• The visit of Korea’s President Lee Myung-bak to Ethiopia

• A New Nation is Born – the Republic of South Sudan

• Prime Minister Meles meets the Foreign Ministers of UK and France

• Somalia’s President appeals urgently for drought aid

• Ethiopia-Sudan Memo of Understanding on Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis control

The visit of Korea’s President Lee Myung-bak to Ethiopia

 President Lee Myung-bak, of the Republic of Korea, left Ethiopia on the evening of Sunday July 10^th after a three day visit. His historic visit was the first of its kind by a Korean president since the two countries established diplomatic relation in 1963, and President Lee led a delegation of senior Government officials and some 80 businessmen. During the visit, President Lee held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi at the National Palace. He expressed his strong belief that relations between Ethiopia and Korea could be a model for Africa, underlining that Korea wanted to develop and transform its ties with Ethiopia into those of a true development partner. Korea, he said, was ready to work hand in hand with Ethiopia and the rest of Africa to establish a strong partnership conducive for common growth. He believed Korea’s development experience would help Ethiopia develop its agriculture and industry. He said Korean business people would actively participate in expanding economic cooperation.

Prime Minister Meles said the visit was of great significance to Ethiopia. He said Korea’s greatest gift to Ethiopia, and to Africa, was the example of its path of development. He was delighted that Korea was willing to share its experience and to help in the transfer of technology. He reaffirmed Ethiopia’s commitment to further strengthening relations, pointing out that it had withstood the test of time and of trying circumstances. It would, he said, continue to evolve as required. The Prime Minister expressed his strong hope that Korean investment would focus on agriculture and manufacturing, noting that these sectors would offer great opportunities. Ethiopia, he said, was keen to learn more from the experience of Korea, an example for both Ethiopia and for Africa in developing successfully. Korea had transformed itself into one of the world's most dynamic economies in a very short space of time. Korean investment would be vital for Ethiopia’s development.

President Lee and Prime Minister Meles attended the Ethiopia Korea Development Experience Sharing meeting which took place last Sunday. They pledged to support the realization of the Ethiopian Growth and Transformation Plan and to actively share the Korean development experience. Following the bilateral talks, the two countries also signed four agreements covering a Frame work Agreement on Grant Aid, an Agreement on an Economic Cooperation Development Fund, a Memorandum of Cooperation on Economic Development Cooperation and an Agreement on Science and Technology Cooperation.

In the course of his stay, President Lee paid tribute to the Ethiopian Korea war veterans and laid a wreath at the memorial monument for those who lost their lives during the 1950-53 Korean War. The President said the Korean people would never forget the helping hand given by Ethiopia at a time when the two countries did not even have diplomatic relations. Over 6,000 Ethiopian troops participated in the UN action. 122 were killed and 536 injured. The President also visited several other places, getting involved in voluntary service at the Korean village in Kabana, going to the Ras Desta Damtew Memorial Hospital in Addis Ababa and the Gare area around Ginchi.

President Lee also visited the Addis Ababa University where he planted tree seedlings in the campus and received the degree of Doctor of Environmental Sciences Honoris Causa which the University conferred on him for his devotion to the environment. Speaking to staff and students, President Lee noted that the University had greatly contributed to the progress of democracy and academic freedom and played a significant role in research. The President identified climate change as the biggest threat that living creatures faced. In 2008, Korea had produced its “Low Carbon, Green Growth” as a new national vision, a strategy to protect the environment with green technology and the use of clean energy while promoting economic growth. Green growth, he said, was an optimal strategy. Ethiopia today, he noted, was confronted with a massive loss of forest caused by industrialization, farmland development and population growth. It therefore needed to come up with comprehensive measures including effective energy policies and low-carbon farming practices. To help Ethiopia’s economic growth proceed in harmony with environmental conservation, Korea was ready to provide assistance in the formulation of green growth policies and to join forces in forestation projects. Environmental conservation and economic growth should go hand in hand.

Korea, he said, had hosted the G20 Summit in Seoul last year. It was the first emerging nation to host such a summit. It had adopted the theme of “Shared Growth Beyond Crisis” and became the first G20 member to put forward the development issue as an official agenda. The result was the Seoul Development Consensus for Shared Growth. President Lee noted that Prime Minister Meles in particular had provided valuable advice throughout the process. This was why the Seoul Consensus could be called an African Consensus. Africa, he added, was the hope for the future. Today, six of the ten nations with the highest economic growth rates were in Africa. The IMF predicted that by 2015, the Africa’s growth rate would exceed Asia’s. Korea was ready to go hand in hand with Africa into the future. It wished to establish a partnership that would be conducive for the common growth of both Korea and African in the 21^st century.

