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Note: This document is from the archive of the Africa Policy E-Journal, published
by the Africa Policy Information Center (APIC) from 1995 to 2001 and by Africa Action
from 2001 to 2003. APIC was merged into Africa Action in 2001. Please note that many outdated links in this archived
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Horn of Africa: Peace Agreement
Horn of Africa: Peace Agreement
Date distributed (ymd): 000614
Document reposted by APIC
+++++++++++++++++++++Document Profile+++++++++++++++++++++
Region: East Africa
Issue Areas: +security/peace+
Summary Contents:
This posting contains the text of the peace agreement on the war
between Ethiopia and Eritrea reached under the auspices of the
Organization of African Unity last week. Eritrea has formally
accepted the agreement. Ethiopia has only accepted "in principle."
Diplomats hope for formal agreement this week.
This posting also contains a selection of links with updates and
background on the conflict. APIC has not succeeded in locating a
site or documents with independent and up-to-date analysis of the
conflict. However, the links below give access to a variety of
points of view on the issues involved, to current news, and to
channels for humanitarian contributions.
+++++++++++++++++end profile++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Selected Links on the Ethiopia-Eritrea War
http://www.ethiospokes.net
Office of the Ethiopian Government spokesperson
http://www.primenet.com/~ephrem2/GoE_Press_Release
Press Releases from the Government of Eritrea
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/default.stm
The most useful current news site, which also has an archive of
background articles.
http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/cea/hornfp.phtml
Latest updates from UN's Integrated Regional Information Networks
http://www.reliefweb.int
Reliefweb's home page gives links to a wide variety of additional
news stories and documents, including the UN's most recent
emergency appeal for the drought in the Horn of Africa, released
June 6, 2000. The appeal estimates a total of 13.4 million people
affected by drought in the Horn, including approximately 10
million in Ethiopia.
http://www.africanews.org/east/eritrea
and http://www.africanews.org/east/ethiopia
News sources from both Eritrea and Ethiopia
http://www.riia.org/briefingpapers/bpn1.html
Still useful briefing paper from March 1999, by Martin Plaut and
Patrick Gilkes, 'Conflict in the Horn: Why Eritrea and Ethiopia
are at War'
http://www.interaction.org/eastafrica
and http://www.interaction.org/eritrea
Contain listings of U.S. NGOs involved in relief for the food
crisis due to drought in Ethiopia and the humanitarian crisis due
to war displacement in Eritrea.
http://www.grassrootsonline.org
Grassroots International is the U.S. NGO with the most extensive
engagement with Eritrea, Web site includes appeals for funds,
background articles, and a new analysis of media coverage showing
underreporting of the displacement of Eritrean civilians
(http://www.grassrootsonline.org/erireport.html) Grassroots
estimates that 1.5 million Eritreans, almost 40% of the country's
population, are displaced by the conflict,
http://www.edfonline.org
Eritrean Development Foundation, also raising funds for war
displaced.
Organization of African Unity
June 11, 2000
Proposal of the OAU for an Agreement on Cessation of
Hostilities Between the Government of the Federal Democratic
Republic of Ethiopia and the Government of the State of
Eritrea
The Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
and the Government of the State of Eritrea,
Having taken part in the Proximity Talks called by the
Organization of African Unity in Algiers from 29 May to 10
June 2000, under the Chairmanship of Algeria the Current Chair
of the OAU and with the participation of its partners namely
the United States and the European Union,
Committing themselves to the following principles:
- Resolution of the present crisis and any other dispute
between them through peaceful and legal means in accordance
with the principles enshrined in the charters of the OAU and
the United Nations;
- Rejection of the use of force as a means of imposing
solutions to disputes;
- Respect for the borders existing at independence as stated
in resolution AHG/Res 16(1) adopted by the OAU Summit in Cairo
in 1964 and, in this regard, determine them on the basis of
pertinent colonial treaties and applicable international law,
making use, to that end, of technical means to demarcate the
borders and, in case of controversy, resort to the appropriate
mechanism of arbitration;
Reaffirming their acceptance of the OAU <<Framework
Agreement>> and <<the Modalities for its Implementation>>
which have been endorsed by the 35th ordinary session of the
Assembly of Heads of State and Government, held in Algiers,
Algeria from 12 to 14 July 1999,
Taking into account the latest developments in this crisis,
Commit themselves to the following:
1 - Immediate cessation of hostilities starting from the
signature of this document. In particular the two Parties
agree to the following:
1-1 cessation of all armed air and land attacks;
1-2 guarantee of the free movement and access of the
Peacekeeping Mission and its supplies as required through the
territories of the Parties;
1-3 respect and protection of the members of the Peacekeeping
Mission, its installations and equipment.
2 - A Peacekeeping Mission shall be deployed by the United
Nations under the auspices of the OAU.
