ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: Year in Brief 2005

ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: Year in Brief 2005 - A chronology of key events
11 Jan 2006 14:06:28 GMT Source: IRIN
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NAIROBI, 11 January (IRIN) - ETHIOPIA-ERITREA, 14 Jan - Maj-Gen Rajender Singh, force commander of the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), says that peacekeepers have found proof that an Eritrean village had come under attack by armed men, as reported by the Eritrean government in December.
ETHIOPIA, 18 Jan - Ethiopia's parliament reforms the country's electoral law ahead of general elections on 15 May. For the first time, opposition parties would be allowed access to state media, as well as the right to call meetings and rallies without seeking governmental permission. The reforms also scrap a requirement that candidates collect signatures from 500 supporters before they can run for office. It is the first time that electoral law has changed since the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) came to power in 1991. The government, however, rejected proposed reforms to the election board.
ERITREA, 19 Jan - An estimated 2.3 million Eritreans are in need of food aid due to prolonged drought and delayed rainfall, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns. Those affected would need more than 250,000 tonnes of food in 2005 to supplement their meagre harvest.
FEBRUARY
ERITREA, 4 Feb - The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies appeal for US $4.38 million to provide food and clean water to some 55,000 Eritrean villagers affected by four consecutive years of drought.
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA, 14 Feb - The European Union expresses concern over "the recent military build-up" by Ethiopia and Eritrea and urges both sides not to ignite another war. Dutch Ambassador Rob Vermaas, whose country holds the EU presidency, says the 25-nation body is "particularly concerned" about the build-up near the border, which is patrolled by a 3,800-strong UN peacekeeping force.
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA, 16 Feb - The military build-up on the border could "aggravate" simmering tensions, the UN Security Council cautions. The warning comes as UNMEE confirms that it has been asked by Ethiopia to investigate a clash between armed men on the border.
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA, 18 Feb - Large numbers of troops on the disputed border between Ethiopia and Eritrea could threaten the fragile peace in the area, UNMEE warns. Gail Bindley-Taylor-Sainte, UNMEE spokeswoman, urges both countries to remain calm and show restraint, following reports that Ethiopia has moved its troops closer to the frontier with Eritrea. Ethiopia insists the deployment is purely defensive.
ETHIOPIA, 22 Feb - Elections could be affected if widespread violence occurs in the run-up to polling, warns Kemal Bedri, chairman of the country's national election board. Bedri speaks out after confirming that two people were killed in January attacks. The opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) party says the attacks were meant to intimidate opposition leaders in the run-up to 15 May national elections.
ETHIOPIA, 23 Feb - Some of the last remaining refugees who fled the civil war in Somalia during the 1990s begin returning home from Ethiopia.
MARCH
ETHIOPIA, 1 Mar - Two children are reported to have contracted polio. It is the first time the virus has been reported in the country in four years. Almaz Gebre Senbet, a polio expert, says the children lived close to the Sudanese border.
ERITREA, 2 Mar - Eritrea is in desperate need of assistance to pre-empt widespread malnutrition resulting from worsening food shortages as the country experiences a fourth consecutive drought cycle. According to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), all six regions of the country have malnutrition rates higher than 10 percent, and in three of them, the rates exceed 15 percent.
ETHIOPIA, 4 Mar - The government reacts strongly to criticism of its human rights record by the United States, calling the condemnation of human rights in Ethiopia in the US State Department's 2004 global report "baseless and frivolous".
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA, 14 Mar - The UN Security Council extends the mandate of UNMEE until 15 September 2005. In a unanimous resolution, the Council urges Ethiopia and Eritrea not to increase troop numbers in areas adjacent to the temporary security zone between the two countries and to give serious consideration to returning to the 16 December 2004 levels of deployment.
ETHIOPIA, 15 Mar - A new HIV/AIDS hotline is launched to provide accurate information, counselling and free referrals to callers across the country. Dubbed the "Wegen AIDS Talkline", the service will include information on the location of testing centres, ways to prevent mother-to-child transmission and treatment options such as antiretroviral therapy.
