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Tuesday 21 February 2006


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IRIN-HOA Weekly Round-up 312 for 28 January – 3 February 2006

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

CONTENTS:

ETHIOPIA-ERITREA: Disputed border still tense, says UNMEE
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA: Eritrea criticises US over "bias" towards Ethiopia
ETHIOPIA: Gov't disputes student arrest allegations
ETHIOPIA: Development not dependent on aid – Meles
SOMALIA: Interim parliament prepares to meet in Baidoa
SUDAN: Thousands displaced by recent attacks in South Darfur
SUDAN: AU condemns Darfur attacks, demands disarmament of militias

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ETHIOPIA-ERITREA: Disputed border still tense, says UNMEE

The military situation in the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) and adjacent areas along the disputed Ethiopia-Eritrea border remains tense, the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) said in a statement on Thursday.

Routine troop movements had been noticed on both the Ethiopian and Eritrean sides, UNMEE reported. Peacekeepers continue to monitor the TSZ and adjacent areas despite a ban by Eritrea on their flights and restrictions on the movement of patrols.

According to the statement, a civilian truck drove over a mine in the TSZ on 31 January, injuring five people - two of them seriously.

Full report

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ETHIOPIA-ERITREA: Eritrea criticises US over "bias" towards Ethiopia

Eritrea has criticised the United States for allegedly encouraging Ethiopia to disregard the international border commission ruling that delineated the boundary between the neighbouring countries following a 1998-2000 war over their disputed frontier.

A statement published by Eritrea's information ministry on Friday slammed the US for its alleged "evil attempts made to derail the verdict of the international body by creating different intriguing proposals [which] has encouraged the TPLF [Ethiopia's ruling party] regime to ignore and discard the decision of the Boundary Commission."

Full report

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ETHIOPIA: Gov't disputes student arrest allegations

Ethiopian authorities have denied reports by a global human rights watchdog that thousands of students have been arrested during the past three months in continued unrest over disputed election results.

"The news disseminated by the Amnesty International East African bureau that thousands of students are detained in Ethiopia is misinforming and incredible," said a statement issued by the Ethiopian Ministry of Information on Wednesday.

"However, about 86 student suspects who are arrested for throwing bombs at schools, breaking school property and disrupting the teaching and learning process are charged at pertinent courts ... in compliance with the laws of our country," it added.

In a statement issued on Monday, Amnesty International said security forces arrested the students in the southern Oromiya region - which includes the Ethiopian capital city, Addis Ababa - following demonstrations that began on 9 November.

Full report

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ETHIOPIA: Development not dependent on aid - Meles

The Ethiopian government would be able to ensure the country's development even if international aid donors reduced their assistance to the Horn of Africa country, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has said.

Meles was speaking on Friday, 10 days after Britain said it would withhold direct budget support worth around 50 million pounds sterling (US $88 million) to the Ethiopian government because of concerns about governance and human rights after a deadly crackdown on post-election demonstrations.

Britain said it would redirect the funds to help provide education, better health facilities and water to the poor in donor-dependent Ethiopia.

"The government has the capacity to run regular activities and main development programmes of the country through its own expenditure, should any serious measures be taken by development partners," the Ethiopian Herald quoted Meles as saying.

Full report

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SOMALIA: Interim parliament prepares to meet in Baidoa

Preparations for a meeting of Somalia's interim parliament in Baidoa have begun, following a decision by the president and the speaker to convene the House inside Somalia for the first time since it was created in neighbouring Kenya in 2004.

"Two teams of MPs [Members of Parliament] from Mogadishu and Nairobi are going to Baidoa within the next three days as an advance party to lay the groundwork for the meeting," said Isak Nur, an MP who is close to Sharif Hassan Shaykh Aden, the speaker of the Transitional Federal Parliament.

On Monday, Aden announced that the parliament would meet on 26 February in Baidoa town, 240 km southwest of the capital, Mogadishu. The statement, which was made in the presence of interim President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, came after days of consultations between the speaker and the president in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

Full report

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SUDAN: Thousands displaced by recent attacks in South Darfur

An estimated 70,000 people have been displaced by recent attacks on two towns in the war-ravaged Sudanese state of South Darfur, humanitarian workers in the region said on Wednesday.

At least 50,000 were displaced in a series of attacks on camps for internally displaced people [IDPs] in Mershing town, while more than 15,000 were displaced in separate attacks on nearby Shearia.

"Roughly 20,000 residents and up to 35,000 IDPs from Mershing have arrived in [the nearby town of] Menawashi," said Dawn Blalock, spokeswoman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sudan.

The first attack occurred on 24 January, when Arab militia attacked Mershing - approximately 80 km north of the state capital, Nyala. They looted the central market as well as the houses and shelters of town residents and IDPs.

According to ACT-Caritas, which has programmes in South Darfur, gunmen on camels and horses prompted the mass exodus. Gillian Sandford, the NGO's field communicator, said the movement of people from Mershing started when Kele camp was looted. Attacks were also launched against Silo, Tege, and Um Gozein camps.

The next day, Ton Kittir was attacked with the militia driving their camels and horses into the camp, firing their guns and looting shops. Another attack was carried out on the market three days later. According to ACT-Caritas, the 55,000 IDPs from Mershing were now huddled on exposed ground in Manawashi.

During the attack on Shearia on 25 and 26 January, Sudanese armed forces clashed with rebels of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) east of the town, using heavy weapons.

Full report

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SUDAN: AU condemns Darfur attacks, demands disarmament of militias

The African Union (AU) has strongly condemned the recent escalation of attacks by rebels and Arab Janjawid militia in the western Sudanese Darfur region and has demanded that those perpetrating the violence be disarmed immediately.

"The situation, especially in the past couple of weeks, is a continuing deterioration of security, mostly provoked by SLA [the rebel Sudan Liberation Army] elements," said Baba Gana Kingibe, head of the Africa Union Mission in Sudan, at a news conference in Khartoum on Thursday.

The Sudanese government, he said, must "take immediate, vigorous and credible" steps to disarm the militia. "The militia still continue to burn, kill and rape on an ever-increasing scale," he added.

Full report

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[ENDS]

Theme(s)	Other

Other recent HORN OF AFRICA reports:

UN envoy urges quick response to drought crisis, 21/Feb/06

IRIN-HOA Weekly Round-up 314 for 11- 17 February 2006, 17/Feb/06

IRIN-HOA Weekly Round-up 313 for 4 - 10 February 2006, 10/Feb/06

EC gives €5 m for drought-affected people, 9/Feb/06

Millions facing critical food shortages, 6/Feb/06

Other recent reports:

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Donors pledge support for humanitarian crisis, 21/Feb/06

ANGOLA: Ready to play larger security role in Africa, 21/Feb/06

CENTRAL ASIA: Weekly news wrap, 17/Feb/06

SOUTHERN AFRICA: IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 270 for 11-17 February 2006, 17/Feb/06

WEST AFRICA: IRIN-WA Weekly Round-up 317 covering 11-17 February 2006, 17/Feb/06

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