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 96
06 - 12 July 2002


CONTENTS:

DJIBOUTI: Refugees to start repatriating to Somaliland
SOMALIA: Dhows and donkeys used to move weapons
SOMALIA: TNG and judiciary clash over amputation sentence
SOMALIA: Peace talks fixed for September
SOMALIA: Baidoa ceasefire document signed
SOMALIA: Ceasefire in Baidoa holding
ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: UN launches "outreach" centres
ERITREA: Lives transformed by ancient footpaths
ERITREA: Ministry gets prize for promoting adult literacy
ETHIOPIA: UN warns of "serious problems" in Afar, Oromiya
ETHIOPIA: Anthrax aggravates looming food crisis in east
ETHIOPIA: Warning over renewed food dependency
SUDAN: Rebels agree to Nuba ceasefire extension
SUDAN: Annan on first-ever visit


Also see:

ETHIOPIA: Feature - The "gold" of Somali Regional State:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28758

ERITREA: Feature - Eritrea tackles AIDS:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28732

ETHIOPIA: Feature - Somali region sets out its programme:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28709




DJIBOUTI: Refugees to start repatriating to Somaliland

A first batch of Somali refugees will return from Djibouti to Somaliland
on Saturday, the UN refugee agency UNHCR announced on Wednesday. It said
these first voluntary repatriations were taking place after "long
negotiations" between the Djibouti and Somaliland authorities. About
14,000 refugees - out of a total of 21,700 - have registered to return.
Some 2,300 will be repatriated, in convoys of 250 people, until the end of
July when the operation will be suspended because of the heat, UNHCR
spokesman Jonathan Clayton told IRIN. It will resume when the weather
improves. "We are delighted with the start of the voluntary repatriations
from Djibouti," added Simone Wolken, the UNHCR head for Somalia. "After so
many problems in the past years, this marks the beginning of the end of
yet another protracted refugee situation in the Horn of Africa, along with
the ongoing return of Eritrean refugees from Sudan and Somali refugees
from Ethiopia," she said. [Full story at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28736]

SOMALIA: Dhows and donkeys used to move weapons

A UN report has concluded that Somalia is an "excellent" location for
terrorist activities and says neighbouring countries have a "key role" to
play in preventing illegal arms shipments to the country. "These countries
all regard the internal security situation in Somalia as a current threat
to their national security," said a fact-finding report to the Security
Council, issued on Thursday. The report gave some details of the embargo's
violations. "Individuals may bring small numbers of weapons - perhaps just
one weapon or up to five or six - along with them when returning to
Somalia, often on board dhows that move goods and people through the local
seaways to ports all along the coast of Somalia," it said. It also said
donkeys were used to transport weapons and other goods "such as endangered
wildlife species, drugs and ivory". [Full story at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28785]

SOMALIA: TNG and judiciary clash over amputation sentence

The justice ministry of Somalia's Transitional National Government (TNG)
has opposed an amputation sentence handed down to a convicted burglar by a
regional court, TNG Information Minister Abdirahman Ibbi told IRIN on
Thursday. The Banadir regional court last month sentenced a man in his
thirties to have his right hand amputated after finding him guilty of
stealing cash and jewellery valued at over US $20,000 from Maryan Aweys, a
prominent doctor. The court had charged the man under Islamic (Shari'ah)
law, which provides for the amputation of limbs of individuals convicted
of theft, a local lawyer told IRIN. He said the man had admitted to the
crime, and "was sentenced to have his right hand amputated". But the TNG
justice minister objected to the sentence, arguing that the court had made
a legal mistake "even under Shari'ah law", Ibbi said. "Under Islamic law,
the government has to assume full responsibility for the welfare of the
amputee, once the sentence is carried out", he said. [Full story at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28760]

SOMALIA: Peace talks fixed for September

The UN Security Council on Tuesday confirmed that the planned Somali peace
talks to be held under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on
Development (IGAD) in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, are now scheduled to
take place in September. The Council's current president, Ambassador
Jeremy Greenstock of the United Kingdom, said the Council, which is to
consider a draft resolution on Somalia this week, "has discussed the
prospects of the conference in Nairobi". "The Council focused in some
detail on what is going on in Somalia and what the parties need to do to
make that conference a success," he said. Speaking to reporters,
Greenstock said the draft resolution, to be introduced by the Norwegian
delegation, would be discussed by experts "to take forward our business in
Somalia". A technical committee, comprising the neighbouring states -
Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya - was established by the IGAD foreign
ministers' committee, which met in Nairobi in February.  [Full story at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28733]