APRIL
ERITREA, 4 Apr - A UN report warns that the humanitarian situation in Eritrea is deteriorating, mainly due to recurrent drought and the protracted stalemate in the peace process with Ethiopia. Drought had caused "failed harvests, loss of livestock and food insecurity throughout all parts of the country - both rural and urban," while rains had failed for the fifth consecutive year. Surveys show that pastures in Eritrea's three most fertile regions - Anseba, Gash Barka, and Debub - are at their driest since 1998.
ETHIOPIA, 8 Apr - Mortality and malnutrition rates among children at Hartishek, a former refugee camp in the southeast, are reported to be critically high. Save the Children UK calls for immediate food distribution, medical support and proper sanitation at Hartishek, which was once the world's largest refugee camp and is home to thousands of Somalis.
ETHIOPIA, 13 Apr - A meningitis outbreak in the regions of Tigray, Afar, Benshangul-Gumuz and Oromiya claims the lives of 40 people and infects more than 433. Vivian Vansteirteghem, head of health and nutrition at UNICEF-Ethiopia, says the country needs $2.4 million to bridge a funding gap for vaccines and treatment.
ETHIOPIA, 18 Apr - Fifty-two EU observers arrive, one month ahead of the national elections. Rafael Lopez Pintor, deputy chief observer, tells reporters the observers are the core element of the EU mission to assess Ethiopia's third-ever democratic ballot. The EU will also deploy 100 short-term observers who are expected on 10 May - five days before the elections. The first EU team arrived in March to prepare the groundwork for the observers.
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA, 21 Apr - UN peacekeepers investigate two armed clashes on the border that left up to four dead. Gail Bindley-Taylor-Sainte, UNMEE spokeswoman, says the incidents on 9 and 11 April were probably caused by cattle rustling.
ETHIOPIA, 23 Apr - Floods kill 154 people after the Wabe Shebelle River bursts its banks because of heavy rains. Tens of thousands were affected by the flooding, which destroyed homes and washed away crops and livestock. Many of the victims were sleeping when crashing floodwaters hit 40 villages in the remote Somali region.
ETHIOPIA, 28 Apr - Four Ethiopians are injured along the border with Eritrea after a spate of blasts from freshly planted landmines. Phil Lewis, head of the UN's Mine Action Coordination Centre, says three antitank mines had exploded and damaged vehicles over the last month. The first of newly planted landmines along the frontier, they all exploded close to Humera, in the far western border region, some 850 km north of Addis Ababa.
ETHIOPIA, 28 Apr - Ethiopia's third-ever democratic elections have been marred by random killings, mass arrests, torture and intimidation, five main opposition groups allege. They report that two opposition members had been shot dead and hundreds rounded up and imprisoned, while dozens had disappeared less than three weeks ahead of the 15 May legislative elections. Bereket Simon, Ethiopian information minister, dismisses the allegations as "baseless".
MAY
ETHIOPIA, 4 May - The high court overturns a controversial law that had effectively banned thousands of local observers from monitoring the country's parliamentary elections. Judge Brehanu Teshome says the new ruling, introduced in April by the country's election board, "contravened" the laws of the land. Local groups can now field election observers to monitor the elections.
ETHIOPIA, 9 May - The European Commission (EC) welcomes ongoing campaigns for national elections, saying Ethiopia's democratisation process was undergoing "a sea change". Tim Clarke, the EC head in Ethiopia, tells observers that the openness of the campaign is unprecedented. Thirty-five parties are contesting the election, and there are 30,000 polling stations.
ETHIOPIA, 10 May - Human Rights Watch warns that political dissent in the Oromiya region, where one-third of the entire population lives, is being quashed by the government, thereby compromising the integrity of the 15 May elections. The watchdog says repression Ethiopia's most populous region had made the elections a "hollow exercise".
