Ethiopia’s opposition party denounces Sudan border demarcation
December 23, 2007 (PARIS) — An Ethiopian opposition party has condemned the government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi for ceding disputed land to Sudan, saying that Addis Ababa had taken this decision to “pander for favour” from Khartoum.
Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party (EPRP), a former Marxist opposition organisation but today is a Social Democratic Party which accepts multi-party democracy, denounced today in a statement sent to Sudan Tribune the ruling TPLF/EPRDF party for ceding lands from “River Atbara to Fazra area in Quara” to Sudan.
The EPRP further said that the government overlooked the protest of the Ethiopian people and agreed to “the infringement on the territorial integrity of Ethiopia to gain other advantages from the Sudan.”
The opposition party said Sudan in return deported many Ethiopian political exiles, and letting the “EPRDF security agents roam” freely in the Sudan to harass and kidnap refugees.
The issue of border demarcation between Ethiopia and Sudan has been for long time a source of latent tension among the two countries. Addis Ababa had recently agreed to delimit it and different joint projects were approved by the two countries.
The Sudanese farmers had for long time blamed Khartoum for not taking serious steps to defend them from the Addis Ababa backed settlement of Ethiopian farmer in the Sudanese territory.
However, the EPRP said that the ceded land has for long been Ethiopian territory “even though Sudanese farmers had time and gain tried to reoccupy the fertile lands and moved well inside into Ethiopian territory.”
The opposition party blamed the Ethiopian government also for not associating the elders from both countries in the border demarcation to resolve the issue disputed land.
During the last October and November the Ethiopian-Sudanese border committee held a series of meetings in Addis Ababa and Khartoum to finalize the border demarcation. Also the President al-Bashir and Prime Minister Zenawi opened some joint projects to link the two countries.
(ST)