SOMALIA: Baidoa ceasefire document signed

The warring sides in the southern town of Baidoa have officially signed a
ceasefire document, local sources told IRIN on Wednesday. They said the
ceasefire, which was arranged by a mediation committee and announced over
the weekend, has been observed by both sides, even before it was
officially signed. Fighting between rival factions of the Rahanweyn
Resistance Army (RRA), which controls much of Bay and Bakol regions in
southwestern Somalia, erupted last week. The conflict pitted forces loyal
to the RRA chairman, Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud, against those loyal to
his two deputies, Shaykh Adan Madobe and Muhammad Ibrahim Habsade.
According to the source, Shatigadud signed the document on Tuesday
afternoon, while Adan Madobe and Habsade signed on Wednesday morning. The
document commits the two sides "to move all their militias from Baidoa
proper, and hand over all technicals (battle wagons) to neutral elders".
This was good news for the residents of Baidoa, since "it removes the
threat of renewed fighting inside the town", the sources told IRIN. [Full
story at: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28739]

SOMALIA: Ceasefire in Baidoa holding

After days of heavy fighting, a ceasefire was announced in the southern
town of Baidoa at the weekend and appears to be holding with no violations
reported, local sources told IRIN on Monday. The ceasefire was reportedly
arranged by a mediation committee led by a prominent businessman, Ali
Margus, and former minister, Ambassador Sharif Salah, who is an
influential Rahanweyn personality. The fighting between rival factions of
the Rahanweyn Resistance Army (RRA) started last week, pitting forces
loyal to the RRA chairman, Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud, against those
loyal to his two deputies, Shaykh Aden Madobe and Muhammad Ibrahim
Habsade. Both sides seemed to be observing the ceasefire, with no reports
of fighting since Saturday, one source said. "Baidoa is enjoying its third
day of tranquillity," he added. He said the two sides had withdrawn to
their original positions, and "are no longer directly facing each other".
Shops and other businesses, which had been closed on Friday were reported
to be operating normally on Monday. [Full story at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28690]

ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: UN launches "outreach" centres

The head of the United Nations peacekeepers in Ethiopia and Eritrea on
Wednesday launched two centres to provide the people of both countries
with details about the peace process. Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, who is the
Secretary-General's Special Representative, said he hoped the outreach
centres in Addis Ababa and Asmara would provide a "deeper understanding"
about the peace process. Speaking to delegates at the launch in Addis
Ababa, he also said he hoped the centres would stand as a "lasting
tribute" to peace in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a
bloody two-year border war, which claimed tens of thousands of lives
before a final peace agreement was signed in December 2000. Legwaila, who
heads the 4,200 strong UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), said
the centres would enable both countries to have access to vital
information on the peace process."It is not enough to talk peace, you must
live it," he said. "To live peace, mutual understanding must be restored,
must be fostered and nurtured. That is why the outreach centres that UNMEE
is establishing are important elements in the peace process." [Full story
at: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28761]

ERITREA: Lives transformed by ancient footpaths

The lives of thousands of villagers in the remote, mountainous region of
Qohaito, in southern Eritrea, have been transformed by a unique project to
rebuild the footpaths they depend upon. The six footpaths - which cover 64
km in total - are often the only means of travelling through the stunning,
but inaccessible countryside. Children use the footpaths to travel to
school, farmers to reach their grazing areas. For many they are the only
way to health centres and local markets. The idea to rebuild the footpaths
came from the villagers themselves. "We went through a lengthy
consultation process," said Willa Addis, programme manager of Concern
Worldwide, which funded the project along with UNDP's Post-War Emergency
Rehabilitation (PoWER) programme. "We expected them to ask us to help them
with water, education or health, but they said that their footpaths were
their main priority. They live in such a remote area, some farmers are
actually cut off from their own lands," she said. [Full story at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28731]

ERITREA: Ministry gets international prize for promoting adult literacy

The Adult Education Department of Eritrea's education ministry has been
awarded a US $15,000 prize by the International Reading Association in
recognition of its work in promoting adult literacy. The prize, which is
sponsored by UNESCO, acknowledges the ministry's achievements over the
past decade - particularly during the recent border war with Ethiopia. The
Reading Association particularly praised the ministry's work with
demobilised soldiers and with women. Projects aimed at promoting literacy
within different ethnic groups, as well as the establishment of reading
rooms and public libraries for self-learning, were also singled out for
praise. Gebrazghi Demam, the ministry's director of adult education, told
IRIN he was delighted and encouraged by the award. "I am very happy that
our efforts with literacy have been recognised," he said. "We have been
committed to literacy issues, and bringing the illiteracy figures down to
acceptable levels, if not eliminating them, for a very long time." [Full
story at: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28730]