ETHIOPIA, 13 May - Former US President Jimmy Carter warns that he would be ready to declare Ethiopia's elections illegitimate if he had reason to believe that they were marred by widespread irregularities. However, he adds, his 50-member team had so far found no evidence of abuses. Ethiopia has made "extraordinary progress" in democratisation, he says.
ETHIOPIA, 15 May - Millions of Ethiopians go to the polls in elections that are widely expected to hand Prime Minister Meles Zenawi a third five-year term. At dawn, huge queues of voters snake around polling stations in what is seen as a key test of Meles's plan to introduce greater democracy in this country of 71 million.
ETHIOPIA, 19 May - Ethiopia's main opposition parties claim they are headed for victory in the country's national elections - two days after the government announced it had won. The CUD and the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces say they have won 203 seats in the 547-member parliament after results from 260 constituencies had been counted. The ruling EPRDF, however, insists it has won more than 300 seats, with a clear majority to form a government.
ETHIOPIA, 23 May - Western envoys appeal for calm as provisional results from the elections continue to trickle in. In a statement, 21 embassies in Addis Ababa urge restraint as both the ruling and opposition parties claim victory and accuse each other of vote rigging.
ETHIOPIA, 25 May - EU election observers say the elections are being seriously undermined by delays in vote counting. The observer mission, led by Ana Gomes, expresses "regret" at the way the election board was counting and releasing votes and criticises the state-run media, saying it has a "duty to report on post-election events in an even-handed manner."
JUNE
ETHIOPIA, 1 June - The CUD launches legal action to prevent the release of disputed provisional election results. The opposition party says massive vote rigging had cast doubt on the results and threatens nationwide protests if the announced returns were made final. The election board promises to release final results on 8 June.
ETHIOPIA, 6 June - Election results are delayed by one month after the electoral board receives complaints from 299 constituencies. Board chief Kemal Bedri says that the scale of the complaints had necessitated the delay. He made the remarks as police arrested several hundred university students in Addis Ababa who were protesting the outcome of the elections, which, according to provisional results, the ruling EPRDF won.
ETHIOPIA, 8 June - At least 20 people are killed and others wounded following an outbreak of violence in Addis Ababa, as students demonstrated against alleged fraud in the 15 May elections. Police commander Mulgeta Shiferaw says the police had detained 520 students and protesters. A further 50 "hooligans" were also arrested, he adds. The violence is followed by similar clashes at two other college campuses, which riot police quickly break up. Information minister Bereket Simon says the CUD is behind the protests. CUD vice-chairman Berhanu Nega denies Bereket's claim.
ETHIOPIA, 10 June - The government comes under international criticism following three days of violent demonstrations against alleged electoral fraud, during which security forces reportedly open fire and kill at least 26 people. Information minister Bereket Simon says the opposition political parties are responsible for the violence and calls for the spotlight to be focused on them. Opposition parties deny they are to blame and accuse the government of fomenting violence to undermine government opponents. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan condemns the violence.
ETHIOPIA, 15 June - Thousands of people are arrested across Ethiopia following the recent violence triggered by demonstrations against alleged fraud in parliamentary elections, Human Rights Watch reports. "The security forces have killed dozens of protesters and arbitrarily detained thousands of people across the country," says Georgette Gagnon, the watchdog's deputy director for Africa, in statement. Security forces had responded to incidents of rock throwing and looting "by opening fire indiscriminately on large crowds of people, killing at least 36 and wounding more than 100."
ETHIOPIA, 16 June - Great Britain freezes 20 million pounds sterling ($36 million) in direct budget support due to civil unrest that left some 36 people dead.
ERITREA, 20 June - Eritrean President Isayas Afewerki urges the international community to put pressure on Ethiopia to end the border standoff and claims that the world seemed to favour Addis Ababa in the dispute.
ETHIOPIA, 28 June - Police detain four editors of private newspapers for hours on charges of defaming the air force. The arrests occur following reports that eight pilots had sought political asylum in Belarus after recent election violence. "We are deeply concerned by signs of a crackdown on independent media in Ethiopia," Ann Cooper, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a statement.
