A Humane Response

Africa News, March 29, 2000
SECTION: NEWS, DOCUMENTS & COMMENTARY LENGTH: 799 words
HEADLINE: ;
Eritrea;
;
A Humane Response;
BODY:
Asmara - "Despite what they have done to us, we have maintained our 
humanity."

This is how an Eritrean friend responded to the news that Eritrea had 
agreed 
in principle to a US proposal to bring food aid to Ethiopia through the 
Eritrean port of Assab. Indeed, only a people who have maintained their 
humanity can put aside for a moment their own immediate suffering and 
entertain the proposal of a "humanitarian corridor" to save the lives of 8 
million people whose leaders have other more "important" things to do: 
invade neighboring countries, "annihilate" Eritrea, deport their own people.

In agreeing to the US proposal to use Assab, the Eritrean government said 
it 
was doing so because of "its moral obligation to assist in the 
international 
relief efforts to prevent a human catastrophe." This is not the first time 
that Eritrea has held fast to its principles in the face of constant 
provocations from Ethiopia. To every inhuman act that the Ethiopian regime 
has committed since the simmering border conflict between the two countries 
erupted into war almost two years ago, Eritrea's response has been that of 
respect to the rule of law and the human dignity of the person.

When Ethiopia officially declared war on Eritrea in 1998, Eritrea responded 
with a statement affirming the importance of finding a peaceful resolution 
to the conflict. Eritrea called for face-to-face talks with Ethiopia and 
for 
unconditional ceasefire.

Again, early in the conflict, Eritrea released a number of Ethiopian 
prisoners of war at a time when Ethiopian media was boasting about the 
number of Eritreans captured or killed.

There was no celebration when thousands of Ethiopians perished attempting 
to 
break the Tserona front and Eritrea successfully foiled another Ethiopian 
attempt to march into Asmara. Eritreans gave a huge sigh of relief and 
expressed sadness that so many Ethiopians would perish for a conflict that 
could be solved peacefully. Unlike in Ethiopia, there was no perverse joy 
in 
the death of Ethiopians.

To Ethiopia's cruel, inhuman and illegal deportation of Eritreans legally 
residing in the country as well of its own citizens of Eritrean origin, 
Eritrea responded with a public declaration to protect the rights of 
Ethiopians residing in Eritrea.

Even as Ethiopia rounded up Eritrean students studying in Ethiopia through 
a 
University exchange program between the two countries and sent them to 
malaria infested internment camps in the south of the country, Eritrea 
allowed Ethiopian exchange students studying at Asmara university to finish 
their exams and return home by plane with safety and dignity.

Whereas Ethiopia refused International Red Cross request to arrange air 
transport for the sick and elderly Eritreans it wanted to deport and 
instead 
dumped them in the middle of the night at heavily mined border crossings 
between the two countries, Eritrea was able to facilitate air transport for 
Ethiopian exchange students wanting to go home. This it was able to do 
despite Ethiopia's (then) short lived, illegal air and sea embargo against 
Eritrea during which it threatened to shoot at anything that moved.

Once again, Eritrean people have demonstrated their humanity through their 
willingness to have the international community use Assab to deliver relief 
aid to Ethiopia, even though it is Ethiopia that boycotted Eritrean ports 
in 
the first place.

Even so, Eritrea's largesse cannot be at the expense of its security and 
the 
safety of its own people. Ethiopia must first exhaust the capacity of other 
ports (in neighboring Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia) to import emergency food 
aid. Ethiopia cannot be allowed to continue importing military equipment 
through Djibouti while using Eritrean ports for relief supplies.

Ethiopia should declare where its priorities lie. It should formally 
declare 
that it will cease bombing Eritrean ports and civilian targets. It should 
agree to unconditional ceasefire and focus on its obligation to feed its 
own 
people.

The US has called for more aid for Ethiopia. "The United States cannot meet 
our obligations worldwide and completely cover this drought-damage 
situation. I want to urge our European friends to move quickly, " reported 
Reuters quoting Hugh Parmer of the U.S. Agency for International 
Development 
(USAID). The US is missing the first step. The primary obligation of 
feeding 
Ethiopians rests with the Ethiopian government. The international community 
first needs to call on Ethiopia to redirect its war energy into feeding its 
people. No amount of generosity from the international community, including 
Eritrea, can make up for the missing factor in the race to save lives: that 
of Ethiopia redirecting its One million US dollars a day war expenditure 
towards the relief effort underway.
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