President Lee said Ethiopia’s five-year plan for growth and transformation represented an ambitious challenge. He could feel the passion of the Ethiopian people for the development of their nation, and that gave him great confidence in a prosperous future for Ethiopia. For a developing country to grow and advance, it needed to have innate potential for growth. One of the most important resources necessary for this was its people. Korea intended to contribute to nurturing those human resources in Ethiopia through support for education and job training.

After the Korean war, he said, Korea’s per capita GDP stood at no more than US$40. Korea had no natural resources, experience, capital nor technology. It had introduced technologies from advanced nations, attracted investments and sent people overseas for training Today, Korea’s per capita GDP exceeded US$20,000, and it was the 15^th largest economic powerhouse in the world. The driving force that had made this possible was education and it was this that had been the cornerstone in building Korea.  

Ethiopia, he said, had provided mankind with two precious gifts. The first was coffee; and the second was man itself. Ethiopia was the fertile ground for the first tree of life. It was where humans originated. Young people, President Lee stressed, needed to keep a flame of hope in their hearts. Humanity had within it endless abilities and remarkable creativity, but it was necessary to challenge oneself to reveal the inner potential. Just as coffee beans need heat to produce their taste and aroma, only people’s passion could transform small and ordinary things. “Do not fear poverty or failure”, President Lee concluded, “challenge yourselves over and over again”.

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A New Nation is Born – the Republic of South Sudan

On Saturday, last week, July 9^th, the Republic of South Sudan became the 54^th state in Africa and the 193^rd member of the international community of nations. It was a momentous and emotional day for the more than eight million citizens of South Sudan. The people of South Sudan and their friends celebrated with joy their long-awaited independence welcoming the “sunshine in the skies of South Sudan." In January, they had voted in an historic referendum to separate from the rest of Sudan. That they did so peacefully is a credit to the leadership of both the North and South Sudan.

The new state of the Republic of South Sudan received immediate recognition from many regional bodies and international states including permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Countries have already started appointing ambassadors to the Republic of South Sudan. In this regard the UK took the lead, appointing Alastair McPhail as its Ambassador to the newly independent Republic of South Sudan. The UN Security Council’s Committee on the Admission of New Members met on Monday to review South Sudan’s application for UN membership. It was then approved by the Security Council before going to the General Assembly of the United Nations where its admission to the United Nations was voted by acclamation on Thursday.

While there has been almost unreserved welcome for the new state, there have also been a number of observers to point out that like any new born baby the Republic of South Sudan will be vulnerable and fragile if care is not taken from an early age. Independence for South Sudan comes with a great deal of responsibility. The future will require hard work and perseverance, and with the celebrations over, the new government will need to take time to think positively and critically about the future. There are some obvious challenges including the Government of South Sudan’s problems with some dissident militia forces. On Thursday last week the Security Council approved a resolution calling for the 7,000 soldiers and 900 civilians from the Sudan mission UNMIS to leave the Sudan by the end of August. They will be transferred to a new UN Mission to South Sudan (UNMISS) with a mandate to consolidate peace and security and help establish conditions for development, to strengthen the capacity of the Government of South Sudan to govern effectively and democratically and establish good relations with its neighbors.  

A number of post referendum arrangements with North Sudan have yet to be finalized though President Omar al Bashir of the Sudan congratulated the new country: “The will of the people of the south has to be respected”, adding that both states had to maintain peace. He said that the North will provide its new neighbor with technical and other assistance and will work hard with South Sudan to resolve all outstanding issues.

The day before South Sudan’s independence, the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) which has been organizing the clusters of negotiations on the outstanding issues of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, put out a statement detailing the progress made and the plans for further negotiations. The overriding principle has been that the two States will promote and maintain supportive relations in order to establish two viable states. AUHIP believes the deployment of Ethiopian troops will allow the situation in Abyei to return to normal. The logistics for the Interim Security Force for Abyei are already in place and the force is now being deployed. AUHIP is working with the two Presidents to determine a timeframe for discussions to resolve the final status for Abyei.

