THE EEBC DECISION TEN YEARS LATER AND ETHIOPIA'S ILLEGAL OCCUPATION:
ESMART PRESS RELEASE
By North America ESMART Team
Contact Name: Fnan Desta
Contact Phone: (416)352-8547
Contact Email: fnandesta_at_gmail.com
April 10, 2012
For Immediate Release
Eritrean-Americans call on the U.S. and UNSC to implement the 10 year
old border decision Ethiopia must vacate occupied sovereign Eritrean
territory and be held accountable for its role in the destabilization
of the Horn of Africa
Under the banner "Stop Ethiopian Occupation and Aggression", Eritrean-
Americans across the U.S. have been conducting a 13-day campaign that
culminates on April 13, 2012, the 10th anniversary of the Eritrea-
Ethiopia Boundary Commission's (EEBC) boundary ruling; a ruling that
Eritrea accepted but Ethiopia, 10 years after the final and binding
decision, is yet to accept. In this campaign Eritrean-Americans in a
number of cities are writing letters and sending faxes to Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton, their members of Congress, and members of
the UN Security Council urging them to hold Ethiopia accountable for
its defiance of the international ruling and to immediately vacate
sovereign Eritrean territories.
In a recent letter to key figures in Washington and the UN, the
Organization of Eritrean-Americans (OEA) wrote: "We are urging that
our [US] government stop appeasing Ethiopia and develop a clear,
swift and fair policy that supports international rule of law without
any preconditions." The OEA letter added "As an author, guarantor and
witness of the 2000 [Algiers] Peace Agreement between Eritrea and
Ethiopia that created the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission, the
U.S. has the moral responsibility and if it wants is capable of
bringing a peaceful closure to the decade-old border conflict."
Tension between the two countries is on the rise because of
Ethiopia's continued occupation of internationally-recognized
Eritrean territory and its recent public admission to making several
incursions deep into Eritrean territory. This campaign is a call to
action for Washington and the United Nations. Eritrean-Americans are
calling for one, Ethiopia to leave sovereign Eritrean territory; two,
to unconditionally allow physical demarcation of the border between
Eritrea and Ethiopia per the EEBC's decision; three, lift the
sanctions that have been placed on Eritrea since evidence to this day
has not been brought forth justifying such actions.
Additionally, Ethiopia should be held accountable for its violation
of international law and its role in the destabilization of the Horn;
from occupation and recent attacks on Eritrea, direct and indirect
involvement in a number of armed struggles in the region, and
explicit neglect and abuse of its own citizens for decades. Ethiopia
must be made to answer for its actions or the creditability,
intentions and legitimacy of the US and UN are truly called into
question.
North America ESMART Team
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Received on Fri Apr 13 2012 - 20:12:41 EDT