ETHIOPIA, 29 June - Western donors put pressure on the Ethiopian government to fully investigate the deaths of at least 36 people reportedly shot dead by police during post-election violence in mid-June. In a statement, they also call for the release of prisoners who were rounded up during and after the election protests.
JULY
ETHIOPIA, 4 July - Five editors of independent Ethiopian newspapers are arrested for their coverage of post-election violence and later released on bail. The Ethiopian army, in a statement published in the state-run media, says the newspapers had breached the country's press laws and warns newspapers against printing "defamatory and baseless" articles.
ETHIOPIA, 7 July - Final results of the parliamentary elections are once again delayed until investigations into allegations of electoral fraud are completed, the chairman of the electoral board says. Election officials had previously postponed the declaration of the final results from 8 June to 8 July, saying they needed time to investigate disputed results.
ETHIOPIA, 15 July - Ethiopia lifts a ban imposed by Meles after the polls on demonstrations in Addis Ababa. However, any group wanting to demonstrate must still submit an application to the authorities.
ETHIOPIA, 18 July - The UN refugee agency (UNHCR), appeals for access to three Ethiopian air force men who allegedly defected to neighbouring Djibouti. UNHCR says it is concerned that the airmen - two pilots and an engineer - could have been returned to Ethiopia against their will.
ETHIOPIA, 19 July - The Ogaden National Liberation Front, which has waged a bloody ten-year guerrilla war against the government, offers a truce and proposes peace talks in a neutral country to try to end the fighting that has plagued this arid region in eastern Ethiopia.
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA, 21 July - UNMEE expresses concern over "continuing incidents of violence" along the disputed 1,000-km border between the neighbouring countries. At UN-hosted Military Coordination Commission talks between the armed forces of Eritrea and Ethiopia in Nairobi, UNMEE force commander Maj-Gen Rajender Singh calls on both sides to try and resolve the hostility. The UN warns that small-scale events, if left unchecked, had the potential to spiral out of control and evolve into a larger crisis.
ETHIOPIA, 26 July - Officials say that a series of grenade attacks on 24 July that killed five people in Ethiopia's Somali region was designed to disrupt upcoming elections there. Simultaneous attacks occurred in six locations across the region, says Ali Mohammed Kunaye, speaker of the Somali regional parliament, whose home was among those attacked.
AUGUST
ETHIOPIA, 9 Aug - The electoral board announces official results from 492 constituencies, which show that the ruling EPRDF has won 296 of 524 seats contested - about 56 percent - enabling it to form a government.
ETHIOPIA, 10 Aug - The CUD rejects official election results that effectively declare Meles Zenawi's ruling party the winner of the 15 May legislative poll.
ERITREA, 16 Aug - Hundreds of tonnes of food relief, which had been held since July at Massawa port under new laws that require aid to be taxed, are to be released, an official says. Eritrean labour and human welfare minister Askalu Menkerios says the government will pay any taxes due. Aid workers and diplomats in Asmara had called for the urgent release of the food - about 540 tonnes - to alleviate a precarious food security situation and rising malnutrition.
ETHIOPIA, 19 Aug - The CUD begins legal action against the election board to suspend reruns of polls - requested by both the opposition and the ruling party - in 31 constituencies. Its vice-chairman, Berhanu Nega, says lawyers have filed an injunction at the federal high court to halt the poll.
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA, 22 Aug - Martti Ahtisaari, UN special envoy for the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa, begins an eight-day visit to the region to assess prospects for long-term food security.
ETHIOPIA, 24 Aug - The EU defends its chief election observer, Ana Gomes, against accusations in the Ethiopian state media that she favoured opposition parties. The EU also expressed its support of Tim Clarke, the head of its office in Ethiopia, who was also criticised. An article, which appeared in the Ethiopian Herald newspaper and on the pro-government Walta Information Centre website, accused both Gomes and Clarke of becoming close to opposition leaders. Gomes, a member of the European parliament, had been critical of aspects of the electoral process during the campaign, while Clarke had played a leading role in trying to bring together opposition leaders and the ruling party to break the deadlock over allegations of fraud.
