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 122
04 - 10 January 2003


CONTENTS:

ETHIOPIA: 40 killed in tribal fighting
ETHIOPIA: Ethiopia to import oil from Sudan
ETHIOPIA: Study launched into Rift Valley split
ERITREA: Food crisis set to worsen
ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: UN urges sides to ensure smooth border demarcation
ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: Cash shortfall could delay border demarcation
ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: Congressman urges world to act
SOMALIA: Peace talks resume in Eldoret
SOMALIA: UN urges Somalis to respect peace commitments
SOMALIA: Somaliland postpones presidential poll
DJIBOUTI: Parliamentary elections set for Friday
SUDAN: More work needed to achieve peace, think-tank says

ALSO SEE:

ETHIOPIA: Interview with British Ambassador Myles Wickstead at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31583


ETHIOPIA: 40 killed in tribal fighting

Tribal fighting is believed to have left as many as 40 people dead in
recent clashes sparked by the severe drought in Ethiopia, humanitarian
sources said on Wednesday. The clashes, which occurred near Fentale in
eastern Ethiopia, broke out after Afar pastoralists moved into Kereyou
territory to graze their animals. According to one local source, dozens of
Kereyou tribesmen were killed in the fighting with armed Afar men. The
clash, which took place in December, is the latest in a series of violent
outbreaks over the past few months. "Kereyou men were killed in the
incident," a humanitarian source in the area told IRIN. "It was a fight
over pasture on the border of Kereyou and Afar. The pressure of the
drought has pushed the Afar into the Kereyou area. The Afar were much
better armed and so the consequences were inevitable." Clashes between
rival groups have been erupting with increasing regularity in Afar and
neighbouring areas. [Full story at:
http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=31625 ]

ETHIOPIA: Ethiopia to import oil from Sudan

Ethiopia is to import oil from Sudan which could save the country up to US
$7 million per year, the Ethiopian Petroleum Enterprise (EPE) has
announced. The imports - which should help reduce the massive cost of oil
imports to the country - are expected to start this month. Some 50 percent
of Ethiopia's export earnings are spent on serving the nation's demands
from fuel. The EPE is the only organisation that supplies oil in Ethiopia,
storing the oil in Djibouti.

General Manager Yigzaw Mekonnen said the country must to look at
diversifying from relying on a single port like Djibouti. Mekonnen
announced that that Ethiopia would begin importing 10,000 mt of petrol
monthly and 120,000 mt annually from its neighbour. A further 3,000 mt of
diesel fuel each month will be shipped in, the petroleum official said.
The diesel fuel import is expected to cover about 20 percent of the
country's consumption. [Full story at:
http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=31600 ]

ETHIOPIA: Study launched into Rift Valley split

Africa's largest-ever scientific study of how the continent is gradually
splitting apart was unveiled on Thursday. Experts from around the world
have gathered in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, for the international
project which will reveal how Africa is breaking up along the East African
Rift Valley. The scientists say that the volcanic Rift Valley, which
stretches 3,500 km, could eventually break off and form a new ocean like
the Red Sea. But, they add, by the time the continent does break up humans
are unlikely to still inhabit the planet - with a break taking place in
millions of years' time. British scientist Prof Peter Maguire said the
work will pave the way for future studies and put Ethiopia at the
forefront of scientific research. The two-year project, which is called
Operation EAGLE, is a joint collaboration between 70 Ethiopian, European
and American scientists. Preparations for the GBP 500,000 project were
launched in 2001, but this final EAGLE stage will reveal how the continent
is breaking apart. [Full story at:
http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=31640 ]

ERITREA: Food crisis set to worsen

Eritrea's food crisis is expected to worsen quickly unless rapid action is
taken, and the number of drought-affected people is likely to increase
this year, a report has warned. The US government's Famine Early Warning
System Network (FEWS) said Eritrea was reeling from severe shocks to its
asset base, already undermined by years of conflict and drought, as well
as pervasive poverty. It noted that 1.4 million people - over a third of
the population - were directly affected by drought, and this number was
set to increase this year. And more than two thirds of the population
required food and non-food aid. "The current harvest will be exhausted
early in 2003 while the value of livestock, weakened by shortage of water
and fodder, is expected to fall further with increased distress sales,"
the report warned. "Supplies of drinking water for human consumption could
reach critically low levels early this year." [Full story at:
http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=31624 ]

ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: UN urges sides to ensure smooth border demarcation

The UN Security Council has called on Eritrea and Ethiopia to ensure the
smooth demarcation of their common border, due to take place this year. In
a statement, members urged both countries to cooperate fully with the UN
mission in the region (UNMEE) and the independent Boundary Commission. The
two countries were also urged to hold talks with the Special
Representative of the Secretary-General, Legwaila Joseph Legwaila,
regarding any issues that could arise during the demarcation process.
Members also expressed concern about the likely shortfall in the Trust
Fund for the Delimitation and Demarcation of the Border once demarcation
begins, and called on the international community to contribute urgently
to the Fund. "They [members] called on both parties to resolve all other
outstanding issues, including the establishment of a direct high-altitude
air corridor between the two capitals," the statement said. [Full story
at: http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=31621 ]

ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: Cash shortfall could delay border demarcation

