Press Release
Ethiopia Unleashes Offensive on the Senafe and Tsorona Fronts;
Ethiopian Aircraft Bomb a Power Plant Near Completion

Ethiopia today continued its invasion of Eritrea by launching a large scale offensive on the Senafe and Tsorona fronts.

Ethiopia has moved into these areas following Eritrea's redeployment from Zalanbessa at 00:00 hours on Thursday, May 25, on the basis of the OAU seven-point peace proposal. This act is a flagrant violation of the OAU peace documents endorsed at the Algiers Summit last July which prevent any one side from moving its troops to areas of redeployment. Ethiopia has thus not only violated the peace agreement to perpetuate its invasion of Eritrea, but also demonstrated its arrogant defiance of the OAU and its partners--the UN, the US and the EU--which were all involved in working out the OAU peace documents.

Ethiopian aircraft today bombed, at 10:05 a.m., the new power plant in Hirgigo incurring serious damage to the project. The power plant, which is near completion, was financed under a loan agreement with a consortium of international financiers including finance institutions from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Italy, OPEC and BADEA. Ethiopia's bombing of the plant represents an act of State vandalism and senseless destruction.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Asmara, 28 May 2000