• On Monday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced that United Nations Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) would start relocating from Eritrea if the Eritrean government failed to lift its restrictions on fuel supplies to UNMEE by Wednesday 6 February. The Security Council when extending the mandate of UNMEE for a further six months last week demanded that the Eritrean Government “resumes immediately fuel shipments to UNMEE or allows UNMEE to import fuel without restrictions”. In a press statement on Monday, the Security Council reiterated its demands for Eritrea to “forthwith and without preconditions lift its restrictions”. The Eritrean government has, so far, made no effort to lift any of the restrictions imposed on UNMEE. It is for all practical purposes expelling UNMEE from the country and tearing up the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.

The Security Council on Monday also requested Eritrea to facilitate a UN Technical Assessment Mission’s visit to the region this week to look into the issue of relocation for UNMEE. The Technical Mission arrived in Ethiopia on Wednesday. It had been unable to travel to Eritrea. After originally issuing visas, the Eritrean Government then refused permission for the team to visit Eritrea. The UN Technical Assessment Mission, together with the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General to Ethiopia and Eritrea, Ambassador Azouz Ennifar, held talks in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia yesterday. In the discussions, Ambassador Sahlework Zewde, Head of the African Department of the Foreign Ministry of Ethiopia, underlined that this situation had arisen because of the failure of the Security Council to take measures against Eritrea for its earlier violations of the Temporary Security Zone. Such measures were specified under Article 14 of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement. It was regrettable that the Security Council had failed to take resolute action earlier.

Ethiopia is prepared to co-operate with the temporary relocation of UNMEE but it believes that it might be appropriate for the Security Council to formally confirm the assertion of the Secretary-General that relocation would not affect the integrity of the Algiers Agreements. It also believes that the Security Council should not allow one party to humiliate a UN Mission, creating a very dangerous precedent. Ethiopia has made it clear that it is important to underline the fact that Eritrea’s assertions, that virtual demarcation is final demarcation and that UNMEE and the TSZ are no longer relevant, are unacceptable. The Security Council Resolution 1798 (2008), adopted 30 January 2008, agrees with Ethiopia that a physical demarcation is required. The mandate of UNMEE can only end when demarcation on the ground has been achieved. In the discussions, the UN Technical Assessment Mission made it clear that withdrawal of UNMEE was not an option for the Security Council.

Prime Minister Meles has assured the UN Secretary-General that Ethiopia would cooperate with the UN in addressing this latest challenge to UNMEE, including temporary short-term relocation to Ethiopia. UNMEE forces in Ethiopia, however, would not be operational but only have an administrative status. UNMEE’s area of operations remains the TSZ. Equally, the Secretary-General has made it clear that temporary relocation does not affect the legal obligations of either party. Relocation is a direct result of Eritrea’s action and can only be done without prejudice to the continued validity of the TSZ. The logistical arrangements of relocation, and privileges and immunities of the personnel and the Mission would be governed by the “Agreement between Ethiopia and the United Nations on the Status of the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea” of 23 March 2001. Once temporary relocation has been completed, the Security Council will have to consider further options.

• The 10th Ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union was held in Addis Ababa between 31 January and 2 February 2008. It was a successful summit. Over forty Heads of State and Government from across the continent participated in the bi-annual gathering of the continent's leaders. As usual, it was efficiently organized given the host country's long experience as the headquarters of the African Union.

The Summit dealt with four main substantive issues. The first item of its agenda was the election of the Chairperson of the African Union, and Tanzania's President, H.E. Mr. Jakaya Kikwete, was elected unanimously as Chairperson of the Union. His election was widely expected and welcomed. The East Africa region, which had twice been passed over, was united behind Mr. Kikwete, whose experience in AU matters will undoubtedly be a tremendous asset in strengthening the African Union and in defending Africa’s interests in the international arena.

This year's Summit was organized under the theme "Africa's Industrial Development". Prominent visitors to the Summit included the President of the World Bank and the Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, both of whom made insightful contributions on the need for Africa to industrialize and diversify its production base. The need to address the constraints that production costs are imposing on Africa's industrial development process, and in particular the energy and transportation costs, was emphasized. There was agreement that Africa's quest to expand its electricity and transportation infrastructure, a sine qua non for industrial development, should be wholeheartedly supported even in the face of environmental concerns. 

There were also elections for the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the Commission as well as the Commissioners. The outgoing Chairperson of the Commission, H.E. Prof. Alpha Oumar Konaré was not seeking re-election, and the most qualified candidate, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Gabon, H.E. Mr. Jean Ping, took the election for Chairperson of the Commission. The outgoing Chairperson, H.E. Prof. Alpha Oumar Konaré, was commended for the great distinction of his service, and his dedication, raising the AU’s profile on the international scene and working vigorously to strengthen the Commission's role and to advance the continent's process of integration. There is no doubt that the incoming Chairperson of the Commission, Mr. Jean Ping, one of Africa's most illustrious diplomats with vast experience in multilateral diplomacy notably as the President of the 59th session United Nations General Assembly in 2004-2005, will be able to build on the achievements of his predecessor.

