Del.icio.us

Via Security Council Report comes valuable analysis on the state of play of the United Nations Mission to Ethiopia-Eritrea (UNMEE). The mission's mandate is set to officially expire on July 31. In practice, UNMEE has been shuttered since this spring, when it was forced to relocate out of the country after Eritrea cut off the mission's fuel supply.
According to the Security Council Report, Belgium has put forward a proposal that would terminate UNMEE as we know it. In its stead, the Belgium plan recomends: "deployment of a military UN Observer Mission for Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNOMEE), based in Ethiopia, until 31 December. Its mandate would be to report developments that could undermine the peace process promote confidence building measures and help mediate incidents along the border. "
The Belgian plan obviously downgrades an important mission that kept tenuous peace along a hostile frontier. But downgrading UNMEE simply reflects the reality on the ground; the mission cannot operate when its host country is totally uncooperative. That said, both sides are at fault here. The 2000 Algiers Agreement set up a process by which the status of disputed border territory would be apportioned, but when a neutral boundary commission decided in Eritrean favor, Ethiopia simply ignored the ruling. Thus, today, we have a tense stalemate along the border, with the real possibility that the countries return to war.
Clearly, until this underlying issue is resolved, peace will be hard to to come by. Still, obstructing the UNMEE was deeply problematic as it -- at the very least -- provided a buffer to prevent the outbreak of armed conflict. Who knows if a small observor mission based in Ethiopia will be able to do the same?
(image credit: BBC)
Comments
Dear Sir,
UNMEE was supposed to be an honorable guest in Eritrea if the security council wouldn't have medeled situations to fulfil the interest of USA. The case of UNMEE is suspended between the conflict of soverignity of Eritrea and the strategic interest of USA. The problem is not UNMEE or ERitrea. The problem is USA. USA is forwarding its interest before the wellbeing of Eritrea and Ethiopia. Unless USA is fovaerable to the wellbeing of the people of horn of Africa, neither is going to be peace nor developemnt in the horn of Africa. The situation of the people of horn of Africa is at the mercy of USA good will.
Posted by: Tesfamicael Yohannes at June 27, 2008 1:56 AM
This conflict is the responsibility of UN.Becouse UN It is not doing it,s jobs,Why They don,t force ethiopia for ignoring the peace deal.period;;
Do your Job or get out from eritrean land
Posted by: AKLILU at June 27, 2008 2:34 AM
i think the whole Idea of UN Militerly with out polotical will of those country bring no Solution again or we are haiding from Realty. The Border Mast Be demarketed. The finaal binding of Algers Agrement. Un mast to Push to those countrys to Demarketing the boarder and good realationship as nebours. NOT UN MILITRY AGAIN. finsh a job. as it signs infront of those all respected big countrys and UN. this folowing the international low and working makes those country working on international low for their any agrement what they makes for the next futur respecting it as nebohoring countrys. The Algers Finaal and binding Agrement must serve. and make sure the that those country make good relationship working together for the futur development.
Thank you
Posted by: kahsai at June 27, 2008 3:51 AM
It is unfortunate that the world community is still trying to avoid the core issue of the problem, that is Ethiopia's defiance to vacate from the sovereign lands of Eritrea. If Ethiopia has accepted and implemented the Algiers agreement, i.e. accepting the runling of the court that awarded the lands to both Ethiopia and Eritrea their own lands.
I am sure peace will flourish all over the horn of Africa by enforcing or encoraging Ethiopia to vacate the occupied lands of Eritrea.
There is no other solution, except hiding behind words as the suffer of the people in the region prolongs.
It has to be know that Eritrea will never accept its sovereign land being occupied by other country. So is its people.
Posted by: IBRAHIM at June 27, 2008 8:47 AM
Why is the UN not attempting to enforce the ruling of the Court? Ethiopia is an old member of the UN. This does not guarantee Ethiopia not to obey the law. The UN has many problems all over the world.It must stop spoiling Ethiopia, face reality and implement the ruling of the EEBC or else implement the respective action including sanctions etc. The Eritrean people have suffered enough.I dont think the UN is also helping the Ethiopians.The government of Ethiopa is running aways from the current problems by opening wars in Ogaden,Somalia etc.
Posted by: D.Bahta.N. at June 27, 2008 9:33 AM
I just can not believe how the Media portraits Eritreas image on the UNMEE issues. An agreement is an agreemet, instead of forcing Ethiopian government to abide by the rule of law blame Eritrea for the five years of Patience to have the boder demarketed.
Please tell me how long do the Eritrean people have to live in a makeshift camps while thier Land is accupied by Ethiopian forces?
Wasn't this agreement final and binding not open for any adjustment? Why ask Eritrea to negotaite with Ethiopia based on a pretext families and churches will be splitted while all technicality was worked out in detail on the Alegeries agreement?