The UN's peacekeeping mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea is facing a cash
shortfall which may delay border demarcation, the mission said on Friday.
The UN's Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) says that demarcation of
the disputed border between the two countries will cost around US $7.6
million. But up until a few days ago, the Trust Fund - where money for
demarcation is held - stood at US $3 million. "Of course if there is a
shortfall we may have to interrupt the demarcation process while we appeal
for more funds," an UNMEE spokeswoman said, speaking at the weekly
video-link press briefing in Addis Ababa and Asmara. [Full story at:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31661 ]

ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: Congressman urges world to act

US Congressman Frank Wolf has warned of a looming crisis in Ethiopia and
Eritrea, stressing that both countries are desperately in need of help.
Wolf, a Republican who has just returned from a visit to the two
countries, said he never thought he would again witness what he saw in
Ethiopia in 1984 when nearly a million people died of starvation. But in a
report on his latest visit, he said: "I have. Last week." About 11 million
people are at risk in Ethiopia, while in Eritrea over two-thirds of the
population are in need of food and non-food aid because of the drought.
Wolf noted there were many factors aggravating the situation - the
increased population, the spread of HIV/AIDS, the border war between the
two countries. "But perhaps the greatest difficulty is getting the world
to respond," he said. [Full report at:
http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=31642 ]

SOMALIA: Peace talks resume in Eldoret

The Somali national reconciliation conference resumed in the Kenyan town
of Eldoret on Monday after a two-week break, a source close to the talks
told IRIN. The talks, which opened on 15 October under the auspices of the
regional Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), adjourned for
the Christmas holidays and the 27 December Kenyan elections. The talks
would resume "in earnest following the departure of surplus delegates",
said the source. The Somali parties have agreed to reduce the number of
delegates from over 700 to 400. "There are people still insisting that
they will stay, even though their names have been struck off the list of
delegates," the source said. Sources said once the extra delegates had
left, the talks would move into phase three, which includes discussion on
the contentious issue of power-sharing and the establishment of an
all-inclusive government. [Full story at:
http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=31581 ]

SOMALIA: UN urges Somalis to respect peace commitments

With the renewal of hostilities in parts of Somalia, Maxwell Gaylard, the
UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, has called on all
parties to the Eldoret peace declaration to respect their commitments. In
a press release issued on Tuesday, Gaylard noted that despite commitments
made by the Somali leaders to cease hostilities, violence and armed
conflict in some parts of the country had escalated since the signing of
the agreement. "It is a matter of deep concern that despite the promising
commitments made in October, we have seen such an escalation in violence,"
Gaylard said. "The humanitarian community stands ready to support peace
and reconciliation, but without meaningful guarantees of safe and
unhindered access, we cannot effectively deliver aid to those who need it
most. This is now the case in many parts of the country." The Somali
groups meeting in the western Kenyan town of Eldoret agreed on 27 October
to suspend all hostilities for the duration of the Somali national
reconciliation conference, and signed a declaration to that effect. [Full
story at: http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=31603 ]

SOMALIA: Somaliland postpones presidential poll

The self-declared republic of Somaliland has postponed presidential
elections from January to March, according to a senior official. Mahmud
Jama Warfa, the Somaliland deputy information minister, said the move was
taken after the independent electoral commission decided more time was
needed to have everything in place for smooth elections. The commission
said it needed time to - among other issues - deliver electoral materials
to the various polling stations, train polls officials properly and deal
with budget issues, Warfa told IRIN on Wednesday. He also noted that some
political parties had requested a postponement. The House of Elders, which
has the final say on the matter, "will most likely approve the new date",
he stressed. [Full story at:
http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=31622 ]

DJIBOUTI: Parliamentary elections set for Friday

Djiboutian voters will go to the polls to elect members of parliament on
Friday, a senior Djibouti official told IRIN. The elections for the
65-member parliament will pit a pro-government bloc of four parties under
the umbrella of the Union Presidential Majority against an opposition bloc
of four parties, the Union for Democratic Alternative. The pro-government
bloc is led by the current prime minister, Dileita Mohamed Dileita, while
the opposition bloc is led by Ahmed Dini Ahmed, a former prime minister,
who was also the leader of the former rebel group, Front pour la
restauration de l'unite et de la democratie. Observers believe the ruling
coalition will win most of seats, but that the opposition will do better
than in the last elections in 1997, when all the seats were won by the
governing party. [Full story at:
http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=31643 ]

SUDAN: More work needed to achieve peace, think-tank says

As the next round of talks aimed at ending 19 years of conflict in Sudan
draws near, Sudan's warring parties are still reluctant to take the
necessary decisions leading to conditions for peace in the country, a
UK-based think-tank has said. Justice Africa, an organisation which works
on peace and security issues on the continent, has urged the Sudanese
government and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army to heed
the consolidated pressure for peace in order to reach a lasting solution
to the conflict. "Peace hurts," it said in a briefing note. "The Machakos
[peace] process has reached a stage at which the two parties must make
serious political decisions...Both sides are vigorously criticising the
mediators, in precise proportion to their level of activism." The next
round of talks, expected to begin on 15 January, are due to touch on the
issue of disputed regions not geographically in the south, such as Abyei,
the Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile. [Full story at:
http://www.irinnews.org/print.asp?ReportID=31584 ]


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