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afrol.com, 14 August - The UN Secretary-General today presented a report on the situation in Ethiopia and Eritrea to the Security Council. During the briefing, the representative of Eritrea urged that the expansion of the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), however, was critical to the ongoing peace process, and he appealed to the Council to adopt the report. The peoples of his country and Ethiopia were both looking to the Council for a swift decision and speedy and effective deployment of the Mission. He hoped the Council would not fail them. The report reflects the findings of the reconnaissance mission which was dispatched to the region, led by Major-General Timothy Ford of Australia, to discuss with the OAU and the parties the modalities of possible United Nations assistance for the implementation of the Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities, signed by Ethiopia and Eritrea in Algiers on 18 June 2000. It provides a concept of operations and recommendations for the expansion of UNMEE and an update on political and humanitarian developments. Concerning the humanitarian situation, the report notes that in Eritrea the number of internally displaced persons had grown to more than 1.1 million in June 2000, and was placing a tremendous burden on socio-economic mechanisms. Furthermore, 94,000 Eritreans had sought refuge in the Sudan since May 2000. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Governments of the Sudan and Eritrea signed a tripartite agreement on 4 July 2000 for the voluntary repatriation of Eritrean refugees. Immediate return for many is impossible as a result of the destruction of homes, basic infrastructure, loss of crops and household assets, lack of social services and the presence of landmines. Only 39.2 per cent of the January 2000 United Nations country team appeal was funded as of 1 July 2000. The prospect that relief food stocks will run out by September 2000 is a cause of major concern, according to the report. In Ethiopia, the severe drought has caused significant migrations, increased malnutrition, large livestock losses, a higher incidence of diseases and an increase in the overall vulnerability of the rural population. As of early July 2000, the Government of Ethiopia estimated that over 10 million people were in need of emergency food assistance. The report notes that the renewed hostilities in May 2000 generated three new categories of vulnerable people in need of humanitarian assistance: Ethiopian nationals separated from their homes in Ethiopia during the war who moved to displaced persons camps in Eritrea; Ethiopian nationals resident in Eritrea prior to May 2000 who are being repatriated to Tigray; and Eritrean and other third- country nationals who have sought asylum in Ethiopia as refugees. The deployment of military observers, administrative support and other civilian personnel authorized under Council resolution 1312 (2000) will begin shortly. The mandate of the expanded UNMEE would be to: - Monitor the cessation of hostilities; - Assist in ensuring the observance of the security commitments agreed by the parties; - Monitor and verify the redeployment of Ethiopian forces from positions taken after 6 February 1999, which were not under Ethiopian administration before 6 May 1998;
The report states that given the difficult terrain and weather conditions, the significant length of the temporary security zone from East to West and the requirement that the parties be confident that the area is effectively monitored, a combination of military observers and formed troops would be required to carry out the mission's task. It is estimated that UNMEE would require a total military strength of 4,200 personnel, including 220 military observers, three infantry battalions and the necessary support units. Freedom of movement would be essential for the successful implementation of the UNMEE mandate, the report continues. It has been agreed that UNMEE would have access to the military establishments of both parties at all levels from the capitals to the field. Freedom of movement must also include free and direct land and air passage across the lines of the temporary security zone. Eritrea is to restore civilian administration, including police and local militia, in the temporary security zone. The presence of landmines and unexploded ordnance poses a significant risk throughout the conflict area. In concert with the peacekeeping operation, the United Nations Mine-Action Service (UNMAS) is, therefore, preparing a mine-action assistance programme to help mitigate the threat posed by landmines and unexploded ordnance. The report concludes that to date the parties have shown the commitment required to ensure the implementation of the Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities. The people of Ethiopia and Eritrea have suffered terrible losses during two years of war. Their Governments have now shown the commitment to create conditions for peace and prosperity. It is only the parties themselves who can bring lasting peace to their countries. Bernard Miyet, Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, introducing the report of the Secretary-General, drew attention to the political and humanitarian situations in Ethiopia and Eritrea as outlined in the report (for details, see background note, below). He said it would be essential to dispatch a mine-clearance team to the region as early as possible. Last week, he wrote a letter to the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of both countries in an effort to speed up the deployment of that team. The United Nations Mission should also be headed by a special representative of the Secretary-General, and must be made up of a number of components specializing in the political, military and administrative domains, as well as in mine clearance. The Mission would operate in the temporary security zone and in special areas. The United Nations and the Organization of African Unity (OAU) were to establish a military coordination commission to coordinate and resolve questions related to implementation of the mandate of the Mission. It was important for that mission to be set up as early as possible. He welcomed the decision taken by the OAU at the Lomé Summit to call on the President of Algeria, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, to continue efforts to bring about a durable peace. The United Nations and the Secretary-General had successfully supported such mediation efforts. He also called on both countries to fulfil their obligations and cooperate fully and actively with the Mission. It was also up to both parties to ensure that the temporary security zone was effective. Background After further consultations with the parties concerned, the OAU and United States reviewed and finalized a document entitled: Technical Arrangements for the Implementation of the OAU Framework Agreement and Its Modalities. The document called for the establishment of a neutral commission to determine the precise areas from which the two sides were to redeploy. The Technical Arrangements provided for the deployment of military observers to verify the envisaged redeployments. The document also called for demilitarization and delimitation of the entire common border between the two countries. Eritrea announced its acceptance of the document. Ethiopia reserved its position and requested clarifications, while reaffirming its commitment to a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Despite all efforts, however, the fighting between Eritrea and Ethiopia erupted again on 12 May 2000. By its resolution 1297, adopted on the same day, the Security Council expressed its concern with the renewed fighting and noted that the new outbreak of violence had a serious humanitarian implication for the civilian population of both countries. The Secretary-General issued a statement deeply deploring the resumption of large-scale fighting. He urgently appealed to both countries to cease hostilities immediately and to return to the process of negotiation. On 17 May 2000, the Council adopted resolution 1298, by which it imposed measures aimed at preventing the supply of weapons or arms-related assistance to the two countries. The Council demanded the earliest possible reconvening, without preconditions, of substantive peace talks, under the auspices of the OAU, on the basis of the Framework Agreement and Its Modalities. As of March 2000, it was estimated that over 370,000 Eritreans and approximately 350,000 Ethiopians had been affected by the war. The humanitarian situation in parts of Ethiopia was exacerbated by the severe drought, which led to the emergence of a major food crisis with almost 8 million people affected. With the resumption of fighting between Ethiopia and Eritrea in May 2000, the situation in the region has become even more critical. Source: UN
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