Do anyone ever asked the UN on the coruppted human trafficing that was taken place by UNMEE personell? I can go on and on but it the bottom line is the UN is the most coruppted institution in the planet. Driven by political interest of the West. More people suffer and die as a result of the UN inability to put the princple and more issue before politics, the Eritrean and Ethiopian border war and settlement or the Algiers Agreement, The Ruwanda, the Iraq war, the Invasion of Somalia by the Ethiopian government in the name of Terorisim blessed by the US are some of the few examples to mention.
Eritrea is the Hosting country and like any other nation it has every right to protect its Sovereignty and expell any unwanted guests. UNMEE's mandate was supposed to be two years until the border is demarketed. If the UN is not willing to cary it's own responsibilities, then they need to get out of Eritrea. UNMEE is not permanet mission.
Habtom Hadgu
Boston, MA
It just Pathetic.
Posted by: Habtom Hadgu at June 27, 2008 10:15 AM
No matter what the UN effort to resolve is un thinkable everything in the hand of USA. It is the Key Allay of the Ethiopian. So UN effort is USless. Be sure the UN is only there to meet the USA need in all aspects. The only people that caould resolve this problem are the president of Eritrea and the prime minster of Ethiopia Melese.The recent incursion of the Djouboti Armies into the Eritrean teritory was a diplomatic cover-up in the name of terrorism by Dr. fraser where she lost the peace mission in the whole Africa and enticed the The French colony Djibouti to send its army deep into eritrea so to divert the attention of the world community and Create a good atmospheric situation for Ethioia and Dr. fraser could bring More unrealistic drama to get a lovely friendship from Ethiopia and degrading Eritrean, downplaying Eritrea's effort to resolve So any one who suggests that the UN could or must push Ethiopia to withdraw its Army from Eritrean teritory is unrealistic But the USA could do or force Ethiopia to do so.
Posted by: mmhr solomon at June 27, 2008 11:24 AM
No matter what the UN effort to resolve is un thinkable everything in the hand of USA. It is the Key Allay of the Ethiopian. So UN effort is USless. Be sure the UN is only there to meet the USA need in all aspects. The only people that caould resolve this problem are the president of Eritrea and the prime minster of Ethiopia Melese.The recent incursion of the Djouboti Armies into the Eritrean teritory was a diplomatic cover-up in the name of terrorism by Dr. fraser where she lost the peace mission in the whole Africa and enticed the The French colony Djibouti to send its army deep into eritrea so to divert the attention of the world community and Create a good atmospheric situation for Ethioia and Dr. fraser could bring More unrealistic drama to get a lovely friendship from Ethiopia and degrading Eritrean, downplaying Eritrea's effort to resolve So any one who suggests that the UN could or must push Ethiopia to withdraw its Army from Eritrean teritory is unrealistic But the USA could do or force Ethiopia to do so.
Posted by: mmhr solomon at June 27, 2008 11:25 AM
Why does the UN allow the illegal occupation of Ethiopian troops in sovereign Eritrean territory? UNMEE's mandate expired in conjunction with the announcement of the boundary decision. Because the commission was denied entry by Ethiopia to demarcate on the ground, the commission did the demarcation by coordinates (virtual demarcation).
UNMEE has done a good job maintaining the peace, but their mandate has expired and now the sole remaining task of the UN is to ensure the eviction of Ethiopian troops.
Posted by: moy at June 27, 2008 11:55 AM
nothing make any sense anymore
more. These days we are witnesssing an impotent organization (UN) and lack of good leadership around the world. The world is far worse than the last 50 years. If peace is to come in the world, all these greedy, selfserving, and coward leaders need to go.....
Posted by: kibrom at June 27, 2008 1:29 PM
I am an Eritrean, and I fully support dialogue.
Posted by: Dear sir, at June 27, 2008 3:37 PM
Unless ethiopia go out of the soveriegn eritrean territory no peace will be seen in the horn of africa,and if the US doesnt stop its support to ethiopia under the name of anti-terrorism no peace will come.
thanks
Posted by: Robel at June 28, 2008 4:20 AM
Ear Sir
I would like to ask some questions instead of giving comment
1.Is the UN above the USA or under command of the USA ?
2. Since the formation of UN, has it solve even one problem among countries of the Earth ?
We eritreans we know very well what the UN is and what the aim of the USA is. We have faught for thirty years not only against Ethiopia but also against USA and the west.
Now we never afraid of any aggressor, we are ready to defend our beloved country. We are ready to smash any running dog of America and the west. We don't need any UN force on our land.We have enough power to defen our country.
Posted by: Tesfamariam Hagos at June 28, 2008 5:02 PM
hey guys--this problem is easy if if if if the united state put the welbeing of east africa first.. it seems they do not care except their interest.. we are unfortunate people to be oppressed repeatedly by the USA.
GOd bless Eritrea
Posted by: mussie at July 27, 2008 6:35 PM

RSS