ERITREA, 26 Aug - The government asks the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to cease its operations in the Horn of Africa country. Aid workers say relations between the aid community and the Eritrean government have become strained in recent months, following the impounding of more than 100 vehicles and a new proclamation requiring aid agencies to pay taxes on the import of relief items, including food. The new regulations also require international NGOs to register on an annual basis and to have at least $2 million at their disposal in the country.
ETHIOPIA, 30 Aug - Prime Minister Meles Zenawi describes as "garbage" an EU election report that raised doubts over the fairness of the country's recently concluded national polls. "The statement, in my view, shows that the mission has turned out to be something worse than a farce," he says at a news conference in Addis Ababa. In the EU report, chief observer Ana Gomes said that key aspects of the May elections had failed to meet international standards. She reported widespread human rights abuses and said opposition members were arrested and witnesses to election violations, intimidated.
SEPTEMBER
ERITREA-ETHIOPIA, 8 Sept - Secretary-General Kofi Annan recommends that the Security Council extend UNMEE's mandate until March 2006 and stresses the need for Ethiopia, Eritrea and the international community to do their utmost to ensure the border stalemate is resolved, as it "inherently destabilising".
ERITREA-ETHIOPIA, 14 Sept - The Security Council extends UNMEE's mandate until 15 March 2006 and expresses concern over the high concentration of troops from both parties near the border. It calls on Ethiopia "to accept fully the decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission and to enable, without preconditions, the Commission to demarcate the border completely and promptly."
ETHIOPIA: 28 Sept - An unknown number of opposition supporters are arrested ahead of a planned demonstration on 2 October in Addis Ababa against the results of the general election. Information minister Bereket Simon says the police arrested 43 people in the Amhara region.
OCTOBER
ERITREA, 5 Oct - The Security Council calls upon the Eritrean government to reverse its ban on helicopter flights by UNMEE within its airspace. The ban "would have serious implications for UNMEE's ability to carry out its mandate and for the safety of its staff," says Mihnea Ioan Motoc, the current president of the Council, in a statement.
ETHIOPIA, 10 Oct - Ethiopia's parliament re-elects incumbent Prime Minister Meles Zenawi for another five-year term, even as more than 100 opposition members boycott the opening session of the legislative body.
ERITREA, 10 Oct - UNMEE suspends its mine-clearance activities in Eritrea because of the government's ban on the mission's helicopter flights. "According to the agreement that we have signed [with Eritrea], we cannot carry out de-mining activities without a helicopter on standby because if there is an accident we would have no way of taking that person out," UNMEE says.
ETHIOPIA, 11 Oct - MPs loyal to the government pass a law to revoke the immunity of opposition members of parliament following the oppositions boycott of the opening session of the legislature. The decision sparks a mass walkout by around 40 opposition lawmakers, who had taken up their seats despite the boycott.
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA, 13 Oct - The government imposes more restrictions on the movement of UN peacekeepers, days after grounding UN helicopter flights. Gail Bindley-Taylor-Sainte, UNMEE spokeswoman, says the new restrictions limit night vehicle patrols.
ETHIOPIA, 14 Oct - EU parliamentarians urge Ethiopia's ruling party to stop "persecuting and intimidating" opposition members, warning that it could affect aid.
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA, 17 Oct - The ban on UN helicopter flights by the Eritrean government forces international peacekeepers to abandon a number of monitoring posts on the border. "The continuing occupation of small posts in isolated places has become untenable and operationally unviable," UNMEE reports. "Out of a total of 40 posts [...] UNMEE has now decided to vacate 18 of them."
ERITREA, 24 Oct - One of the most food-aid-dependent countries in the world, with 2.3 million of the country's 3.6 million people requiring food aid in 2005, Eritrea stops food aid distribution to more than one million people. Aid officials say the sharp reduction in distribution of food aid was a government policy shift from free food to food-for-work.
