1. Civilians in Occupied Senafe Under Attack by Ethiopian Army (July 28, 2000)
2. Ethiopia's Distortions (July 24, 2000)
3. Sudanese High Level Delegation Visits Asmara (July 21, 2000)
4. Ethiopian Government Refuses To Receive Its Nationals (July 20, 2000)
5. Ethiopian Regime Continues to Perpetrate Wanton Destruction (July 12, 2000)

In the last week, 1,000 internally displaced Eritreans fled from the occupied areas of Senafe and Lalai Gash and arrived in a makeshift camp for the displaced in Alba. Reports from those who were able to escape Ethiopia's brutal occupation revealed distressing accounts of massive human rights abuses, arbitrary arrests, detention and harassment of innocent civilians.

Victimized populations around and in Senafe, due to the occupation, have not been able to receive any humanitarian assistance and the scarce food supply there will not feed the population for the coming months. All crops and shops have been destroyed by the occupying army as well as homes, businesses and public buildings, leaving the people without any sustenance for survival.

The inhabitants of these areas throughout the two years of the conflict have suffered immense losses due to constant heavy artillery bombardment and air raids. Uncontested areas of Eritrean land still occupied, like Senafe and its environs, are under attack with the people being evicted from their homes, their property demolished and their rights abused. Numerous accounts of rape of Eritrean women by Ethiopian soldiers have also been reported.

Despite the political progress that has been made through the signing of a peace agreement between the two countries, the human rights of Eritrean civilians continue to be violated by the Ethiopian government.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Asmara, 28 July 2000

In its latest press release entitled "Eritrean Government Endangers Ethiopian Citizens" (21 July 2000), the Government of Ethiopia has yet again engaged itself in distortions and outright lies against the Government of Eritrea in a futile attempt to camouflage its crimes against the people of Eritrea and its callous disregard for the welfare of its own citizens. The truth about the voluntary repatriation of Ethiopian citizens is as follows:

1. It is a matter of record that about 2,689 Ethiopians residing in Eritrea had voluntarily requested to be repatriated to Ethiopia as soon as possible. These had been assembled in Sheeb for immediate repatriation via Mereb. It is also a matter of record that the appropriate arrangements have been made by the Government of Eritrea and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to repatriate Ethiopians "at the usual place (in the area of Kisad Ika) on Friday (21.07)," as the note verbale from the ICRC confirms, when, in spite of their previous concurrence, "the Ethiopian authorities refused" (italics ICRC's) and reneged on their agreement.

2. The ICRC note also confirms that "it is worth to mention that the ICRC was ready to carry out the repatriation planned for Friday according to schedule, specially after some technical details were solved in a good collaboration with the Eritrean authorities." It is therefore the height of immorality to lie, as the Ethiopian Government Spokesperson is doing, that Eritrea was acting "against the advise of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)."

3. By its own admission, the Ethiopian Government has sent some Eritreans and Ethiopians of Eritrean origin at the same point across the Mereb river on 10 July. The condition of the river remained the same on 21 July as on 10 July. No amount of prevarication can change that.

4. The Ethiopian Spokesperson's claim that "the ICRC has proposed that the crossing point should be changed" is again as irresponsible as it is a lie. In fact, the ICRC note to the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs clearly states that "The Ethiopian authorities mentioned that they are ready to accept their citizens through an alternative routing, and proposed to use the road Adi Key-Senafe-Adigrat. [and that] The Ethiopian authorities mentioned tentatively the date of Saturday (22.07), for a repatriation ..."

5. The Ethiopian Government argues that repatriation should take place via Zalambessa, which is on the Adi Qayih, etc. route, thus unwillingly admitting that the Adi Qayih-Senafe etc. route was in fact its own proposal. Yet, it claims that that route too could be dangerous because of possible mining of the area, notwithstanding that this would contradict its preference for the Adi Qayih-Senafe etc. route because of its abiding concerns for the safety of its citizens.

   It then proposes that the repatriation be delayed until the demining of an area which it is not certain contains mines. It is obvious that the whole purpose of this confusion and obfuscation, as well as its accusation that Eritrea is violating the rights of those awaiting repatriation eagerly in locations which have frequently been visited by third parties including the ICRC, is to camouflage its irresponsibility and callousness towards its citizens whom it is refusing to welcome to their own country. If it cares for their well being, it should facilitate early repatriation rather than play cruel politics with their lives.

6. The insinuation that the ICRC has supervised the illegal deportation of Eritreans and Ethiopians of Eritrean origin is not only a fabrication but also a dangerous attempt to make the ICRC an accomplice of Ethiopia's crimes. It is a matter of public record, well known to the international community that, while Eritrea had repatriated Ethiopians only through the participation and cooperation of the ICRC, the Ethiopian Government has, in fact, been dumping Eritreans and Ethiopians of Eritrean origin in war zones and dangerous areas and shooting from behind. This criminal act has become all too obvious during the past two years and no prevarication will whitewash the vile crimes it has committed against the people of Eritrea.