Ethiopia says logistical preparations for Abyei peace force underway
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
June 26, 2011 (ADDIS ABABA) – An Ethiopia military official said that necessary military logistical preparations is being finalised for a peacekeeping force to be deployed to Sudan’s disputed region of Abyei.
Earlier this week, under the broker of the African Union, leaders from North and South Sudan signed Addis Ababa agreement to fully demilitarise the central region of Abyei and allow an Ethiopian peacekeeping force to move in to monitor the North-South frontier.
The United States on Thursday said that it has put forward a draft resolution to the U.N. Security Council for the deployment of 4,200 Ethiopian troops to Abyei. Ethiopian officials said that they are only waiting for UN to approve the deployment and are making all preparations before their forces depart.
“Among others our mandate in the Abyei region will be to protect civilians, maintain buffer zone and also to crate peaceful environment that will allow to conduct referendum on Abyei’’ Logistics affairs head under the ministry of defence Major General Gezahegn Abera said speaking on state television on Sunday.
“We are only days away from deploying our peace force to the region and we are doing every logistical preparation which will enable us to successfully accomplish our mission to Abyei.”
“Ethiopia forces are well competent to be deployed with in days up on urgent calls’’ the military official said referring to the country’s long experience whose forces had deployed in south Korea, Rwanda, Burundi, Liberia and currently under mission in Sudan.
Last month, North Sudan forces invaded the Abyei region launching military attacks. The violence has forced thousands of people to flee the area and raise tensions of a possible North-South return to war.
The Ethiopian military official called on both North and South Sudan parties to play their own positive role by immediately withdrawing their troops from the contested oil producing region of Abyei.
South Sudan will officially be an independent state on 9 July but the latest worsening security situation has become worrying. Addis Ababa which is seen as honest broker by both North and South Sudan doesn’t want another bloodshed in Sudan.
“Any instability in Sudan will certainly affect Ethiopia and the region as a whole and Ethiopia will remain devoted to maintain lasting peace in Sudan’’ Major General Gezahegn Abera further said.
North and South Sudan fought for over two decades in a civil war that killed some 2 million people. In 2005 the two sides signed Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that granted South the right to hold a self-determination vote.
The referendum on South Sudan was overwhelmingly in favour of secession however there are pending issues like demarcation of the border and sharing of oil wealth and others that remain to be a main concern between North and South Sudan.
(ST)
Emmanuel Ajang Solomon
Ethiopia says logistical preparations for Abyei peace force underway
UN.
Urgently deploy your Ethiopian froces, because the NCP have already start attacking people of South Sudan in Turalie and the whole plan is to hato use ve basis before your coming as to claimed the Area as part of the North.
I think what Khartoum is doing now is well known to all us in the South and would want the new basis that can be captured by their Militias as new Borders according to their new pan.
I think they will also do some thing soon in Raja as is another point where they always complicate matters there and try to confuse the international community.
We urge U to make a quick deployment of the forces inorder to avoide further lose of life or scarmeshes,or full war as is what they like to happen before the July 9 2011 but we are not gong to agree to their plans.
Aleu
Ethiopia says logistical preparations for Abyei peace force underway
The North Sudan will still violent that Addis Ababa peace signed. There are many numbers of CPA violation made by this North Sudan regime and they seem to get away with it. They will find something to violent it however, if they don’t work for peace simply, the Old regime will soon fall.
His soldiers right now are surrending to the SPLA when ask them then, they list up some reasons.One They says, they were not expected another war with Southern Sudan. Two they says, Khartoum government is not even good within Northern Sudanese people and three some are saying, they were been staying in Southern Sudan for many years and they don’t want to go and live in desert area according to those surrender to SPLA recently. When look these statement, you can tell that, majority of Northern Sudanese want to live peaceful with Southern Sudanese even if it mean to separate from North Sudan but people who have no Son dying in the frontline like Omar al Bashir is resorting for war because he has nothing to loss human life.
Sam.Eto
Ethiopia says logistical preparations for Abyei peace force underway
Speaking to Egyptian media, Eritrea’s President Isaias Afewerki declared South Sudan’s independence is a mistake. South Sudan will officially become the newest African country on July 9 of this year.
In May 2011, Eritrea was accused of supporting and arming dissidents in the new Republic of South Sudan against the Juba government led by SPLM. “We are still convinced that what happened (in Sudan) was a mistake” said President Isaias, referring to the secession of South Sudan from Khartoum.
President Isaias said he hopes the remaining north Sudan will become stable.
kidist777
Ethiopia says logistical preparations for Abyei peace force underway
The other day I was just watching channel 4’s unreported world – how young Eritreans flee the country, cross the border to Egypt, end up smuggled to Sinai only to face more dangers as they make a dash to the Israeli border. Quite a heartbreaking documentary film!
I was in Juba two weeks ago and I can say that I saw another side of the Eritrean nature there. I do not know how it happened but a group of Eritreans are ‘controlling’ the Juba economy. That, without exaggeration, blew me away. They own the majority of hotels in the city, everything to do with construction work, water industry, restaurant, transportation and import export business and more. In the street I was staying I counted eight major hotels owned by Eritreans. The hotel I was staying at was owned by an Eritrean – it is called Star Hotel. I paid $130 per night for a pre-fab room! BTW, all the rooms are container-like pre-fabs or cheaply constructed rooms with corrugated roofs (they resemble small houses in Asmara). Guess who live in those hotels? SPLM army officials with 6-7 armed body guards – long term lodging. Literally, the hotels are like small army barracks.
The Eritreans I observed there were cliquish, befriended the SPLM generals, pay bribes generously (so I was told), smuggle in young Eritrean girls and so forth. Many of the electricians, carpenters, builders, contractors, engineers, plumbers … all are Sawa (military camp in Eritrea) graduates! At one stage I saw over one thousand youngsters at one place partying – a totally Eritrean affair (with Eritrean music, food and all).
Where did the Eritrean businessmen get the money to start with? That is a big mystery!
Strangely enough no one speaks of politics – at least I did not hear one single comment about the regime back home. The owners of big businesses are ‘Eritreans’ who, I was told, haven’t severed ties with the government in Eritrea; I would say they belong to the ‘quiet’ group of people. I also heard an Eritrean Insurance broker, I think he is the manager of National Insurance Corporation of Eritrean (NICE) – by the name of Zeru Woldemichael, has set up an insurance company in Juba. Why?
One local person described the Eritreans as Mafiosi. They make quick money, lots of it, wire it to Arab countries, do not employ the locals, and their trading partners are none but other Eritreans in Uganda. It is all in the ‘family’. What I saw there, again, ‘blew me away!’ One really needs to watch what is happening there. Juba is being exploited to the maximum and the generals, who drive nothing but four wheel drives, are enjoying their cut. The majority of the population are left high and dry. I am very concerned … that is instead of being proud of my countrymen who are raking sacks of gold in by the thousands .
I think the Eritrean government is behind this ‘gold rush’ operation. Beware of Isayas and his cronies.