Feb. 27

Eritrea requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council after Ethiopian  Defense Forces evicted the invaders from Badme and its environs.  Eritrean radio admitted it had lost ground to the Ethiopian Defense Forces that that took total control of the Badme area.

On the same day, Eritrea notified the United Nations Security Council, the President of the UN General Assembly and the President of the United States that it has accepted the OAU Framework Agreement.  Diplomats in New York were quoted by world media as saying that Eritrea's acceptance of the Framework was a major reversal attributed to setbacks Eritrea suffered at its most fortified front.

Feb. 26

Operation Sunset, Ethiopia's military counter offensive against Eritrea that was launched at the Badme front since last Tuesday, ended with glorious victory for Ethiopia, the Office of the Government Spokesperson said. Quoting information obtained from the Central Military Command, the Office said the heroic Ethiopian Defence Forces gained the smashing victory on February 26,1999 and engaged themselves ever since in consolidating their gains in the areas from where they dislodged the enemy forces.

During the engagement at the Badme front the enemy deployed over 40,000 military personnel from three corps, several divisions, hundreds of heavy artillery, around 70 tanks and armoured military vehicles. The Office said that the Eritrean Government made unsuccessful attempts to use its air force.

"For nine months the enemy had dug and heavily fortified over 100 kms of trenches on the border using bulldozers and surrounded by anti-personnel and anti-vehicle landmines", the Office said.

According to the Office. "the Defence Forces of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, in spite of such a large enemy military presence, were able to win total victory, only in the space of four days, destroying the enemy forces and sending them into total disarray."

During Operation Sunset, the Ethiopian Ground and Air Forces captured, killed and wounded tens of thousands of enemy army personnel; destroyed many tanks and heavy artillery and captured several; captured thousands of medium and low level armaments; and shot down and burnt two enemy Mig  29 enemy fighter planes.

Feb. 25

Intense fighting takes place at the Badme/Shararo front and the Ethiopian Defence Forces inflicted heavy damage to Eritrea's air and ground forces, the Office of the Government Spokesperson disclosed.

Participants of a panel discussion in Addis Ababa which was attended by diplomats said the UN Security Council should revise its latest resolution which called for cessation of arms sales to Ethiopia.

Feb. 24

Ethiopian Defence Forces cause further serious damages to the Eritrean Army at the Badme front, the Office of the Government Spokesperson said.

Feb. 23

Ethiopia Defence Forces and the Eritrean army engaged in fighting at the Badme front.  According to the Office of the Government Spokesperson, heavy damage has been caused to the enemy by the Ethiopian ground and air forces.

Ethiopia said the statement issued on February 22 by the US State Department expressing "regret" over the use of air power by Ethiopia sounds "very strange and out of tune with reality".  The statement said the just demand would have been a call on Eritrea to undo its aggression and to assist Ethiopia achieve peace.

Feb. 21

The heroic Ethiopian Air Force bombed the Eritrean regime's military airfield in Assab which is of considerable strategic importance causing heavy damages, the Office of the Government Spokesperson said. In a statement it issued, the Office said the Ethiopian Air Force inflicted heavy damages to the Assab airfield where Eritrean fighter helicopters land and take off. All Ethiopian fighter planes returned safely to base after fulfilling their mission, the Office said.

Feb. 19

Students of the Addis Ababa University(AAU) expressed serious objections to the UN Security Council Resolution which called for cessation of arms sales to Ethiopia as if the council 's failure during the past nine months to put a meaningful pressure on Eritrea has not sufficed. In a resolution they adopted after holding extensive discussions on the council resolution which was adopted just at the very time when Ethiopia begun to take counter offensive actions to defend its sovereignty, the students numbering about 5000 urged the Security Council to reconsider its decision which they said placed the victim of aggression and aggressor on the same footing.

The students pointed out that Ethiopia did nothing but to exercise its right of self defense as provided for in the UN Charter and expressed regrets that the Council should adopt a resolution which only contravened the UN Charter itself.

Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin reiterated that it is the acceptance by the Government of Eritrea of the OAU Framework Agreement and its speedy implementation by the two sides that will bring about a solution to the Ethio-Eritrean crisis. The Foreign Minister made the statement during a meeting in his office with the OAU High Level Delegation Ambassadorial Committee members with whom he exchanged views on the current hostilities between Ethiopia and Eritrea. On the same day, Foreign Minster Seyoum Mesfin received the European Union High Level Delegation led by the Federal Democratic Republic of Germany's Vice Foreign Minister and exchanged views in the Ethio-Eritrean crises.

Feb. 18

The head of Tigray state, Ato Gebru Asrat, said Ethiopia will continue its just war of self defense to ensure respect for its sovereignty inspite of the arms sales embargo imposed on the country by the UN Security Council.  The head of Tigray State, who is also politbureau member of TPLF and EPRDF, made the statement in a message he conveyed marking the 24^th anniversary of the TPLF.  In a speech he made to representatives of the people assembled in the conference hall of Makale zonal council, Ato Gebru said the on-going war between Ethiopia and Eritrea was provoked by the Eritrean regime itself.  The head of Tigray State underlined that the Eritrean regime is fully responsible for opening the war to cover its internal contradictions.

Feb. 17

Members of the OAU High  Level delegation, consisting of the Heads of State of Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe and Djibouti and the OAU Secretary- General, expressed their grave concern at the resumption of fighting between Ethiopia and Eritrea inspite of sustained international efforts to seek a peaceful solution.  According to a press release issued by the OAU, the High-Level Delegation members expressed particular concern over the loss of lives, the destruction of infrastructure and property as well as the immense suffering of the peoples caused by the escalation of armed hostilities.

According to the release, the Delegation members also urged both parties to put an immediate end to the fighting and to re-commit themselves to a peaceful resolution of the dispute based on the OAU proposals for a Framework Agreement.

Feb. 16

Ethiopian Mig  23 fighter planes bombed Harsele locality, a logistical support center for the Eritrean army located 20 kms west of Assab on the Burre front, and destroyed weapons and munitions, heavy artillery, armoured vehicles, military rations and water reservoir at the center, the Office of the Government Spokesperson said.  The bombing attack was carried out in response to an attempt at 1.45 P.M. by the Eritrean army to initiate shelling at the Burre front, the Office said.  The Eritreans also suffered the loss of  military personnel, the Office added.

The Ethiopian Air Force once again bombed Harsele, a logistical support center for the Eritrean army, causing further damage to the center, the Office of the Government Spokesperson said.  This was the second time in a single day that the logistical and water supply support center, located 20 kms west of Assab, was bombed by the heroic Ethiopian Air Force.

The human rights organization called Amnesty International, in a statement it issued, called on Eritrea to provide access to both civilian detainees and prisoners of war after the example of Ethiopia. The Amnesty statement, which welcomed Ethiopia's release of 38 Eritrean students on Feb. 14, noted that Ethiopia has given the International Committee of the Red Cross access to both civilian detainees and prisoners of war and expressed concern that Eritrea has failed to follow suit. In the statement, Amnesty also called on the Eritrean authorities to immediately allow full access to its prisoners of war and to ratify the Gener Conventions.

Feb. 15

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in its official reaction to the UN Security Council Resolution 1227 of Feb. 10, 1999, described paragraph 7 of the resolution as at once misleading and a reward for Eritrean dangerous gamble. In a statement it issued, the Ministry said that the United Nations Security Council, by calling for a cessation of arms sales to Ethiopia and Eritrea in the latest resolution it adopted, only upheld the legacy of the defunct League of Nations in treating a victim of aggression the same way as aggressor.

The Ministry expressed its disappointment that a country whose territory has been occupied and which therefore has all the legitimate right of self defense under the UN Charter and under international law is being told it has no right to defend itself against invasion by a country that has not only committed aggression but has also refused to accept all peace proposals that have been made so far.

The Ministry expressed its surprise that the Security Council, which fully knows where the truth lies and what the obstacles are to peace, should pass such a resolution which is puzzling as it is unfair.

 A whole battalion of the Eritrean Army that at 8 p.m. on Feb. 14 attempted to recapture the strategic stronghold of Geza Gerlase from the Ethiopian Army was effectively wiped out by the heroic Ethiopian Defence Force, the Office of the Government Spokesperson said.