The choice of Deputy Chairperson of the Commission was a more contested election, with several rounds of balloting before the East African candidate, Mr. Erastus Mwencha, from Kenya, and current Secretary-General of COMESA, was elected. His experience and know-how as the Head of a Regional Economic Community will undoubtedly be an asset in the daunting task of accelerating continental integration.

The election of the Commissioners was held despite the fact that the recently conducted Audit of the Union identifies the method of electing of Commissioners as one of the root causes in problems relating to the functioning of the Commission. In this connection, the Audit put forward proposals for the election process to provide for the creation of an effective and well-coordinated Commission. The Audit's findings are going to be discussed at an Extraordinary session of the Executive Council, scheduled to take place in April in Arusha, Tanzania.  It was, nonetheless, stressed that bringing together the existing as well as newly elected members of the Commission should provide new dynamism for the Commission and ensure continuity in the organization’s functioning .     

The Summit decided to elevate the Ministerial Committee of Ten Countries, established by the Accra Declaration of July 2007 to consider the issue of the Union Government, to the level of Heads of State and Government. It will also include the outgoing and current Chairpersons of the Union. This Committee of Twelve has now been tasked to make concrete recommendations at the next Assembly meeting scheduled to take place in Sharm El Sheik, in Egypt, in July 2008.  There is agreement that debate on the Union Government, which has been on the agenda since the establishment of the African Union, needs to be conclusively addressed once and for all. This will allow the Union to charter a way forward on the basis of the current prevailing majority view that the Union should be built step by step on the basis of the Regional Economic Communities.  

The annual budget of the Union as a whole was adopted without only minimal discussion. This was a change from precious years and an indication of the growing, and encouraging, commitment by member States to provide the Union with the means to function efficiently and provide for the aspirations of the peoples of Africa.

• On Monday, the Peace and Security Commission, held informal consultations on developments in Chad and Kenya. In a subsequent press release, the Peace and Security Commission reiterated the African Union rejection of any unconstitutional changes in Chad. It also welcomed the dispatch of a delegation of senior officials from the Republic of Congo and from Libya to look at ways to find a solution to the current crisis. At the AU Assembly, President Denis Sasso Nguesso and Muammar Al-Gaddafi of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya were mandated to engage the Chadian parties with a view to ending the fighting and resolving the present problems. On Kenya, the Peace and Security Commission welcomed the decision of the Summit of IGAD countries to send an IGAD ministerial delegation to support the AU initiative led by Mr. Kofi Annan. It urged the Kenyan parties to commit themselves to end violence and create conditions for dialogue.

• An IGAD Ministerial delegation led by Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin visited Kenya from the 7th – 8th February 2008. The delegation included the Somali Foreign Minister and representatives from Uganda, Sudan and Djibouti and the Executive Secretary of IGAD.  The delegation met and held discussions with President Mwai Kibaki, with the Orange Democratic Movement Chairman, Mr. Raila Odinga, and the AU Mediation Team led by former United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan. The Mission was conducted in accordance with the decision of the IGAD Heads of State and Government of 1^st February, 2008 to send an IGAD Ministerial Mission to undertake a goodwill visit to Kenya to express the region’s solidarity and support to the Kenyan People. The Mission also expressed its strong support to the AU Mediation Team. Mr. Kofi Annan briefed the delegation on the status of the negotiations between the two parties in Kenya. The delegation emphasized that Kenya has been a symbol of stability and tranquility in the troubled region of the Horn of Africa. It urged the Parties to resolve their problems legally and by peaceful means through dialogue and a sprit of compromise. The Mission reiterated that its visit was not a new initiative but was rather intended to share the concerns of the region with all parties.

• Somali Prime Minister Nur Hassan ‘Adde’ described the AU summit as an occasion at which a number of constructive ideas had been raised concerning the measures being taken to improve the peace and security of Somalia. In a press conference after the summit he accepted that much still needed to be done. He commended Ethiopia, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania for their assistance to Somalia and hoped that Ethiopia’s assistance in building up the capacity of Somali government institutions would continue. He met with Prime Minister Meles on Wednesday. Prime Minister Meles stressed the need to intensify the effort to include all Somalis in the process of reconciliation and he welcomed the progress made by the TFG in installing government structures across the country. Other Somali leaders have been in Addis Ababa this week. President Abdullahi Yusuf who left the UK after medical treatment will be holding talks with senior Ethiopian officials; President Adde Mussa of Puntland is also in Addis Ababa.

• Last week, Human Rights Watch produced its 2008 World Report on Human Rights. Launching the report, Executive Director Kenneth Roth drew attention to Ethiopia’s Ogaden region as one of the areas where human rights challenges needed attention. He alleged that grave human rights abuses were fueling a worsening humanitarian situation in the Ogaden region as well as in Somalia. These comments and those in the country by country section on Ethiopia raise a number of problems about the aims of Human Rights Watch and its accuracy and methodology. They demonstrate a fundamental lack of balance and very considerable, and apparently deliberate, bias.

