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Association of Eritrean Asylum Seekers in Sweden

AEASS’s stand from the current ‘serious’ developments
 in the unresolved Ethio-Eritrea border dispute.

Association of Eritrean Asylum Seekers in Sweden (AEASS) is closely watching the recent serious and worrying developments in the unresolved border conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia. The no-peace no-war situation between the two countries as a result of Ethiopia’s refusal to accept the EEBC resolution on demarcation of the border line and the recent measures taken by the government of Eritrea banning UN peace- keepers from flying over the skies of the buffer zone is putting  the region, in general and our nation, in particular, in a very serious and alarming situation. This tense situation if not addressed and dealt with wisely and responsibly by all concerned parties, it can get out of control and insert our nation in another cycle of destructive war claiming another tens of thousands, may be more, of precious lives.

Believing that war has never been a means of resolving conflicts and realizing that if the two governments (Eritrean and Ethiopian ) opt to go to war it will be the people of the two countries that will pay the price and suffer its scars for generations to come, AEASS  makes the following urgent calls to the concerned parties.

Ethiopia:

Realizing that no one can be above the law, Ethiopia must immediately and without any preconditions respect its international commitments; accept the ‘final and binding’ ruling of the EEBC and make all necessary arrangements to facilitate the physical demarcation of the border line between Eritrea and Ethiopia in order to bring about a lasting peace between the two nations.

International Community:

The border stalemate has not only put our nation in a fragile no peace no war situation, but also, most importantly, deprived our people from enjoying their democratic rights and civil liberties as enshrined in international, regional and ‘national’ laws. Since the out-break of the border conflict the government of Eritrea has changed the country into a police-state committing serious human rights violations and refusing to listen to all national and international calls to introduce democracy, improve human rights situation and respect the rule of law. The unresolved border dispute, to deviate attention, is being used by the government in Eritrea as a peg to hang all its failures on and to delay and deny our freedom loving nation the right to enjoy freedom and participation in the political process. In light of the above facts, we call upon the international community represented in the guarantors of the Algiers Agreement (UN, EU, AU, US and Algeria ) to step in,  before it is too late, and use their weight and other necessary mechanisms to make Ethiopia fully comply with the EEBC binding demarcation ruling.

Parallel  to this, the International Community should also start to put serious pressures on the government of Eritrea to respect international conventions and ‘national laws’. The government of Eritrea must be pressured to improve its poor human rights record, to release all political and conscience prisoners, to end arbitrary detention, and above all, to take all necessary measures to prepare the nation for a comprehensive political transformation that ensures and enables the equal participation of all citizens and organizations irrespective of their political, social, religious and ethnical affiliations in the upcoming broader national political system.

Eritrea:

The government of Eritrea has very well exploited the border issue to delay and avoid democratization and accountability by responding to all calls and appeals saying: ‘ We are in a state of war’, ‘ we are preoccupied with the border issue’. This fabricated justification can’t and must not be endlessly a pretext to deprive the nation of constitutionalism and to keep brutalizing citizens.

As the regime in Eritrea is demanding Ethiopia and the world community to respect the rule of law, it first and foremost applies to it to respect the rule of law within its (our) national boundaries. International and national rule of laws have only one meaning. A government can’t demand respect of rule of law in the international forums in the complete absence of the same internally.

All Eritreans:

In this critical moment which our nation is passing through, all Eritreans must voice their concerns and demands to the concerned parties. These concerns and demands must circle around the wellbeing, dignity and respect to the basic rights of our people. It is not logical and objective to look at the border issue in isolation from the internal serious political and human rights situation which is prevailing today in our beloved country. Hence, we call upon all Eritreans and friends of Eritrea to use all possible and peaceful means to exert pressures on the concerned parties to achieve a lasting peace between Eritrea and Ethiopia, paving the way for the fulfillment of the long awaited ‘suppressed’ dream of establishing a state of institutions and accountability in our wounded country.

Association of Eritrean Asylum Seekers in Sweden (AEASS)

Stockholm, 2005.11.02

E-mail. Sedet_husum@yahoo.com OR eriasyl@eriasyl.com