ETHIOPIA: UN warns of "serious problems" in Afar, Oromiya

The UN in Ethiopia has issued a "special alert" over the looming food
crisis in parts of the Afar and Oromiya regions, warning of "serious
problems" unless nomadic pastoralists receive help in the next few weeks.
The Emergencies Unit for Ethiopia (UN-EUE) reiterated that particularly
hard hit were Awash Fentale district in Afar Region and Fentale district
in Oromiya Region. "Cattle and even the more drought resistant camels have
started dying," it said. "Luckily no malnutrition has been reported
yet...Nevertheless, people will face serious problems in the next few
weeks if they are not addressed quickly and efficiently." The report
blamed ethnic conflict for exacerbating the food crisis, saying that
pastoralists had been forced to change their usual migration patterns "and
most importantly were denied access to traditional water points and wells
and grazing areas". "Present negotiations between elders of the various
clashing groups were unable to arrive at a resolution," the report added.
The warning comes as the US Agency for International Development (USAID)
warned that the drought threatened the hand to mouth existence of
pastoralists as a "viable way of life". It said most of the 1.2 million
population in Afar survived on the bare minimum of just several cattle or
camels. [Full story at: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28712]


ETHIOPIA: Anthrax aggravates looming food crisis in east

An anthrax outbreak has aggravated a looming food crisis in eastern
Ethiopia, agriculture officials told IRIN on Monday. Some 11 cases have
been confirmed in Fentale - in the East Shewa area of Oromiya Region -
which, according to the UN Emergencies Unit for Ethiopia (EUE), is one of
the areas most affected by drought. The district head of the agriculture
ministry in Fentale, Biruk Wolkeba, says thousands of cattle have been
immunised to prevent the bacteria spreading. "Anthrax is a problem during
droughts," said Biruk. "It means we have to be extra careful and check the
animals." Biruk said the outbreak occurred two months ago and that 17,530
cattle were immunised. But he warned that further cases of anthrax were
suspected. "If the cattle are weak from drought, which these animals are,
then this will only make the situation worse," he told IRIN. "The
community knows the signs of anthrax very well and will alert us." The
current anthrax cases were discovered in two of the 18 peasant
associations (PAs) that make up Fentale. The two PAs where the bacteria
were found - Benti and Kobo - border the Awash National Park. Biruk said
that wild animals in the park, such as warthogs, are often infected with
the bacteria. [Full story at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28692]


ETHIOPIA: Warning over renewed food dependency

Ethiopia is facing a crop shortfall that could force it back to food
handouts from rich nations, the United Nations Emergencies Unit for
Ethiopia (EUE) has warned. It blamed the shortfall on a poor harvest,
coupled with a drop in purchasing power and a poor transport system to
move food around the country. The report by the EUE focused on western
Ethiopia - an area traditionally known as the breadbasket of the country.
It says three critical factors have taken their toll on this year's
harvest, which means the yield will "substantially diminish" compared to
previous years. The report cites a delay in the rains at the start of the
planting season, a massive drop in farmers using loans for fertilizer and
seeds, and a drop in the size of the planted area. "Such reduction of
produced quantities will also lead to a cereal price increase and might
very well also, once more, increase the country's dependency on imported
food aid," the report warned. [Full story at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28685]

SUDAN: Rebels agree to Nuba ceasefire extension

The rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) has agreed to
the extension of a ceasefire in the Nuba Mountains region of south-central
Sudan, sources close to the rebel group told IRIN. "They [SPLM/A] have
agreed to the extension for a further six months following the SPLM/A-Nuba
congress," the sources said. In June, the Sudanese government agreed to an
extension of the initial six month ceasefire period, Usamah Mahjub Hasan,
Second Secretary at the Sudanese embassy in Nairobi, told IRIN on Tuesday.
The government also agreed that the ceasefire provisions would remain
unchanged for the additional period. The government and SPLM/A-Nuba signed
the renewable six-month ceasefire in the 80,000 sq km Nuba Mountains
region, Southern Kordofan State, on 19 January this year. The agreement
followed six days of closed-door negotiations facilitated by the US and
Swiss governments in Burgenstock, central Switzerland. The ceasefire
agreement states, among other things, that both parties should "facilitate
humanitarian assistance" by opening up humanitarian corridors and creating
conditions "conducive to the provision of urgent humanitarian assistance".
[Full story at: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=28715]

SUDAN: Annan on first-ever visit

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived on his first-ever visit to Sudan
on Wednesday. In the capital, Khartoum, he met senior officials for talks
on the peace process, according to a UN account of his visit. He also
visited a camp for displaced people, saying he had come to Sudan "in the
name of peace". Annan told reporters he had been closely following the
Sudan peace talks currently underway in Kenya and said he hoped the sides
would reach an agreement before the talks concluded on 20 July. [Story not
yet posted]


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