Eritrean News Agency (ERINA)

(Tel: ++291-1-117627, Fax: 127385)
ERINA Update

Friday, October 5, 1998
1. One thousand two hundred twenty Eritreans expelled from Addis Ababa and Afar regions arrived through the Burie front line at Assab yesterday. Among the expellees are children, aged people and pregnant women who lived in Ethiopia for several years. These civilians had been detained by Ethiopian officials for up to three months. Following their detention, their property was confiscated by Ethiopian government officials. So far, more than 23,000 Eritreans and Ethiopians of Eritrean origin have been deported into Eritrea from Ethiopia.

2. Eritrean Minister of Foreign Affairs, Haile Woldensae, in an address to the UN General Assembly last Friday, October 2, underlined the need for Africa to work towards greater regional peace. Speaking about the border conflict, the minister explained to the UN body that Ethiopia had violated internationally recognized Eritrean borders in order to include Eritrean lands in recent official maps. Woldensae reiterated the need for Ethiopia to accept demarcation of the colonial borders for peaceful resolution of the conflict. Woldensae reminded the assembly of Ethiopia's continued violation of human rights in reference to their ongoing detention and expulsion of law abiding and peaceful Eritreans and Ethiopians of Eritrean heritage.

3. Ethiopia is now re-establishing relations with the NIF (National Islamic Front) regime in Sudan. Last week Ethiopian Airlines announced the resumption of service between Addis Ababa and Khartoum after a three year suspension following Ethiopia's accusation of Sudan's role in the 1995 assassination attempt on Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, in Addis Ababa. Sources in Khartoum have now confirmed that a high level Ethiopian delegation led by senior EPRDF official and advisor to the prime minister Alemseged Gebre Amlak traveled to Khartoum. The delegation delivered a letter from Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to General Omar Hassan al Beshir.

Veronica Rentmeesters, Information Officer
Embassy of Eritrea to the US
1708 New Hampshire Ave NW, Washington DC 20009, USA
TEL: 202 588 7587 FAX: 202 319 1304
E-M: veronica@embassyeritrea.org

Eritrean Flag! Eritrea Online / Dehai Homepage