- The Eritrean government has filed a case with the International Court of
Justice following a raid by TPLF officials on the residence of Eritrea's
former ambassador to Ethiopia, Mr. Girma Asmerom. Ambassador Girma, who was
also Eritrea's representative to the OAU and to the Economic Commission for
Africa, was declared persona non grata by the Ethiopian government.
Ambassador Girma was given twenty four hours to leave Ethiopia on February
9. Although the ambassador arrived at the airport well in advance of the
deadline, TPLF officials searched--despite his diplomatic standing--all his
belongings and personal luggage, confiscating many papers and taking his
checked luggage in its entirety. The ambassador was told he would be
arrested and strip-searched if he refused to allow the unlawful search.
Ethiopian security in Addis Ababa have, since the ambassador's departure,
broken into the Eritrean embassy residence. Embassy staff in the residency
were arrested by officials and their whereabouts are still unknown. The
embassy is now illegally occupied by TPLF officials and soldiers are turning
away anyone who approaches the premises.
- The Ethiopian government, in a statement it released today, has claimed
that Eritrean defense forces launched an attack yesterday which, the
Ethiopian spokesperson contended, was aimed at "recapturing the military
stronghold of Geza Gerelasse." Ethiopia has not been able to substantiate
its claims of capturing that post. Journalists filing from close to the
Ethiopian front were taken by Ethiopian officials to an area several
kilometers away from the front for the first time since the fighting began
last week.
A foreign correspondent filed a report saying "although they (Ethiopian
officials) took us to prove that Ethiopia has taken this region (Geza
Gerelasse) there was no conclusive proof. There was no evidence that there
was even a battle here and no clear evidence that Ethiopia had advanced.
They said they had moved five kms forward and taken what used to be Eritrean
frontline trenches but they would not let us go forward and confirm that."
Journalists were told that "because Eritrea continues to control higher
ground, they might be shelled should they go all the way to the front."
- Thirty nine Eritrean exchange students who had been detained in the
Ethiopian prison camp of Blattien returned to Asmara under the auspices of
the ICRC late Sunday evening. The students had been imprisoned for eight
months because of their Eritrean heritage. The Ethiopian government
yesterday said it had arrested the exchange students because they were
"political and military members of the EPLF operating in Ethiopia." One of
the students, Gebrekidan Zecharias, died while in detention.
The students were subject to intensive indoctrination, often under physical
threat and torture, by their captors. Students said that TPLF officials
instructed them to join an obscure opposition movement to topple the
Eritrean government and would often force them to express dissent with their
government.