3 - The mandate of the Peacekeeping Mission shall be:
3-1 monitor the cessation of hostilities;
3-2 monitor the redeployment of Ethiopian troops;
3-3 ensure the observance of the security commitments agreed
by the two Parties in this document, in particular those
provided for in paragraph 14;
3-4 monitor the temporary security zone provided for in
paragraph 12 of this document.
4 - The size and the composition of the Peacekeeping Mission
shall be adapted to the mission assigned to it and shall be
determined by the Secretaries General of the United Nations
and the OAU with the acceptance of the two Parties.
5 - The Peacekeeping Mission shall terminate when the
delimitation-demarcation process of the border has been
completed.
6 - A Military Coordination Commission shall be established by
the OAU and the United Nations with agreement of the two
Parties in order to facilitate the functions of the
Peacekeeping Mission. It shall be composed of representatives
of the two Parties and chaired by the leader of the
Peacekeeping Mission.
7 - The mandate of the Military Coordination Commission shall
be to coordinate and resolve issues relating to the
implementation of the mandate of the Peacekeeping Mission as
defined in the present document. The Commission shall deal
with military issues arising during the implementation period.
8 - Upon the signing of the present document, both Parties
shall conduct demining activities as soon as possible with a
view to creating the conditions necessary for the deployment
of the Peacekeeping Mission, the return of civilian
administration and the return of population as well as the
delimitation and demarcation of their common border. The
Peacekeeping Mission, in conjunction with the United Nations
Mine Action Service, will assist the Parties' demining efforts
by providing technical advice and coordination. The Parties
shall, as necessary, seek additional demining assistance from
the Peacekeeping Mission.
9 - Ethiopia shall submit redeployment plans for its troops
from positions taken after 6 February 1999, and which were not
under Ethiopian administration before 6 May 1998, to the
Peacekeeping Mission. This redeployment shall be completed
within two weeks after the deployment of the Peacekeeping
Mission and verified by it.
10 - In accordance with the principle established in paragraph
3 of the Framework Agreement, it is understood that the
redeployment of Ethiopian forces will not prejudge the final
status of the contested areas, which will be determined at the
end of the delimitation and demarcation of the border and, if
need be, through an appropriate mechanism of arbitration.
11 - Upon verification of Ethiopian redeployment by the
Peacekeeping Mission, Eritrean civilian administration,
including police and local militia, will be restored to
prepare for the return of the population.
12 - In order to contribute to the reduction of tension and to
the establishment of a climate of calm and confidence, as well
as to create conditions conducive to a comprehensive and
lasting settlement of the conflict through the delimitation
and demarcation of the border, the Eritrean forces shall
remain at a distance of 25 km (artillery range) from positions
to which Ethiopian forces shall redeploy in accordance with
paragraph 9 of this document. This zone of separation shall be
referred to in this document as the "temporary security zone."
13 - The Eritrean forces at positions defined in paragraph 12
of this document, as well as Ethiopian forces at positions
defined in paragraph 9 of this document, shall be monitored by
the Peacekeeping Mission.
14 - Ethiopia commits itself not to move its troops beyond the
positions it administered before 6 May 1998. Eritrea commits
itself not to move its troops beyond the positions defined in
paragraph 12 above. The OAU and the United Nations commit
themselves to guarantee the respect for this commitment of the
two Parties until the determination of the common border on
the basis of pertinent colonial treaties and applicable
international law, through delimitation/demarcation and in
case of controversy, through the appropriate mechanism of
arbitration. This guarantee shall be comprised of:
- measures to be taken by the international community should
one or both of the Parties violate this commitment, including
appropriate measures to be taken under Chapter VII of the
United Nations Charter by the UN Security Council;
- actions by the Peacekeeping Mission to monitor key and
sensitive areas of the temporary security zone through liaison
officers at the division and regimental levels with Ethiopian
and Eritrean units deployed at key points along the temporary
security zone on their respective sides; regular patrols;
reconnaissance missions; and challenge inspections throughout
the temporary security zone coordinated through the Military
Coordination Commission with the participation of liaison
officers of the Parties as decided by the Chairman of the
Military Coordination Commission;
- deployment to and continuous monitoring by military units
of the Peacekeeping Mission at posts in key and sensitive
positions within the temporary security zone in order to
monitor the implementation of the commitments made by both
Parties in paragraphs 9 and 12 of this document;
- periodic technical verification of the temporary security
zone to help determine compliance with this document.
15 - Upon the signature of the present document, the two
Parties shall initiate separate requests to the Secretaries
General of the OAU and the United Nations, as necessary, for
assistance to implement this document.
For the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic Of
Ethiopia
For the Government of the State of Eritrea
This material is being reposted for wider distribution by the
Africa Policy Information Center (APIC). APIC provides
accessible information and analysis in order to promote U.S.
and international policies toward Africa that advance economic,
political and social justice and human and cultural rights.
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