Ethiopia demands millions

2005-12-22 09:25

Addis Ababa - Ethiopia was seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation after an international commission ruled Eritrea started their 1998-2000 war.

"We are currently preparing our damages claim, but it will run into hundreds of millions of dollars," Ibrahim Idris, the director general of the Ethiopian government's legal affairs department, told journalists.

A series of rulings earlier this week by the Netherlands-based Eritrea-Ethiopia Claims Commission held Eritrea responsible for igniting the war by invading the town of Badme.

However, the commission also found Ethiopian troops liable for abusing civilians and looting or destroying property in subsequent military actions and during its occupation of Eritrean territory.

Both sides were held liable for damages for their actions.

An official of the Permanent Court of Arbitration said on Wednesday the decisions published two days ago concluded the first phase of the commission's work - determining responsibility - and it now moves into the second phase, in which the amount of damages will be set.

There was no indication how long the damages assessment would take.

The award comes amid fears of renewed fighting, with both nations massing armies along their 1 000-kilometre frontier and Eritrea restricting the work of UN peacekeepers.

War claimed tens of thousands of lives

Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a 30-year guerrilla war, but their border was never settled and new fighting broke out in 1998, chiefly over rival claims to Badme.

The second war claimed tens of thousands of lives and cost both countries - two of the world's poorest - an estimated US$1m a day.

An international commission set up under a 2000 peace agreement ruled that Badme belonged to Eritrea. But Ethiopia held Badme at the end of the fighting and has yet to retreat.

Eritrea has held the international community responsible for Ethiopia's failure to respect the border ruling.

The separate claims commission - made up of five international lawyers picked by both countries who sit in the Hague - ruled Eritrea violated international law when it attacked Badme on May 12, 1998 and ruled that Eritrea is liable for damages.

It added that soldiers on both sides had raped women, looted and burned property and forced villagers to flee.

Ibrahim, the Ethiopian government lawyer, said the ruling could influence whether Ethiopia hands over Badme.

"The award made clear that Eritrea is the culprit, the cause of the war and invaded Badme, which was and still is part of Ethiopia," Ibrahim said.

"Eritrea was the cause and it is still obstructing peace and security in the region."

- AP