Articles

2 February 2019

The Government of Ethiopia (GoE) has urged its neighboring country, Sudan, to control the illegal arms being smuggled through the border the two countries share which otherwise might bring an unwanted diplomatic setback between the two nations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) told the legislative.

Presenting its six-month report to the House of Peoples’ Representatives (HPR) on Tuesday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Workneh Gebeyehu (PhD) indicated that over the past few months, the government has observed a decline in the level of fire arms being smuggled in through all border points,while still the highest number of illegal arms is coming from Sudan.

The Minister–noting that the decline in the illegal fire arms trade across borders as a result of government’s tight control– told the House that the Ethiopian government “has clearly informed the Sudanese President, Omar al-Beshir, and his respective ministers that the Sudanese government should take the concern of Ethiopia very seriously; and take into account how this uncontrolled arms trafficking would affect the stability and security of Ethiopia.”

“We have held frequent discussions with the Sudanese officials through diplomatic channels as well as special meetings at higher government levels,”Workneh told the House, adding that both governments have already identified who are behind the arms trafficking as well as how they have been smuggling.

Furthermore, the Minister said that, “We have informed the [Sudanese officials] that they should tighten their border control in their part to deter smuggling. We have clearly informed them that, otherwise, this will eventually lead to the cutting or impacting of diplomatic ties or relations.”

Additionally, the Minister told the House that Ethiopia has identified the manufacturer of the guns mostly smuggled to Ethiopia.

“We have discussed with the manufacturer of the gun. We still keep following up on this issue seriously,” he went on citing international laws and treaties over illegal gun trafficking and the right way of selling armaments. “It has to be carried out in a legitimate way,in a sovereign nation along with the proper identifications, make and model of the gun and other information,” he said. However, he did not disclose the name and the country of origin for the manufacturer of the arms being smuggled into Ethiopia.

Besides reporting on the efforts made in addressing the arms trafficking issue; the renewed Ethio-Eritrean relation and the subsequent progress registered in the past six months was also another issue included in Workneh’s report.

Citing the praise the Ethiopian government has received from the international community following the rapprochement of the two countries; he reiterated the relationship is growing at a very fast pace. To support his argument, the Minister cited the opening of the border as an example of the progress made in the past six months.

However, MPs raised questions over the growing concern and potential challenges of border openings and the resulting border trade without putting in place a common legal framework.

Responding to the questions, the Minister disclosed that draft laws have already been finalized and are expected to be summited to the Council of Minister and will arrive at HPR upon the endorsement of the Council.

Workneh highlighted the overall diplomatic activities his office has carried out in the past six months, declaring it has registered “considerable gains”. He added that, in addition to Sudan and Eritrea, “The overall actives we have undertaken so far are successful diplomatic achievements that has ensured sustainable relationships with neighboring countries in particular and other countries and development partners in general.”

He further told the House that Ethiopia has sent a draft document to Asmara specifying port usage rates and logistics service provisions by Eritrean.

In addition to that, he added that a continuous dialogue has been held with relevant bodies to resolve the problems along the Ethio-Djibouti corridor while discussions were held with Somalia to use ports in Somalia as well.

Worknehalso highlighted efforts to persuade Nile basin countries to ratify and sign the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CPA).

After hearing the report, the Peace and Foreign Affairs Standing Committee of the House in its part lauded the encouraging achievements of the Ministry in terms of restoring peace with Eritrea and the Horn on top of enhancing development cooperation, and diplomatic relations with several countries.

According to the Standing Committee, other works that have been carried out by the ministry were also encouraging particularly relating to the Ethiopian Diaspora and the diplomatic relations with various countries to scale up financial support.

However, budget performance, audit findings and cooperative negotiations with Nile basin countries were among the issues recommended by the standing committee to be addressed.

Source=https://www.thereporterethiopia.com/article/ethiopian-government-urges-sudan-tighten-border-control

A checkpoint in Metema in north-western Ethiopia, next to the border with Sudan. The town is a centre of a booming trade in migrants from Ethiopia and Eritrea. (AP Photo)
February 1, 2019 (KHARTOUM) - An Ethiopian delegation has arrived in Sudan’s eastern state of Gedaref to check on the situation of Ethiopian refugees in the state, reported the semi-official Sudan Media Center (SMC)

The commissioner of Basonda locality in Gedaref State Osman Mohamed Ahmed told the SMC that a meeting has been held to discuss the situation of the Ethiopian refugees in his locality.

He pointed out that several officials have attended the meeting including the Ethiopian consular, representative of Ethiopia’s north-west Amhara region, the security committee in Gedaref and a number of executive officials.

According to Ahmed, the meeting discussed the voluntary repatriation of Ethiopian refugees who wish to return to their country as well as relocating those who seek to be granted refugee status to Al-Shagarab refugee camp.

He stressed his government’s commitment to coordinate with the Ethiopian regions to protect the join border and provide the refugee needs in cooperation with national and international aid groups.

The commissioner also vowed to protect the refugees’ properties in the localities of Basonda and Al-Qalabat Al-Sharquiya, pointing to the governor’s directive to provide urgent relief to the Ethiopian refugees.

Last November, the Sudanese Commission of Refugees (SCR) said 400 Ethiopian refugees have arrived in the eastern state of Gedaref following ethnic clashes between Amhara and Tigray.

According to statistics of the SCR, Sudan is hosting around 2 million refugees from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Chad, Somalia, Central Africa Republic, South Sudan, Yemen and Syria.

The United Nations says Sudan hosts 110,000 Eritrean refugees, 400,000 South Sudanese refugees and more than 100,000 Syrian refugees.