It is clear from its reports that Human Rights Watch makes a basic assumption that any, and all, allegations made by the Ogaden National Liberation Front about the Somali Regional State, and by Al-Shabaab, or by their vociferous supporters in the Diaspora or in the international media, are accepted without demur. Equally, all evidence produced by Ethiopian official sources is automatically dismissed as inaccurate, exaggerated or invented. Despite detailed, well-sourced evidence of the atrocities committed by the ONLF, Human Rights Watch ignores virtually all but one incident , only adding in a couple of lines that the ONLF was “allegedly” responsible for a couple of bombings.

It makes no mention of widespread ONLF terrorist operations over several months which include regular assassinations of government officials, and of clan elders who opposed the ONLF, attacks on commercial lorries, landmines on road and the destruction of civilian vehicles, of the burning of houses and villages and the other attempts to disrupt normal life and the development of the region.  In its comments on alleged government activities, it drops all suggestion of “allegations” and repeats accusation after accusation as fact without any indication of the source or reliability of the information.

Similarly, in Somalia, the detailed evidence of the widespread terrorist attacks by al-Shabaab is ignored in the section on Ethiopia. HRW merely lists claimed abuses by Ethiopian troops in Mogadishu, again with no attempt to evaluate the source of these claims or investigate their accuracy. The accuracy of indiscriminate shelling is not borne out by the evidence, and HRW makes no mention of the undisputed random shelling carried out by al-Shabaab, deliberately designed to target heavily populated areas and force displacement of population. 

Nor does Human Rights Watch make any attempt to establish the reality of the situation of human rights in Ethiopia more generally, ignoring any changes or improvements that have been made, and being content to accept any unsubstantiated rumors from opposition sources without further investigation. It makes no mention of international assistance in improving judicial operations. It ignores the increasing devolution of authority and power to district and even local kebele administrations and the consequent expanding participation at grass roots. It makes no reference to the thousands of cases dealt with by the Office of the Ombudsman, and of the activities of the Human Rights Commission.

Indeed it appears that HRW does not know of the existence of these organizations. This is presumably because it has made no attempt to evaluate the reality of human rights in Ethiopia. Certainly there are no more than a handful of private FM stations on air but the government does not own all electronic media. HRW simply parrots opposition allegations of, for example, blocking access to Internet sites and jamming of external broadcasts with no reference to government denials or to the source of the original claims. Again, it makes clear it accepts all opposition allegations implicitly and rejects all government statements, irrespective of the accuracy of either.

HRW makes no mention of the acquittal and release of journalists last year or of the pardoning of others. This is typical of its technique; it contrasts significantly with other organizations like the Committee for the Protection of Journalists, also strongly critical of Ethiopia. The CPJ is honest enough to admit improvements when they occur, and notes for example the appearance of the first independent commercial radio station and of a new private weekly paper in October as well as the drafting of a new media bill. Ethiopia has always admitted that human rights is a work in progress and that there remains much to be done. It is, however, working on it.

It is plain hypocrisy on the part of Human Rights Watch to apply double standards and condone terrorist acts while turning blind eye to gross violations elsewhere. It is also in these circumstances, impossible to accept that Human Rights Watch can have any credibility. Its protestations of reporting on abuses from all sides ring very hollow, and indeed are demonstrably untrue. It is neither impartial nor accurate, and given its consistent bias against the government of Ethiopia, it seems clear that it has rejected any commitment to balanced reporting.  

• Ethiopia has launched its first-ever National Nutrition Strategy (NNS) seeking to ensure all citizens achieve necessary basic levels of nutrition. A leading medical journal on Maternal and Child Under-nutrition has stated that malnutrition accounts for over 3.5 million child-deaths annually world-wide. Launching the Strategy, Deputy Prime Minister Addisu Legesse said the Government has long subscribed to the goals of human development and poverty reduction as guiding principles for its development strategy and programs. The Deputy Premier, who is also Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, noted that the second Five-year Plan for Accelerated and Sustained Development to End Poverty calls for the implementation of the NNS. Success in the NNS, he said, would foster efforts to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The Minister of Health, Dr. Tewodros Adhanom, said there had been a massive health extension program underway since 2004; and he announced that over US$350 million would be devoted to the NNS over the coming five years. The Government has already secured nearly US$100 million. Speaking on the occasion, UNICEF's Country Representative for Ethiopia, Bjorn Ljungqvist, said Ethiopia was making significant progress in alleviating malnutrition. The UN family, he said, would make available unconditional support for the Government in its effort to end hunger, one of the key commitments for the New Ethiopian Millennium. The National Nutrition Strategy aims to scale up success in nutrition by providing a framework to coordinate planning and programming across multiple sectors and ministries.