Ethiopia, Eritrea agree peace plan, calm prevails on borders
Ethiopia-Eritrea, Politics, 6/13/2000

Ethiopia, in principle, has agreed to a peace plan that Eritrea had earlier approved earlier, but it left the final decision to this effect to its parliament and government.

In a statement released late night Sunday, the Ethiopian government said that Ethiopia is still committed to guaranteeing a durable solution for the border conflict with Eritrea and had agreed in principle on proposals debated in Algeria at the mediation of the African Unity Organization.

On the other hand, the statement remarked that the continued fighting between the Ethiopian and Eritrean forces on Sunday on the Eastern and western fronts.

The statement added that the Ethiopian forces jailed several war prisoners from Eritrea, together with their military equipment and immunities.

On Monday morning calm prevailed on all military fronts between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

An Eritrean statement yesterday described the latest fighting saying "Ethiopian then unleashed a large-scale offensive by deploying three divisions and additional units at 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 8. This offensive continued with high intensity for more than 48 hours when it was totally repulsed around 11:00 p.m. Saturday. The invading Ethiopian army was driven back to its original positions with the following staggering losses:

4,125 Ethiopian soldiers killed (actual body count),
7,110 wounded, including some taken prisoner,
seven tanks and two Zu-23 mounted armored vehicles destroyed, and
huge quantities of light and medium weapons, and communication radios captured.

Ethiopian POWs captured in these battles invariably attest that their mission "was to capture Assab." The POWs also speak of special Ethiopian army units assigned for exhorting the army to march forward in columns of human waves, threatening and shooting those who retreated or broke the columns under intense fire from the Eritrean Defence Forces.

Ethiopia unleashed the offensives on Assab at 37 kms., deep inside Eritrean sovereign territory in violation of the OAU agreement. Eritrea had withdrawn to 37 km. from its fortifications at 71 km. (the established boundary) on May 27 in response to the appeal of the OAU Chairman, a fact confirmed by the US State Department and members of the diplomatic corps and international press in the country who visited the new frontline.

Ethiopia's offensives on Assab thus constitute a clear act of invasion in violation of an OAU agreement and UN Security Council Resolutions (1297 and 1298) underlining respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both countries.

Ethiopian forces have also been dislodged from strategic positions on the left flank of the Senafe front on Saturday."

Previous Stories:
  On economic relations between Ethiopia, Eritrea   (6/12/2000)
  Eritrea accepts end to hostilities with Ethiopia   (6/10/2000)
  Ethiopia denies attacks to seize Asab city   (6/10/2000)

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