In addition, some 500,000 South Sudanese who stayed in Sudan following the separation are also in need of humanitarian assistance according to the UN.

(ST)

Source=http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article67005

By RFI Issued on 01-02-2019 Modified 01-02-2019 to 13:43

Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki (left) and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir (right) during a welcome ceremony in Khartoum, 11 June 2015.Photo: Ashraf Shazly/AFP

Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir has ordered the reopening of his country’s border with Eritrea. Sudan’s eastern border had been closed since last year following the announcement of a state of emergency in the regions of Kassala and North Kordofan.

“Politics can divide us but they [Eritreans] are still our brothers and relatives,” Bashir said, according to the AFP news agency.

Bashir made the announcement during a televised address for a rally in the regional capital Kassala. However, he did not provide more details on the decision.

The border was closed in January 2018 in line with a six-month state of emergency in Kassala and North Kordofan. The intention was to stop smuggling, control unlicensed vehicles and tackle human trafficking, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Bashir’s address in Kassala also touched on continuing protests in Sudan that have erupted in Khartoum and other cities since December.

“Changing the government or presidents cannot be done through WhatsApp or Facebook. It can be done only through elections,” Bashir told the crowd of supporters.

“It’s only the people who decide who will be president,” he added.

Protests started over increases in the price of bread, but have morphed into a more general dissatisfaction with Bashir and his government.

Human rights groups say more than 40 people have been killed in a crackdown by security forces on demonstrations since December. Sudanese officials say 30 people have died in protest-related violence.

Source=http://en.rfi.fr/africa/20190201-bashir-reopens-sudan-border-eritrea-and-dismisses-protests

January 30, 2019 Eritrea Hub Ethiopia, News

Source: Borkena

Eritrea and Ethiopia roadmap for cooperation ready

“The next step for the two countries to sign agreements of overall bilateral cooperation and establish a joint-commission which will oversee implementation of the agreements.”

Abiy Ahmed (right) and Isayas Afeworki (left)

January 29,2019

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia said today that preparation of road-map to institutionalize cooperative relation between Ethiopia and Eritrea is ready.

Part of the purpose is to regulation the relation in a range of areas. Border trade, port usage, custom, immigration and transport are some of the areas to be regulated through legal frame works which is already drafted and discussed, according to a report by Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC).

Dr. Workeneh Gebeyehu disclosed the information during his appearance at the 22 regular session of House of People’s Representative today to present his six months of report regarding what the ministry has been doing.

The next step for the two countries to sign agreements of overall bilateral cooperation and establish a joint-commission which will oversee implementation of the agreements.

Eritrea’s Minister for Information, Yemane Gebremeskel, disclosed today that high level committee of Ethiopia and Eritrea is undertaking consultations to regulate trade and transport. From what Mr Yemane tweeted, the consultations between authorities of the two countries is informed by experiences during the trial periods in the last four months.

It is to be recalled that in late December 2018, Eritrea closed border along Zalambessa in Tigray – seemingly with intent to regulate the movement of people and trade to and from Eritrea.

The border between the two countries was reopened after two decades old “no peace -no war” relation was ended following rapprochement policy by the administration of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

Ethiopia says it is focusing on business diplomacy in the region as well and is working to improve relations with Djibouti,Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.

January 30, 2019 Martin Plaut News, UN

The full report can be accessed here.

Readers can judge whether they think it accurately reflects the currents situation in Eritrea.

Note, for example, how the right to Freedom of expression, association, assembly is described. The second sentence curtails and effectively nullifies the first.

“A fundamental principle in the transitional codes and proclamations is respect and protection of citizens’ right to lawful expression and opinion without interference. This demands collective responsibility to the nation and hence protection of national security, national values, public order and respect to others.”

An unseemly row has broken out between the Italian and Dutch governments over who is responsible for 47 refugees saved after their craft sank 10 days ago. Some 50 refugees and migrants drowned.

Seawatch – a maritime rescue organisation working in the Mediterranean – has appealed to both sides to come to an agreement about what to do about the men, women and 13 children, now on board their vessel Seawatch 3.

The boat is effectively stranded: moored 1.4 miles off the coast of Sicily.

The mayor of the Sicilian port of Syracuse says he would welcome the survivors, but the Italian authorities have refused permission to land.

Instead, the captain of the rescue vessel, Captain Jeroen, has been instructed by the Italian government to find another port to take the refugees. The Italian Minister of the Interior, Matteo Salvini has threatened to take legal action against the crew accusing them of supporting illegal migration.

Mr Salvini told the Dutch authorities they are responsible for the fate of the refugees, since Seawatch 3 is registered in the Netherlands.

But this is not happening, as Jelle Goezinnen, spokesman for Seawatch, explained, since the Dutch have refused.

“The Dutch government says it has no responsibility to find a port at which the 47 can be landed,” says Jelle Goezinnen. “But its clear under the Search and Rescue Convention, which is legally binding, that the responsibility for finding a port is a shared between the coastal state (Italy) and the flag state (the Netherlands.)”

A delegation of Italian Members of Parliament visited the asylum seekers on Sea Watch 3 on Sunday. The delegation consisted of Nicola Fratoianni, Riccardo Magi and Stefania Prestigiacomo, the Mayor of Siracuse Francesco Italia, as well as doctors and lawyers. The MPs called for an immediate disembarkation of the 47 survivors.

Professor Mirjam van Reisen from Tilburg University argues that Sea-Watch is operating within the law to save lives. “The Italian prosecutor confirmed this,” she says.

“While Italy must open its harbours, as local ports are ready to receive the ship, the Netherlands should help to shoulder the responsibility. Many of the victims of the shipwreck are minors and most, if not all, are victims of human trafficking in Libya and need protection.”