ERITREA, 31 Oct - The government accuses the Security Council of failing to maintain peace in the Horn of Africa. "Current attempts by the Security Council to blame Eritrea are unwarranted, both legally and politically," President Isaias Afwerki says in a letter to the president of the Council.
NOVEMBER
ETHIOPIA, 1 Nov - The CUD calls for a consumer boycott of products controlled and sold by the ruling party and protests against "continued harassment of its members and vote rigging."
ETHIOPIA, 3 Nov - Two more people are killed and eight others injured in Addis Ababa, bringing the death toll after three days of violence to 33, with more than 150 injured. Although most of the city is calm, renewed fighting breaks out sporadically in areas close to several foreign embassies. Police and heavily armed troops maintain a heavy presence, and armoured personnel carriers patrol the streets.
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA, 3 Nov - Secretary-General Kofi Annan expresses concern about reported movements of military personnel on both sides of the Ethiopia-Eritrea border. He says there had also been reports of "irregular activities inside the zone."
ERITREA-ETHIOPIA, 7 Nov - Kenzo Oshima, the UN Security Council envoy, arrives in Addis Ababa to meet UNMEE officials and government representatives, assess troop movements along the border and consider the likelihood of an escalation into war.
ETHIOPIA, 7 Nov - The US and EU urge the government to end its crackdown on opposition leaders. In a joint statement, they call on the government to allow families and humanitarian workers access to those who were detained during the fighting. In a separate statement, leaders of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the Islamic Affairs Supreme Council, the Roman Catholic Church and the Evangelical Church appeal for calm.
ETHIOPIA, 7 Nov - Opposition leaders appear in court for the first time since being detained amid bloody political protests that claimed 46 lives. The 24 opposition leaders are ordered to be held for another 14 days during the closed hearing. Those who are under arrest include CUD chairman Hailu Shawel, CUD vice-chairman Berhanu Nega and prominent human rights activist Mesfin Wolde Mariam.
ETHIOPIA, 10 Nov - The detained opposition leaders and editors will face treason charges, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi says. He declares that his government has no intention of bowing to calls from the international community for their release. "They are accused of engaging in insurrection," he says. "That is an act of treason under Ethiopian law."
ETHIOPIA, 11 Nov - Ethiopian police release 2,417 people who were seized during election protests in Addis Ababa but refuse to indicate how many more people are still in detention. In a statement, the police say those who had been freed had played no part in the demonstrations.
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA, 11 Nov - Restrictions on UN peacekeepers patrolling the "tense and potentially volatile" Ethiopia-Eritrea frontier increase. "The restrictions have increased almost daily," says UNMEE spokeswoman Gail Bindley-Taylor-Sainte.
ETHIOPIA, 14 Nov - Donors express concern over political unrest and say they are evaluating whether aid is distributed in a "non-partisan manner". "The Development Assistance Group is concerned about these political disturbances and the effects that these can have on sustainable development for the country," say 17 key donors in a statement. Ethiopia receives approximately $1.9 billion in aid each year - more than one-third of the government's entire budget.
ETHIOPIA, 15 Nov - Authorities release another 3,858 detainees who were seized after days of political protests, bringing the total number of those freed to 8,200. The EU and the US call for all political detainees to be freed.
ETHIOPIA, 22 Nov - CUD leaders who face potential treason charges are denied bail after a court rules that they should remain in police custody.
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA, 24 Nov - The Security Council threatens action, which could include sanctions, against Ethiopia and Eritrea if they continue to engage in activities that aggravate their ongoing border dispute. In a unanimously adopted resolution, the Council deplores Eritrea's restrictions on the freedom of movement of UNMEE and demands that it immediately reverse its 5 October ban of UNMEE helicopter flights.
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA, 24 Nov - Ethiopian troops illegally enter a demilitarised zone inside Eritrea. A small number of troops occupy the territory for six days. "Any violation of the temporary security zone is of concern to us - it doesn't matter how tiny it may be," says UNMEE spokeswoman Gail Bindley-Taylor-Sainte.
