Nairobi — Ethiopia: Ethiopia has welcomed the results of the latest shuttle diplomacy undertaken by US envoy Antony Lake and OAU special envoy Ahmed Ouyahia to the two warring countries.
"We are very happy that the two envoys understood why we had reservations with the 'Technical Arrangements' document," Counsellor at the Ethiopian embassy in Nairobi Mengistu Ayalew told IRIN on 10 March.
"It is a positive development and gives a chance for a peaceful resolution of this conflict." He reiterated Ethiopia's position that the document as it stands is "full of ambiguities".
"Ethiopia is very happy that after continuous and thorough discussions, the two envoys agreed that the document should be adjusted to address our concerns," he said, adding it was unfortunate that Eritrea disagreed with this "positive development".
Eritrea had accepted the original 'Technical Arrangements' document, but Ethiopia said it did not "fully guarantee a return to the status quo ante", as it was "silent" on the specific areas to be evacuated by Eritrea. (Source: IRIN)
* Nigeria
The approach of the Muslim Festival of Eid ul Kebir, to be celebrated next week, has created fears of fresh communal violence in Nigeria following clashes between Muslims and Christians in which nearly 1,000 people are reported to have died in the past two weeks.
Christians and non-indigenes have been fleeing the northern city of Kano while Muslims have been pouring out of Port Harcourt in the southeast, AFP reported.
The movement has been sparked by fears of a resumption of the incidents in the northern town of Kaduna, where Muslims killed about 400 people, mainly Christians, and the retaliatory killing of a similar number of Muslims in the southern state of Abia. The clashes were related to the proposed introduction of Islamic law in northern states.
About 80,000 people displaced by the clashes sought refuge in safe areas such as military and police compounds. About 35,000 remain there, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which said the Nigerian Red Cross has been providing medicines, cooking utensils, bedding and clothing for about 20,000 displaced persons.
Officials of southern and eastern states said they had taken measures to ensure the safety of northerners resident in their areas, while Muslim and Christian leaders called for calm after separate meetings this week with President Olusegun Obasanjo.
* Liberia
The leaders of Libya and Liberia have said that any future peacekeeping force in Africa must be made up exclusively of troops from the continent, Libyan radio announced on Sunday. Taylor, who has cultivated close diplomatic ties with Libya, ended a three-day visit to that country on Sunday. The call for an all-African force was contained in a joint communique that capped a meeting between Taylor and Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi. (Source: IRIN)
* Uganda
Rebels in northern Uganda have killed 12 people and wounded 30 in an attack on a refugee camp. The head of the Ugandan army, General Jeje Odongo, said the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) had attacked Padibe camp in Kitgum District. A missionary priest told the New Vision newspaper that two of the dead were Ugandan army soldiers and the rest were civilians. General Odongo said the rebels had also attacked a Catholic mission but he had no details of casualties. (Source: BBC News)
* Sudan
Human rights activists this week criticised as inadequate the Canadian government's response to a report it had commissioned that linked the oil industry in southern Sudan with human rights abuses. Ottawa commissioned the report under pressure from human rights groups to sanction the Canadian oil company, Talisman Energy Inc, which has a 25 percent interest in the Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company (GNPOC), accused of contributing to the war and human rights abuses in Sudan. John Harker, head of a Canadian assessment mission, reported on 14 February that the exploitation of oil resources had become a key issue in the civil war, that the Heglig airstrip in the Talisman concession in Upper Nile had been used by government helicopter gunships and Antonov bombers for attacks on civilian targets, and "mounting evidence that Canadian oil extraction activity is exacerbating the Sudan crisis".
Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy subsequently announced "new Canadian initiatives aimed at bringing peace to Sudan," which included support for a return visit to southern Sudan (currently underway) by UN Special Rapporteur on Sudan Leonard Franco; financial assistance to combat the abduction of women and children; an undertaking to use Canada's presidency of the UN Security Council in April to address the humanitarian impact of the conflict in Sudan; and the opening of a Canadian office in Khartoum to contribute to the peace process and promote respect for human rights. It also "strongly encouraged" Talisman to develop "an effective mechanism for monitoring its operations in Sudan to ensure that they do not lead to an increase in tensions, or otherwise contribute to the ongoing conflict".
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Mel Middleton, director of the human rights NGO Freedom Quest International in Calgary, Canada (where Talisman has its headquarters), on Tuesday criticised Axworthy for "back-tracking" on the issue of sanctions. "Axworthy said back in October that if the Harker report found a connection between the oil industry and human rights abuses, and a prolongation of the war, he would impose sanctions. However, he reneged on this and Canada can no longer claim neutrality on this issue," the 'Calgary Herald' quoted Middleton as saying. Talisman, meanwhile, welcomed Axworthy's announcement. Its chief executive Jim Buckee said in a press release that "renewed Canadian commitment to Sudan and the removal of the threat of sanctions are certainly good news for our company and the people of Sudan". He added that Talisman met the highest ethical standards and that his company's stake in GNPOC could serve as a catalyst for peace.
AFRICANEWS News & Views on Africa from Africa Koinonia Media Centre, P.O. Box 8034, Nairobi, Kenya email: amani@iol.it