Supported by mortar and heavy artillery, the enemy force tried to recapture Geza Gerlase but was repelled effectively after suffering serious damages, the Office said. The Office added that a whole company was liquidated in the engagement while the remaining enemy forces retreated.

Feb. 14

Ethiopia Defence Forces exchanged heavy artillery fire with the Eritrean invading forces at the Burre front.  According to the Office of the Government Spokesperson, the Ethiopian Air Force inflicted heavy human and material losses on enemy forces after attacking key positions at the front. Ethiopia said one of its  helicopters was shot down by Eritrean ground forces during the day's engagement.  The exchange was provoked by the repeated aggression of the Eritrean Army, the Office said.

Feb. 13

The Government of Eritrea released 38 Ethiopia on humanitarian grounds and subsequently handed them over to the International Committee of the Red Cross which organized their departure to Eritrea, the Office of the Government Spokesperson said. The Office said that the students were active members of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front clandestine political and military structure that was operating within Ethiopia. According to the Office, the students were detained due to their participation in activities that sought to undermine Ethiopia's peace and security.

Feb. 12

The Office of the Government Spokesperson disclosed that 7,000 Eritrean soldiers were killed and wounded during Ethiopia's defence and counter-offensive engagements at the Badme/Sharero and Tsorene fronts between February 6 and 11, 1999.

Six tanks and three BM-12 rocket launchers have also been demolished, the Office said. Various heavy artilleries and military warehouses were destroyed by the Ethiopian Army, it added.

At the Badme front confrontation, Asmara deployed its First Division of the 381st Corps and the Third Division of the 161st Corps, the Office said, adding, that more than 4000 enemy soldiers were killed and injured on this front.

Two tanks, three BM-rocket launchers, heavy artilleries and ammunition warehouse have also been ravaged, it said.

Eritrea deployed its entire Second Division Army of the 201st Corps and First Brigade of the Third Division on the Tsorena front on February 8, it said, and added that the enemy forces have sustained heavy casualties.

The Office disclosed that over 3000 Eritrean soldiers were killed and wounded during the Tsorena confrontation while four tanks, various artilleries and ammunition depots were devastated.

Feb. 11

The Government of Ethiopia called on Eritrea to evacuate civilians from the battle areas following reports that five civilians were killed in the village of Lailay Deda on February 9, the Office of the Government Spokesperson said. The village of Lailay Deda is within the military zone of the Badme triangle and close to the front line.

According to the Office, Ethiopia regrets the death of civilians, if indeed such accounts are accurate, and reiterates that it is never its intention to target civilians.

"What is perhaps not realized is that the Eritrean government itself settled Eritreans in a tented camp in the area last June, thereby putting the lives of anyone residing there at risk. The Eritrean authorities must have been aware that a camp adjacent to the military front would have been seen as a military target," the Office said.

The Office said that the Eritrean government not only should have evacuated the civilians from the area when fighting broke out on the Badme front on February 6, but should have never in the first place positioned civilians so close to the hostile border for any length of time.

The first phase of the counter offensive mounted by the Ethiopian Defence Forces ended successfully with the Ethiopian side winning major gains, the Office of the Government Spokesperson said.  According to the Office, the heroic Ethiopian Defence Forces have inflicted heavy manpower and material losses to the aggressive forces of the Eritrean regime who, to cover the major diplomatic defeat it suffered, opened a renewed offensive on Ethiopia last February 6. The Office said that the Ethiopian Defence Forces, apart from effectively repulsing the enemy offensive which has now extended to the Tsorena front, also took control of key military positions.

Feb. 10

Ethiopia has expressed its reservation in the strongest possible terms to certain paragraphs of the latest UN Security Council Resolution on Ethio-Eritrean Crisis which, contrary to elementary principle and sense of justice, placed aggressor and victim of aggression on the same footing. In a statement he made at the Council session on February 10 just before the adoption of the resolution, Ethiopia's UN ambassador Dr.Duri Mohammed said Ethiopia has strong reservations on paragraph 6 of the resolution which call for the cessation of arms sales to both countries.

Ambassador Duri said that his delegation, while welcoming those paragraphs of the resolution which urged Eritrea to accept the OAU Framework that the Council described as a viable and sound solution, has reservations on paragraph 6 which in the final analysis targeted against Ethiopia.