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA, 28 Nov - Ethiopia and Eritrea trade blame for the rising tensions along their shared border but vow not to ignite another war. Military commanders from the two countries meet in Nairobi at UN-hosted talks. Maj-Gen Yohannes Gebremeskel of Ethiopia alleges that a large number of Eritrean soldiers are inside the 25-km demilitarised zone. Col Zecarias Ogbagaber of Eritrea blames the tense security situation on Ethiopia's refusal to implement a border ruling that awards some territory to Eritrea.
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA, 29 Nov - Four Ethiopian soldiers are killed and three wounded when their vehicle hits a newly laid landmine near the Eritrean border. The antitank mine was planted around 15 km south of the demilitarised buffer zone between the two countries.
ETHIOPIA, 29 Nov - Authorities arrest two more journalists, bringing the total number seized since bloody political protests erupted in early November to 12.
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA, 30 Nov - A top US diplomat for African affairs arrives in Ethiopia on a three-day mission to help breathe new life into a stalled peace process with Eritrea. Donald Yamamoto, the deputy assistant secretary of state for African affairs, met Meles and some leaders of opposition parties.
ETHIOPIA, 30 Nov - A panel to investigate post-election clashes is mandated to publish its findings in three months. The decision comes after the lower House of People's Representatives approved the establishment of an 11-member panel to probe the killings of 88 people by security forces in June and November. Opposition leaders condemn the inquiry - ordered by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi - as a "whitewash" before the panel's members are even elected.
DECEMBER
ETHIOPIA, 2 Dec - CUD leaders who were detained in November for allegedly inciting post-election violence are denied bail again. The 19 opposition leaders, who began a hunger strike on 28 November to protest their incarceration, look tired and weak when they appear at their bail hearing. Three journalists and one trade unionist also appear in court. The 23 detainees - who include 10 elected members of parliament - are remanded in custody.
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA, 7 Dec - UN officials say Eritrea is expelling American European and Russian UNMEE staff.
ERITREA, 7 Dec - The Eritrean government rejects a claim by Amnesty International that it engages in religious persecution. The rights watchdog accused Eritrea in a report of denying people their right to freedom of religion. It alleged that many people in the country are detained and subjected to physical punishment on the basis of their religious beliefs.
ERITREA-ETHIOPIA, 8 Dec - UNMEE warns that the Eritrean government decision to expel 180 members of its staff could cripple its peacekeeping operations. The expulsion would affect all aspects of the mission, including supplies, transport, finance and communications, says Joel Adechi, deputy head of UNMEE.
ETHIOPIA, 8 Dec - The CUD calls for dialogue with the government as its detained leaders enter the tenth day of a hunger strike. Dialogue, it says, is the only option for resolving their bitter dispute with the ruling party.
ETHIOPIA, 8 Dec - Ethiopian authorities investigate the deaths of nonmigratory birds to rule out the possibility of an avian flu outbreak. State media reports that Ethiopia will extend its 26 October ban on the import of all poultry products indefinitely.
ERITREA-ETHIOPIA, 12 Dec - The Ethiopian government says it may pull back troops from its border with Eritrea to comply with a UN order to avert fresh conflict in the Horn of Africa. In a letter to the Security Council, Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin says Ethiopia is ready to reduce its troops to December 2004 levels.
ETHIOPIA, 13 Dec - Two more journalists are jailed, bringing the total number imprisoned following a post-election government crackdown to 15. Getachew Simie, former editor-in-chief of the defunct Amharic-language weekly Agere, was jailed for three months, while Leykun Engeda, former editor-in-chief and publisher of the Amharic-language weekly Dagim Wonchif, was jailed for 15 months.
ERITREA-ETHIOPIA, 15 Dec - The UN relocates some UNMEE staff to Ethiopia following Eritrea's decision to expel European and North American personnel. Jean-Marie Guehenno, UN under-secretary-general for peacekeeping operations, says: "Never has there been such a great crisis for the mission. The unacceptable actions and restrictions on [UNMEE], if they are sustained, will have implications for the future."
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