20100130
africanews

A document presented at the meeting of the Executive Council of the AU summit underway in Addis Ababa demonizes Eritrea for its 'negative roles' in the Horn of Africa. It said that country is playing a destructive role in Somalia and have strained relations with neighbouring Djibouti and regional heavyweight Ethiopia.
African Union
According to the paper by AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) Asmara was the supplier of arms and ammunition to Somali armed groups that are perpetrating deadly attacks against the African peacekeeping force in Somalia (AMISOM).

The AU agreed the sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council on Eritrea, adopted on 23 December, and expects the list of Eritrean officials affected by the sanctions to be made public, the document highlighted.

The AU peace and security council has also called on the Security Council to ensure that its request that some air, sea and land blockade be imposed on Eritrea and subsequently be implemented to prevent the entry into Somalia of foreign elements and the provision of insurgents with means to continue their activities.

Eritrea displayed very bad faith in the efforts for a negotiated settlement to the border dispute with Djibouti, the paper reads.

The AU also said Eritrea did not positively react to repeated requests to withdraw its troops from Djibouti territory. The stand was illegal and endangered the overall stability of the region.

The Pan African organization further stated that Asmara refused to engage in direct dialogue with Djibouti, refusing to respond positively to efforts by sub-regional or regional organisations to ensure peace in the region.

While the “no peace now war” situation with Ethiopia is relatively less troubling despite the massive troops deployed on both sides, Eritrea recently fell out with Sudan.

The paper also said requests by the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) and the UN mediation committee to Eritrea to give peace a chance were rebuffed.