Dr. Duri said, "it is clear that Eritrea is a country with a long coastline, while Ethiopia is a land-locked country. It does not require any stretch of the imagination to see which country can continue to import arms and ammunitions despite any call for cessation of arms sales to both countries. Paragraph 6 of the resolution is thus in the final analysis targeted against Ethiopia."

The Ethiopian Defence Forces resolutely resisted Eritrean forces' attempt to recapture positions they lost in the last few days of fighting, the Office of the Government Spokesperson said.

According to the Office, the Ethiopian Defence Forces have been reinforcing the positions they controlled recently. The defence forces have repulsed all the attacks of the enemy force, the Office added.

The Office of the Government Spokesperson said Eritrean authorities have escorted foreign corresponds from Nairobi to what was purported to be Geza Gerlase, a major Eritrean stronghold captured by the Ethiopian Army on February 6, 1999.  The Office said this formed part of the futile effort by Eritrea to deceive the international media by denying its defeat at Geza Gerlase and the casualties the Eritrean army sustained in the fight.

Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin, in a statement he gave to local and foreign journalists, said Ethiopia will never ever allow the violation of its sovereign territory to be rewarded and the dignity of its peoples to be insulted.  Ato Seyoum said that Ethiopia's patience in the face of aggression and its flexibility should not be mistaken for being prone to being pashed out.  On the occasion, the Foreign Minster once again called on the international community to prevail upon Eritrea not accept the OAU Framework Agreement for peace proposed by African Heads of State.

Feb. 09

Eritrea's ambassador to Ethiopia Girma Asmerom was declared persona non grata for conducts unbecoming of a diplomat and for activities incompatible with his status as a diplomatic agent of Eritrea to Ethiopia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. In a press release it issued, the Ministry said that accordingly, the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia has decided that Ambassador Girma leave Ethiopia within 24 hours as of February 10, 1991 at 2 P.M.

It is to be noted that after the Ethiopian ambassador to Eritrea has been recalled back to Ethiopia following the Eritrea aggression in May last year, Ethiopia was represented by a Charge D'Affairs in Asmara who is incidentally the sole Ethiopian diplomat in Asmara.

Ethiopia's efforts to send another diplomat to Asmara who also would have served as the head of mission couldn't materialize because of lack of response from Asmara to requests made by Ethiopia twice which amounted to Eritrean rejection of two names submitted to it for approval, the Ministry explained.

Feb. 08

The Executive Committee of the Eritrean Liberation Front Revolutionary Council has extended another call on the Government of Eritrea to accept the OAU Peace Proposal for ending the Ethio-Eritrean crisis without delay and to contribute to peace. In a statement it issued on February 8, the ELF-RC Executive Committee also called on the international community to shoulder its responsibility once again and apply pressure on Eritrea to bring about the implementation of the OAU Peace Proposal. The EC as well urged international humanitarian organizations to abandon their indifference and carry out their responsibilities of monitoring the extent to which both warring sides are respecting human rights under the war situation.

Ethiopian defense forces engaged in full scale counter - offensive combat at the Badme and Tsorena fronts in a resolute measure to evict the Eritrean aggressive forces, the Government Spokesperson said.

The Office said the Ethiopian army during the engagement captured the two major Eritrean strongholds of Konin and Konito and their surroundings.

Feb. 07

The Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the seizure at the Port of Antwerp on Feb. 6 of consignments of weapons and armaments packed in 91 containers destined for Eritrea, a Belgian newspaper Gazet Van Antwerpen reported. The newspaper, also called Antwerp Gazette, said the Eritrean-bound military equipment was seized by the Antwerp Customs officials in northern Belgium. According to the newspaper, Customs officials in Antwerp investigated into the cargo which arrived last year from neighboring Netherlands and was transported by a British company which is not yet identified.

"Although the cargo was declared to be construction equipment such as pumps, the Antwerp customs officials still called in military experts who later found out that the 40 trucks contained canons while the 51 containers carried motors especially manufactured for Soviet-made T-54 and T-55 tanks," the newspaper said.

Ethiopian defence forces successfully repelled the counter offensives mounted by Eritrea in an attempt to recapture the important stronghold of Geza Gerlase which it lost to the Ethiopian defence forces on Feb.6, the Office of the Government Spokesperson said.