A Framework Agreement on Political Partnership between the NCP and the SPLM (North) and for Political and Security Arrangements in Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan States was signed on June 28^th. In particular this allows for popular consultations in these two areas. AUHIP is continuing to work for cessation of hostilities in Kordofan, and both the US and the UK have urged the Government of Sudan and the SPLM (North) to return to the negotiating table as a matter of urgency and agree a ceasefire. A joint demarcation committee is to be established to finish demarcation of the border, but there are five disputed areas that have been identified and will need to be resolved by negotiation.

In addition there are a number of post independence issues that have to be finalized including nationality and a transitional period of nine months to regularize the status of those affected by the situation, security arrangements including the establishment of a 20 kilometer wide demilitarized border zone, and the maintenance of a “soft border” to facilitate movement of persons and economic interactions across the boundary. The two states will need to negotiate on a number of other economic issues including oil resources and the management of petroleum production, processing, transport and export. The parties have agreed to undertake a collaborative effort to achieve debt relief, and there will need to be further discussions on pensions, currency, trade issues, transport and communication links, and water resources.

There is general agreement that what is of greatest importance is for the Republic of South Sudan and the Sudan to work together for the peaceful settlement of all these issues through negotiations. The new leaders of South Sudan should reach out to their counter parts in Khartoum. Strong and peaceful relations with the Sudan are of critical importance. The Sudan and South Sudan must think of the long term benefits of working together. South Sudan will presumably now join regional organizations such as IGAD and the Nile Basin Initiative and establish partnerships with the international community and with its neighbors. It will be welcomed and Ethiopia has already made it clear it is committed to work together with the Republic of South Sudan for the mutual interest and benefit of both countries.

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Prime Minister Meles meets the Foreign Ministers of UK and France

Last weekend, Prime Minister Meles met with the Foreign Ministers of the United Kingdom and of France. Discussions covered bilateral humanitarian, regional and international issues. The UK’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr. William Hague stopped in Addis Ababa on Friday, July 8^th last week on his way to the celebration of South Sudan’s independence. In addition to his meeting with the Prime Minister, he also held talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hailemariam Desalegn. M. Alain Juppe, the Foreign Minister of France, visited Addis Ababa on Sunday, July 10^th, after attending the ceremonies in Juba last Saturday. M. Juppe also held talks with officials of the African Union.

Discussions with Prime Minister Meles covered the situations in Sudan and Libya, Somalia and the role of Eritrea in the region and humanitarian issues. The Prime Minister noted that the situation in Somalia was improving, though this was more because of the weaknesses of Al-Shabaab and the increase in AMISOM troops than any strengthening of the TFG.  Al-Shabaab was losing its edge politically and militarily, and the TFG now needed to capitalize on this. The Kampala Accord, if properly implemented, with bench-marks and a timeline, would help. Equally, the international community should improve the delivery of humanitarian aid; and it might be better if this was done through Mogadishu which was now peaceful enough.

On Eritrea, the Prime Minister said he understood that the UN Monitoring Group had come up with extensive and detailed evidence of Eritrean activity in Ethiopia, in Somalia, in Djibouti and South Sudan where Eritrea had been helping an anti-Government South Sudan militia group. The Eritrean embassy in Nairobi had even been used as a headquarters to distribute funds to terrorist activities. Eritrea, of course, continued to try to claim its border issue with Ethiopia as the excuse for its activities. This ignored the fact that Ethiopia had long ago accepted the delimitation decision unconditionally. The real problem was the behavior of the regime in Asmara. Ethiopia hoped the Security Council would now act more forcefully on the basis of the evidence produced in the Monitoring Group report.

M. Juppe said subsequently that France appreciated the economic development and the impressive growth that Ethiopia had registered during the last decade. Relations between France and Ethiopia were excellent and he described President Sarkozy and Prime Minister Meles as having a good relationship. M. Juppe spoke of the positive role of AMISOM in Somalia and said he agreed that the situation in Somalia was improving although there was still some progress necessary to stabilize the country. M. Juppe emphasized that he and Prime Minister Meles had agreed on the need to find a political outcome to the situation in Libya and that this must include a genuine ceasefire and an inclusive national dialogue.  He said France would continue its military pressure with its allies until Colonel Ghadafi agrees to step down.

