said. "If such trading practices are not changed,
nothing our partners can do is going to promote Africa's structural
transformation." [Full report at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=27982]

ETHIOPIA: Poverty undermining global security - Meles

Also on Monday, addressing a New Partnership for Africa's Development
(NePAD) summit in Addis Ababa, Meles warned that global security was being
undermined by massive poverty and political instability in Africa. He said
huge immigration from the continent had sparked mounting political
instability in Europe, leading to the re-emergence of fascism. Meles said
the 11 September attacks were conclusive proof of the growing divide
between wealthy developed countries and the impoverished third world.

Meles said both the developed world and Africa must seize the opportunity
that NePAD offered to escape the problems which had blighted the
continent. He argued that NePAD could only work if both Africa and the
developed world accepted it as a partnership to be honoured by both sides.
He criticized western countries, such as the US, which had called on
Africa to open up its markets while at the same time offering massive
subsidies to their farmers. [Full report at:
http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=27961]

ETHIOPIA: At least 15 killed in Awasa riots

At least 15 people were shot dead - including two policemen - and 25
injured after security forces and demonstrators clashed in southern
Ethiopia on 24 May, the federal authorities confirmed on Monday. Running
battles broke out between the police and protesters demonstrating against
a change in the political status of the regional capital, Awasa. The
deaths mark the worst clashes between police and demonstrators since 39
people were killed and 250 wounded during the Addis Ababa University riots
in April last year.

State Minister of Information Netsannet Asfaw told IRIN that armed rioters
had been drafted in from nearby towns, bent on looting shops and
businesses in Awasa. She said that the protesters opened fire on the
police, who shot back in self-defence, and confirmed that 15 people had
been killed. About 3,000 protesters took to the streets of Awasa, about
155 miles south of the capital Addis Ababa, on the afternoon of 24 May.
[Full report at: http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=27964]

ETHIOPIA: Wildlife under threat of extinction

Ethiopia is in imminent danger of losing its rare wildlife, the national
Institute of Biodiversity Conservation and Research (IBCR) has warned. At
least four mammals and two bird species are facing extinction, the
Ethiopian-based wildlife institute said. According to experts, the Walia
ibex, Ethiopian wolf, mountain nyala and Grevy zebras, as well as the
white-winged fluff tail and Ankober Serin bird species are all threatened.
The institute said there are only 514 Walia ibex, less than 2,000 mountain
nyala and 800 Grevy zebras. Wildlife experts say the rare species - all of
which are endemic to Ethiopia - need a population of around 2,500 to
survive.

"Unless we start doing something and enhance their conservation they could
definitely disappear," said Dr Abebe Demissie, general manager at the
IBCR. [Full report at: http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=28005]

ERITREA: Ethiopia "essentially contesting" border ruling - Isayas

Eritrean President Isayas Afewerki has accused Ethiopia of "conjuring up
new pretexts" to challenge last month's ruling on the border between the
two countries. Speaking on the occasion of Eritrea's 11th independence
anniversary on 24 May, he described the border ruling by an independent
Boundary Commission as a "second referendum", which had "reasserted" the
country's independence and sovereignty.

On 13 April, the Commission in The Hague issued a "final and binding"
verdict on the border between Eritrea and Ethiopia, following a bitter
two-year war. Isayas said the Ethiopian government was "essentially
contesting" the decision. "The TPLF [Tigray People's Liberation Front]
regime has conjured up new pretexts, couched in a 'request for
clarification'," he said. He urged "those who pamper the TPLF regime" to
"reconsider their approach".

In a statement, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) confirmed
that the Ethiopian government had, on 13 May, filed a "request for
interpretation, correction and consultation" regarding the border ruling.
The statement said the request had been sent to the Eritrean government
for comment. "In due course, the Commission will give its decision
regarding the request," the EEBC statement said. "The pleadings and
arguments of the parties in the case are not in the public domain." [Full
report at: http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=27958]

SOMALIA: Over 60 killed in latest Mogadishu fighting

At least 60 people have died in the latest fighting in Mogadishu, with
hundreds wounded, local sources told IRIN on Tuesday. The bloodiest
fighting in Somalia in the last few years erupted on Tuesday morning after
militia, reportedly loyal to Mogadishu faction leader Muse Sudi Yalahow,
clashed with forces of the Transitional National Government (TNG) in north
Mogadishu, "in the same general area where clashes between the two sides
occurred last Friday [24 May]", Muhammad Tahlil, a north Mogadishu
resident, told IRIN. The fierce battle lasted "until midday today
[Tuesday] when each force returned to its base", he said.  [Full report
at: http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=27990]

SOMALIA: Uneasy calm returns to Mogadishu

Two days later, an uneasy calm was reported to be returning to the city,
local sources told IRIN. "There is a general calm, with some businesses
reopening in north Mogadishu. "Public transport is back on the roads, but
of a lesser volume than usual, with some people waiting to see how things
develop," a local journalist told IRIN on Thursday."

A humanitarian source in Mogadishu told IRIN on Thursday that the fighting
had displaced thousands of families, particularly in north Mogadishu.
"There has been a large movement of people in the past two days. Some
families are moving back to north Mogadishu today, while others are
leaving," he said. "The whole situation is very confused, and people don't
know what will happen next." [Full report at:
http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=28035]

SOMALIA: Rahanweyn Resistance Army denies split

The Rahanweyn Resistance Army (RRA), which controls the Bay and Bakol
regions in southwestern Somalia, has denied reports of a split within its
senior ranks which is reputed to be giving rise to tension in Baidoa,
capital of Bay Region. Muhammad Ali Adan Qalinle, senior RRA official and
governor of Baidoa, the headquarters of the RRA, described the reports as
"mere gossip propagated by rumour-mongers and enemies of our people".