The Office also disclosed that, acting in desperation to compensate for its battlefield losses, Eritrea shelled civilian targets in Adigrat with heavy artillery beginning at 4:40 the same day.

Ethiopian defense forces destroyed with heavy artillery an Eritrean radar station in an unpopulated area five kilometers Southeast of Adi Quala, the Office of the Government disclosed. The Office said personnel supervising the station, believed to be of considerable strategic importance to Eritrea, sustained casualties.

Feb. 06

The full-scale offensive launched on this date by the Eritrean regime at the Badme front was effectively repulsed by the resolute counter offensive measures taken by the heroic Ethiopian defence forces, the Office of the Government Spokesperson disclosed.  Eritrea suffered heavy losses in the Ethiopian defensive action, the Office said.

The Eritrean defence forces earlier unleashed an attack aimed at controlling the right-wing of Ethiopian defence posts but the Ethiopian forces took swift measures not only to foil the attempt but also followed the retreating enemy forces and took full control of a large enemy stronghold known as Geza-Gerlase.

Feb. 6

Eritrea at dawn on this day launched a full scale armed attack on Ethiopian troops at the Badme/Sherero front, the Office of the Government Spokesperson said.  The Office said the purpose of the attack is to control Ethiopian military posts at the front and to destroy the Ethiopian army.

Feb. 06

Deutche Welle released a press conference by the German government requiring all Germans in Eritrea to leave Asmara by Feb. 6, 1999.  It also said that all other EU member states can also report to the German embassy in Asmara. It also calls on all airlines to assist them in securing the safe departure of its people.

The reason for the evacuation is the Eritean - provoked conflict on the Badme front, according to Deutche Welle.

Feb. 06

The Belgian TV Channel VTM reported that the Belgian Customs Authorities have detained 91 containers destined for Eritrea at the port of Antwerp, according to diplomatic sources in Brussels. According to the sources, port authorities found out after examining the contents that they were weapons and armaments for war purposes. The sources said that the Belgian law strictly prohibits any armament shipping from its area, mainly to conflict areas. It is believed that if the Belgian government follows its laws strictly those 91 containers filled with lethal weaponry will be confiscated and the Eritrean government made to account for its illegal activities, the sources added.

According to the same sources, there are also some other Eritrean shipments in the same port believed to be detained for not having proper letter of credit of documents. The sources added that it looks like the Eritrean government is involved in forged document production to cover its lack of financial resources. Some parts of these second shipment under detention are suspected to be related to armaments for war use as well, the sources added.

According to the sources, the recent unexpected visit of the Eritrean dictator to Belgium may have some relation to this illegal arms trade.

Feb. 05

Two Eritrean Mig fighter jets bombed Adigrat town in violation of the moratorium on air strikes agreed to by the two countries.  The Office of the Government Spokesperson said the intended target was the fuel depot and its surroundings.  Seven civilians including a 28-year old woman, a 26 year old man and a boy were seriously injured in the attack while three houses were destroyed.

Feb. 04

Eritrean forces embarked on a new round of shelling of the Badme/Sheraro front from their posts at Gemahalo, the Office of the Government Spokesperson said.

According to the Office, the Eritrean regime embarked on the new wave of shelling only within days of President Isayas' January 31 statement in which he reiterated that "Eritrea will never fire the first bullet."

The Office said, "such statements that completely contradict the actions of the Eritrean regime are clearly meant to serve only as a smokescreen for Eritrea's latest act of aggression. Eritrea has not coincidentally renewed hostilities while the international community is applying increased pressure on the Asmara government to accept the OAU Framework Agreement for peace. The shelling itself came as UN special Envoy for Africa, Mr. Mohammed Sahnoun, is in the region to persuade Eritrea to accept the OAU peace proposals."

UN Secretary  General's Special Envoy for Africa Mohamed Sahnoun arrives/ in Addis Ababa with a message for Prime Minister Meles Zenawi from UN Secretary  General Kofi Anan. According to a statement issued by the Office of the Government Spokesperson on the same day, Ethiopia welcomes Sahnoun's visit because it does not want to leave any stone unturned in the search for peace.

February

1999

(Compiled by Walta Information Center (WIC)