Mr. Hague noted Ethiopia’s progress and expressed the UK’s commitment to supporting Ethiopia’s efforts to bring about sustainable development. Prime Minister Meles said that the economic cooperation between Britain and Ethiopia was contributing significantly to strengthening Ethiopia’s progress. During his talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hailemariam, Mr. Hague confirmed that the UK had made a decision to provide another #300 million pounds of development assistance available. Ethiopia, he said, was using aid for the desired targets and the UK government would be supporting UK investors to invest in Ethiopia. He said that the UK wanted to work closely with Ethiopia and Sudan towards ensuring peace in the region and was prepared to support Ethiopia’s mission in Abyei. He also said the UK would work closely with the Security Council for implementation of IGAD’s resolution for sanctions on the Eritrean government.

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Somalia’s President appeals urgently for drought aid

As the drought in Somalia spreads to previously unaffected areas, President Sheikh Sharif has appealed to the international donor community for immediate relief assistance for those affected. Somalia and other countries in the region are suffering the worst drought in six decades. The President noted that thousands of Somalis are fleeing the drought affected regions of Somalia and moving to urban centers and government controlled areas at an alarming rate. Nearly ten thousand displaced families have recently arrived in Mogadishu, with the majority of the people either children or elderly. Hundreds have already died, mostly in southern areas, and thousands of cattle and other animals. Now the drought is affecting central areas of the country, and the latest influx into Mogadishu is coming from central regions. The President estimated that about 7 million people or approximately 70% of the drought affected population required some form of assistance.

The government has created temporary shelters in the Gezira area of Benadir region to accommodate the internally displaced people. It has formed a taskforce committee, created a coordination office, set up special bank accounts and allocated $500,000 to drought relief.  The government has called on United Nations, international NGOs, donor representatives, the League of Arab States, neighboring countries and all humanitarian organizations, donors, charities and business communities to redouble their efforts to mobilize national and international assistance, to facilitate aid and endeavor to reach beneficiaries. The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that 80% of the nearly half a million malnourished children in Somalia, up by a hundred thousand since the beginning of the year, live in areas controlled by Al-Shabaab. Al-Shabaab said last week that it would welcome the return of humanitarian groups but aid workers said they had little faith in the announcement. On the one hand Al-Shabaab has said agencies are welcome but at the same time it tries to stop people leaving to look for help. On Saturday, one Al-Shabaab leader, Sheikh Hassan Dahir ‘Aweys’ former head of Hizbul Islam, accused Arab states of neglecting and abandoning Somalia. He said Arab nations stopped sending humanitarian aid to Somalia because of serious misunderstandings with Al-Shabaab and other extremist groups.

Meanwhile, Al-Shabaab Commander, Ahmed Abdi ‘Godane’, acknowledged this week that the group is losing ground. He admitted the group had had significant losses including the deaths of several senior officials and it had been weakened internally. ‘Godane’ admitted TFG forces have made advances throughout the country since the failure of the “Ramadan offensive” launched in September last year. Government and AMISOM troops had driven back the insurgent attacks and reclaimed parts of Mogadishu and from January, the government has also begun to chip away at Al-Shabaab strongholds in Gedo region along the borders of Ethiopia and Kenya. Recently, TFG forces had launched their offensive to take Mogadishu’s Bakhara market which had been one of Al-Shabaab’s main strongholds. Government troops have closed in on the market area, an important center for Somalia’s economy, though a tough fight is expected before the terrorists can be extracted from the labyrinth of civilian stalls and shops. 

‘Godane’ also expressed concern over infiltration of Al-Shabaab which he said has weakened it from within by sowing discord among the leaders. He said the organization was working hard to eliminate these elements. The recent death of Fazul Mohammed, Al Qaeda’s chief operative in East Africa was a major setback. Al-Shabaab was also being targeted by drone attacks from the US military’s Special Operations Command Unit in Yemen. The strikes have hit targets around Kismayo. At least nine senior Al-Shabaab figures may have been killed in an attack at the end of last month. US officials admitted an air raid at Kandala village, some 10 kms west of Kismayo on July 3^rd was aimed at senior Al-Shabaab operatives. Fighters were subsequently seen digging graves and burying bodies.  Another drone strike targeted a group of insurgents near Kismayo and US military forces apparently landed to retrieve bodies of dead or wounded militants. Al-Shabaab’s number two operative, Ibrahim Afghani (Abubakar A-Zaili’i) was reportedly killed in this raid, according to reports circulating in Hargeisa, his home town. Injured are being treated in Kismayo hospital. These successes are allowing government forces to shoulder more of the burden of re-establishing security and stability in Somalia. A spokesperson for the Ugandan contingent of AMISOM said that the people would witness drastic changes in the security situation as AMISOM began to move operations outside Mogadishu “very soon”. AMISOM has been working on guidelines for troops to enhance the protection of civilians.

