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Tuesday 21 February 2006 |
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IRIN-HOA Weekly Round-up 302 for 19-25 November 2005[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]CONTENTS: ERITREA: Government criticises Security Council resolution The Eritrean government on Thursday sharply criticised the latest UN Security Council resolution on the border dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia, describing it as "deplorable" and "lopsided". "The Security Council has adopted another deplorable resolution on the border conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia," said a statement issued by the Eritrean Foreign Ministry in the capital, Asmara. "This lopsided resolution underscores one glaring fact: it is not international law and the Charter of the United Nations that govern the conduct of the Security Council but sheer power politics and the narrow interests of major powers," it added. The Council had, in a unanimously adopted resolution on Wednesday, threatened to take action, including sanctions, against Ethiopia and Eritrea if the two neighbours continued to engage in activities that aggravated their ongoing border dispute. It deplored Eritrea's restrictions on the freedom of movement of the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) and demanded that Asmara immediately reverse its 5 October decision to ban UNMEE helicopter flights. Full report ETHIOPIA: Opposition leaders and activists denied bail Leaders of Ethiopia's main opposition party who face potential treason charges were denied bail on Monday after a court ruled that they should remain in police custody. In their second court appearance since being detained early this month, 19 top officials from the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), three journalists and a trade unionist were remanded for a further 10 days. Waving to family and friends who crowded into the specially convened court session in the capital, Addis Ababa, the detainees said they were all in good shape despite their incarceration. Judge Adil Ahmed presided over the hearing, which was open to the international media and prisoners€™ immediate families for the first time. He said the detainees should be allowed better access to their lawyers and that medical treatment for the sick should be granted. Defence lawyers insisted that their clients were political prisoners and well-respected members of society. Full report ETHIOPIA-ERITREA: Security Council threatens sanctions over border dispute The UN Security Council on Wednesday threatened to take action, which could include sanctions, against Ethiopia and Eritrea if the two Horn of Africa neighbours continued to engage in activities that aggravated their ongoing border dispute. In a unanimously adopted resolution, the Council deplored Eritrea's restrictions on the freedom of movement of the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) and demanded that Asmara immediately reverse its 5 October decision to ban UNMEE helicopter flights. The Council noted with deep concern the high concentration of troops on both sides of the Temporary Security Zone and called on Ethiopia and Eritrea to refrain from any threat or use of force against each other. It demanded that both parties return to the 16 December 2004 deployment levels, beginning immediately. The redeployment must be completed within 30 days. Full report ETHIOPIA-ERITREA: Troops sighted in demilitarised zone Ethiopian troops illegally entered a demilitarised zone inside Eritrea amidst heightened tensions between the two countries over their disputed common border, the UN said on Thursday. Despite the UN Security Council€™s threat to impose sanctions on the two countries unless they resolved their standoff, a small number of troops had occupied the territory for six days, according to the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE). "Any violation of the Temporary Security Zone is of concern to us - it doesn't matter how tiny it may be," UN spokeswoman Gail Bindley-Taylor-Sainte told reporters in Asmara and Addis Ababa at a video-linked news conference. "Any violation of the integrity of the Temporary Security Zone is of the utmost importance to UNMEE because it directly affects our mandate, which is to monitor and verify the redeployment of the troops of both parties and to maintain the integrity of the Temporary Security Zone," she added. Full report SOMALIA: Three children killed in fire at IDP camp At least three children were burnt to death when flames swept through an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp on the outskirts of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, early this week. Witnesses and officials said the blaze destroyed hundreds of dwellings. Local sources said the fire started late on Monday afternoon and spread quickly. The camp is situated in Mogadishu's Dainille district. "The fire flattened more than 100 huts belonging to the IDPs and destroyed virtually all their belongings, including bedding, utensils and clothes. Some of the IDPs spent Monday night in the open and it was raining," a local witness said. Residents also lost their stocks of food. The camp is home to between 500 and 600 people, according to Dainille district head Bashe Mohammed, who said neighbours were responding to his appeal for humanitarian assistance for those affected by the fire. Full report SUDAN: Agencies prepare for measles campaign in the south Relief agencies are preparing for a comprehensive measles campaign across southern Sudan - the largest public health campaign in the region ever - to reduce the deadly impact of the disease among young children, officials said. "We are launching the measles campaign, probably on Monday, in Juba [the capital of southern Sudan]," Ben Parker, communication officer for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), said from Terakeka, a town north of Juba, on Thursday. The campaign, targeting children between 6 months and 14 years, aims to vaccinate approximately 4.5 million children, or 47 percent of the total population of south Sudan, by the end of 2006. Full report SUDAN: 15,000 displaced by recent clashes in South Darfur - ICRC About 15,000 newly displaced people have sought refuge in Gereida town after recent clashes in the conflict-torn western Sudanese state of South Darfur forced them to flee their villages, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said. "The area that was already heavily affected in the past is again witnessing a new wave of displacement," Paul Conneally, ICRC communication coordinator in Khartoum, told IRIN on Thursday. "All the 23 villages that were affected by the fighting have been emptied, basically," Conneally added. "As usual, the civilians bear the brunt of the insecurity and are forced to pack up their belongings and flee." The latest round of violence reflects the intensification of conflict throughout the Darfur region since mid-September. According to an ICRC statement, the fighting in Gereida area involved a volatile mix of various armed groups, illustrating the complex nature of the Darfur conflict. "It is a mix of tribal opposition, rebels, militia and Sudanese armed forces. It is very difficult to get a proper picture and understanding of what is happening. It is very unclear," Conneally noted. Full report SUDAN: Yellow fever outbreak confirmed in South Kordofan Results of further tests on blood samples from South Kordofan have confirmed a yellow fever outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported, adding that at least 121 people had died as of Monday. Initial field investigations and rapid tests conducted by the Sudanese health ministry had indicated a dengue fever outbreak. The tests followed earlier reports of a haemorrhagic fever outbreak in the area. Sacha Bootsma, the WHO spokeswoman in Sudan, said the samples were sent to a WHO reference laboratory for further testing because of the possibility of cross-reaction between the different viruses of the same family. The results found that the yellow fever virus was the causative agent of the ongoing epidemic and that the 75 deaths reported on 10 November were caused by yellow fever rather than dengue fever. Full report SUDAN: Darfur situation spinning out of control, Annan warns The conflict-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur could descend into anarchy unless a swift political solution to the conflict is found, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned on Monday. "The looming threat of complete lawlessness and anarchy draws nearer, particularly in western Darfur, as warlords, bandits and militia groups grow more aggressive," Annan cautioned in his latest monthly report to the UN Security Council. Calling a political solution "paramount", Annan noted that "a further deterioration of the situation can be averted only by rapidly consolidating the progress made at the sixth round of talks in Abuja." The Darfur peace talks in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, are scheduled to resume this week. Full report SUDAN: Envoys try to unite Darfur rebel leaders ahead of talks African Union (AU) and United States mediators are trying to reconcile the divided leadership of the largest rebel group in Darfur ahead of the resumption of the peace talks later this week, an AU official said. The leaders of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) are under pressure to resolve their internal differences and present a united front at the next session of the delayed peace negotiations in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, which had been scheduled to start on 21 November. "There has been a slight delay of the opening session due to logistical reasons, but the first delegations will start arriving today," African Union spokesman Noureddine Mezni told IRIN on Monday. The delay, Mezni explained, was a result of the large number of delegations - parties to the talks as well as international mediators and observers - who had to come from many different and often remote locations. Full report [ENDS]
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