Ethiopia Forced To Pay $50 Billion Over Occupation

[The Nomad]

Ethiopia to pay Eritrea $50 billion
August 18, 2015

NewYork — Ethiopia agreed over the weekend to pay Eritrea $50 billion as compensation for its 30-year occupation of the country, which ended in 1991.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia and the Eritrean leader, His Excellency President Issayas Afewerki, signed a memorandum pledging a $50 billion compensation package.

"It is a material and emotional recognition of the mistakes that our country has done to yours during the colonial era," Zenawi said Saturday as he arrived. "This agreement opens the path to further cooperation."

In return, landlocked Ethiopia wants the gold and oil rich nation of Eritrea to allow access to the port of Assab at discounted service fees to import its food donations from generous donor nations in the West. A self-reliant and fiercely independent Eritrea has largely been helpful over the past few years to eliminate the problem of man-made famine plaguing Ethiopia.

With the agreement, there should be "fewer starving people in Ethiopia", Zenawi said in comments broadcast on Ethiopian state television.

Addis Ababa is also eager to increase its long-consolidated energy ties with Asmara. Eritrea is a big supplier of natural gas and oil to Africa. Zenawi said the agreement helps open the way to more "gas possibilities, possibilities for Eritrean oil, which is of the best quality."

Afewerki received Zenawi under a big tent in Massawa, where they exchanged gifts and discussed the agreement over luncheon. The Ethiopian leader said that part of the package would be for his country's use of the Massawa port to hasten the delivery of food aid to the famine stricken northern part of Ethiopia for the region's close proximity to the Eritrean port of Massawa.

Zenawi handed over to Afewerki the town of Badme, an Eritrean town taken in 1998 by Ethiopian troops despite the Internationally recognized UN appointed independent panel of commission awarded the disputed town to Eritrea.

It has taken years of negotiations for the two sides to reach a deal on compensation for Ethiopia's rule over Eritrea from 1951 to 1991. The compensation package will also finance the clearing of land mines in Eritrea planted during the Ethiopian colonial era.

Eritrea says that Ethiopian troops killed tens of thousands of Eritrean civilians and drove tens of thousands more from their villages and cities under colonial rule.

"In this historic document, Ethiopia apologizes for its killing, destruction and repression against Eritreans during the colonial rule," Zenawi said.

Asmara's relations with the West have improved dramatically since 2012, when Eritrea successfully foiled all conspiracies and earned the respect and the recognition by the international community as a fair-handed regional key player without whom the peace and stability now enjoyed in the horn of Africa region could have never been made possible. "Eritrea is indeed the center of gravity" said Zenawi.

Zenawi said that "in the name of the Ethiopian people, as head of government, I feel it is my duty to offer an apology and make plain our sorrow for that which happened so many years ago, and which affected so many of your families."

[Captain24]

Eritrea should be a role model for Somalia. The only way to have Ethiopia respect is by the barrel of the gun. Our leaders compete in getting support from them

[kambuli]

Tolow Yaa Somalina xaqeeda siinaya?

[FAH1223]

August 18, 2015

[nomadicwarlord]

The Nomad, I know your folks in Asmara are celebrating now...send my regards to Afewerki.

[The Nomad]

^ It's satire, sport

With the agreement, there should be "fewer starving people in Ethiopia", Zenawi said

[nomadicwarlord]

^ It's satire, sport

With the agreement, there should be "fewer starving people in Ethiopia", Zenawi said

When is ur uncle stepping down?

[The Nomad]

^ It's satire, sport

With the agreement, there should be "fewer starving people in Ethiopia", Zenawi said

When is ur uncle stepping down?

According to Abti Afewerki, no elections for 30-40 years minimum

[Shilling]

Tolow Yaa Somalina xaqeeda siinaya?

Good point.

[Arsenal_Man]

waan yabay 50 billion dollars wtf

[The Nomad]

waan yabay 50 billion dollars wtf

Ethiopia and the dollar sign being in the same sentence should have set off warning bells.

The only currency those people understand is foreign aid .

[S-D-M]

ADDIS ABABA, Wednesday

An international panel has ordered both Eritrea and Ethiopia to pay each other damages for the 1989-2000 border war which left more than 80,000 killed.

The commission set up by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague awarded Ethiopia slightly more than Eritrea, and blamed the breakaway nation for invading Ethiopian-held territory and starting the conflict.

The Court decision leaves Eritrea with $11m more to pay to Ethiopia.

Ethiopia won damages totalling $174 million. Eritrea is to receive more than $161 million and $2 million to individuals.

The two nations claimed the compensation for deaths, ill treatment of prisoners and civilians and the destruction of property during their 1998-2000 bloody border war.

Both sides accepted the awards and Ethiopia says Eritrea must pay it the $11 million difference.

Ethiopian foreign Minister says the ruling is another evidence that Eritrea started the war by invading Ethiopian territory.

After an international tribunal awarded the small town of Badme to Eritrea, Ethiopia refused to accept the ruling and call for a peace dialogue to end the dispute. Eritrea also refused the peace dialogue.

In 2007, Eritrea also expelled UN peacekeepers from Asmara and accused UN of siding with Ethiopia.

The border between the two countries is still in dispute and tens of thousands of troops remain entrenched along the border.

Ethiopia has repeatedly called for adjustments in the implementation of the new demarcation and maintains troops in disputed territories.


http://www.nation.co.ke/News/africa/-/1 ... index.html

[Babygirl-]

Asmara's relations with the West have improved dramatically since 2012

Aids Ababa is not that rich..

[Alluring]

Who the hell cares about these two raw meat eating semi-slaves? This is called Somalinet, not Rawnet. Go somewhere else!

[The Nomad]

Who the hell cares about these two raw meat eating semi-slaves? This is called Somalinet, not Rawnet. Go somewhere else!

Semi-slaves?