On the political front, Somali MPs on Monday approved the Kampala Accord, the agreement aiming to end political squabbles between the speaker and president. 393 MPs voting in favor of the Accord, 36 against and there were seven abstentions. Under the Accord, Speaker Sharif Hassan Aden withdrew opposition to an election delay in exchange for the resignation of Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo as prime minister. Due to this, some lawmakers condemned the agreement during the session. Dr. Abdiweli, who replaced Farmajo, has yet to name his cabinet. President Sheikh Sharif on Sunday urged Dr. Abdiweli to form a stable cabinet which could work with parliament to avoid any further disagreements. The president added that “there is no point in wrangles and conflicts all the time. We have a short period of time and we need to wind up all the needed tasks before the transition ends’’. Under the Accord, elections of the president and speaker were postponed until August next year to allow time to prepare for the completion of priority transitional administration tasks including improvements in the security situation.

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Ethiopia-Sudan Memo of Understanding on Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis control

At the end of last month, a Sudanese delegation headed by Mr. Faisel Hassan Ibrahim, Minister of Livestock and Fisheries of Sudan visited Ethiopia. The delegation visited the National Animal Health Diagnostic and Investigation Center, the National Veterinary Institute and the southern Tsetse fly eradication project based in Addis Ababa. They also looked at processes for fattening of animals, vaccine and quarantine services and at market access for animal products as well as the plans for eradication of Tsetse fly and Trypanosomiasis from Ethiopia. Tsetse-transmitted Trypanosomiasis is the major constraint to livestock development in affected areas, and its control has major influence on livestock production, the environment and on the welfare of farmers. 

Welcoming the delegation, State Minister of Agriculture, Mitiku Kassa, detailed the efforts undertaken by the Ethiopian government to control the problem of Tsetse fly and Trypanosomiasis along the border regions and noted the commitment of the Sudan to the joint efforts at control. Experts from the National Animal Health Diagnostic and Investigation Center explained the progress made since 1985. Concentrations of Tsetse fly and Trypanosomiasis are found along the river basins of the Abay (Blue Nile), Baro, Akobo, Dedessa, Gibe and Omo rivers, in the border areas of the Amhara, Benishangul Gumuz and Gambella Regional States. A study covering up to 220,000 square kilometers of the area estimated that there are some 14 million tsetse flies. Researches indicate that there are six different types of Trypanosomiasis in Ethiopia, predominately found in the western border areas. Attempts to destroy the tsetse fly have been going on since 1972 using spraying and trapping mechanisms. About 35,000 square kilometers have been covered and 1.4 million cattle treated. Another project to eradicate tsetse fly in southern areas around Arbaminch has been operating since 1997. 

Mr. Faisel, who expressed his appreciation of the delegation’s welcome and the spirit of cooperation, noted the serious impact of Tsetse fly and Trypanosomiasis on the cattle and livestock production in the border areas. Research since 2007 had shown that Tsetse fly in the Blue Nile and Bahr el Ghazel States had had a “devastating impact on livestock products”. He noted the need to create public awareness of the problem among the pastoral communities, and detailed Sudan’s efforts to carry out a socio-economic and an environmental impact assessment of the processes of eradication.

The Pan African Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign (PATTEC) has expressed its readiness to support joint Ethiopia-Sudan projects to eradicate the tsetse fly. PATTEC has said it will sponsor joint projects in particularly affected border areas. It is possible to eradicate tsetse fly from specific areas: Botswana, Namibia and Zanzibar have all been declared tsetse fly free zones after eradication campaigns. The two ministers signed a Memorandum of Understanding on joint eradication activity, and agreed to take common action to combat the problem through experience sharing, capacity building, and joint studies of the socio-economic and environmental impact of Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis in the border regions. A joint Ethio-Sudan Technical Committee has been set up to evaluate all future activities. A second meeting will be held in Khartoum in six months time.

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