Ethiopia: Whether the Ethiopian government supports the Eritrean opposition groups including the Eritrean Liberation (ELF), the Eritrean Liberation Front-Revolutionary Council (ELF-RC), and the Alliance of Eritrean National Forces (AENF)

According to Amnesty International,

both Eritrea and Ethiopia continued to support opposition groups, both political and armed, in the other country. Information on the activities in Eritrea of the Ethiopian-supported Alliance of National Eritrean Forces, which included the Eritrean Liberation Front-Revolutionary Council and the Sudan-supported Eritrean Islamic Salvation Movement was difficult to obtain. Allegations by these groups and by the Ethiopian government of killings, torture or detention of their supporters were impossible to verify with independent evidence ( 2001).

According to The United Nation's Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN), in the year 2000, the government of Eritrea claimed Ethiopia was supporting Eritrean opposition groups including the Islamic Jihad – currently known as the Eritrean Islamic Salvation Movement (EISM) – and the Alliance of the Eritrean National Forces (AENF) (8 June 2000). IRIN and the ION both stated the Ethiopia's pro-government media published statements and information issued by Eritrean opposition parties (ibid., ION 19 June 1999).

In an article published in the BBC News report of 23 May 2000, Patrick Gilkes, Horn of Africa specialist, and author of The Price of Peace in Somalia, intimated that although both Ethiopia and Sudan supported the AENF, Ethiopia's support was not overt. He stated that during the war, Ethiopia, which was operating in the western provinces, deliberately left them [the provinces] to the AENF because, like Sudan, it [Ethiopia] appreciated the possibilities of the Alliance for weakening the government in Asmara (ibid.).

In 1999, both Eritrea and Ethiopia accused each other of supporting each other's opposition groups (ION 2 Oct. 1999; ibid., 19 June 1999). The ION reported that the Eritrean regime was sponsoring the Ethiopian Democratic Forces (EDFUF), then a new armed group of Ethiopian opponents, in order to "crack down" on the support that Ethiopia was providing to the AENF (ibid., 2 Oct. 1999). The Eritrean army was allegedly providing the EDFUF with military training and equipment with which to fight against the ruling EPRDF (Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front) (ibid., 2 Oct. 1999). Allegedly, the Eritrean government also sent two EDFUF leaders to Washington to spread pro-EDFUF propaganda in Washington (ibid.).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Amnesty International. Amnesty International Report 2000. 2001. "Eritrea" [Accessed: 24 Aug.2001]

BBC News. 23 May 2000. Patrick Gilkes. "Free Rein for Eritrean Opposition." [Accessed: 24 Aug. 2001]

The Indian Ocean Newsletter (ION). 2 October 1999. "Tit for Tat." (NEXIS)

_____. 19 June 1999. "Eritrea-Ethiopia: War of Wear." (NEXIS)

United Nations Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN). 8 June 2000. "Ethiopia: Pro-government Website Focusing on Eritrean Opposition Parties." [Accessed: 24 Aug. 2001]

Additional Sources Consulted

Africa Research Bulletin.

Amnesty International. Amnesty International Report 1999. London: Amnesty International Secretariat.

Ethiopian Register.

Horn of Africa Bulletin.

The Indian Ocean Newsletter.

Keesing's Record of World Events.

Resource Centre. Country File. Ethiopia.

Internet sites including:

All Africa

Human rights Watch

Relief Web

Search engines including:

Google

Lycos

Mamma