There have been persistent reports in the Mogadishu-based media of such a
split following the visit of the two RRA vice-chairmen, Shaykh Adan Madobe
and Muhammad Ibrahim Habsade, to Ethiopia. They had now had returned to
Baidoa after spending over a month in Ethiopia, a local source in Baidoa
told IRIN on Tuesday. According to this source, the two had asserted that
inasmuch as the RRA chairman, Col Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud, was now
president of the self-declared South West State of Somalia, Shaykh Aden,
the first vice-chairman, should become chairman of the RRA. This had led
to rising tension in the town, the source added. [Full report at:
http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=27985]

SOMALIA: Kidnapped UN staffer freed

A UN staff member, who was kidnapped by gunmen in the Somali capital,
Mogadishu, last month, was released at the weekend, according to a UN
statement. "We all welcome the release of our colleague, Prof Abukar, who
was abducted while carrying out his duties as a staff member of the United
Nations," said the statement, issued on Saturday by the UN Development
Programme (UNDP). "The UN strongly condemns attacks on humanitarian
personnel, and calls upon all parties in Somalia to respect fully the
security and safety of its staff."

Muhammad Ali Abukar was abducted by gunmen while travelling in a bus from
his office to his home in the Medina district of southwest Mogadishu.
Abukar, who suffers from high blood pressure and was denied access to
medical help by his captors, was "physically and emotionally exhausted",
but otherwise "is doing fine", a family friend told IRIN on Monday. [Full
report at: http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=27955]

DJIBOUTI: Food supplies for refugees running out

Some 25,000 refugees living in Djibouti are at risk of malnutrition, the
World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Thursday. It said supplies for the
refugees were "rapidly running out" and appealed for an emergency 8,000 mt
of food to deal with the crisis.

Last month WFP cut the rations for the refugees by 20 percent in an effort
to save precious resources. It said in a statement that the refugees were
no longer receiving rations of corn-soya blend, a nutritious flour
enriched with vitamins, while vegetable oil rations had been halved.
"Refugees are now getting rations well below agreed international
nutritional standards," said Fatma Samoura, the WFP Representative in
Djibouti. "If we do not quickly restore normal rations, malnutrition will
sharply increase in the camps."  According to WFP, food assistance for the
refugees is crucial, because they have no other source of food. [Full
report at: http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=27928]

SUDAN: Investigators say slavery "commonplace"

An international group investigating alleged slavery practices in Sudan
has described the abduction of civilians by both government and rebel
forces as "commonplace", and called on President Umar Hasan al-Bashir to
lead a campaign against the practice. The report by the US-led eminent
persons group on slavery, abduction and forced servitude in Sudan,
released on 22 May, urged the Bashir to "take the lead in launching a
campaign to make clear to all his government's firm opposition to these
practices in all their forms." This should include immediate release of
all such victims, an announcement of the government's intent to prosecute
persons who committed such abuses and the enactment of new criminal
legislation, it added.

Of particular concern was a pattern of abuses occurring in conjunction
with attacks by pro-government militias known as murahilin on villages in
areas controlled by the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army
(SPLM/A) near the boundary between northern and southern Sudan, the expert
panel said. These abuses were characterised by: capture through abduction;
forced transfer of victims to another community; subjection to forced
labour for no pay; denial of victims' freedom of movement and choice: and
often, assaults of personal identity such as renaming, forced religious
conversion, and the prohibition on the use of native languages, the report
stated. [Full report at: http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=28003]

SUDAN: No rapid solutions in Ugandan anti-LRA campaign

A senior official in the Ugandan army has rejected claims that a number of
rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) fighters have offered to surrender
following clashes with the Uganda's People's Defence Forces (UPDF) inside
southern Sudan. Shaban Bantariza, the UPDF spokesman, told IRIN on Monday
that LRA rebels had neither surrendered nor had they been surrounded by
the UPDF, as had been reported in the local media.

Radio Uganda reported on 23 May that a "sizeable number" of LRA fighters,
including two senior officers, who were under siege by the UPDF, had
written to the army seeking to surrender. The UPDF fourth divisional
commander, Francis Okello, was said to have "welcomed the idea", and had
assured the group that they would be offered an amnesty, the report added.
"There was no such thing as a surrender. Some people were just trying to
provoke the situation to see what the government was going to say,"
Bantariza added. [Full report at:
http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=27970]

SUDAN: Food deliveries vital for Nuba ceasefire

A recent resumption of humanitarian aid flows to the rebel-held areas of
the Nuba Mountains must translate into the achievement of minimum delivery
targets to avert a looming food crisis in the region, according to a group
of concerned aid agencies. "At least 3,000 mt of food must be received in
Nuba before the end of June, a further 8,000 mt before October, and all
planned seed an tool inputs by the end of May," the group said following a
recent assessment mission to the areas of the Nuba Mountains held by the
SPLM/A.

While it was widely expected that the agreement would be renewed for a
further six months, there was a danger that an insufficient or delayed
humanitarian response could put the ceasefire in jeopardy. "Without
immediate and sustained resolve to ensure that the food crisis is averted
and that the mechanisms to oversee the agreement are fully functioning,
there is a grave danger that this remarkable achievement will have been
prematurely squandered," the agencies' statement said.
[Full report at: http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=27971]

Meanwhile, a grouping of nine prominent aid agencies working in Sudan on
23 May warned of the potential for a worsening humanitarian crisis in the
south of the country as increased conflict and ongoing flight bans have
cut off access to hundreds of thousands of people at a critical time. "All
the conditions are in place for a crisis: lots of fighting, no access for
humanitarian assistance, and many frightened, hungry, displaced people,"
said Jeff Seed, Director of CARE International's operations in southern
Sudan. [Full report at: http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=27932]


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