CONFLICT BAROMETER 2008

34 Conflict Barometer 2008
DR Congo - Rwanda
Intensity: 2 Change: Start: 2002
Conflict parties: DR Congo vs. Rwanda
Conflict items: international power, resources
The conflict between the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC) and Rwanda over regional influence in eastern
Congo, especially in the Kivu provinces, continued. On
11/09/07, both parties signed the Nairobi Agreement,
entailing the extradition of the remaining genocide perpetrators
from the Hutu ethnic group in eastern Congo
by the DRC to Rwanda or the International Criminal Tribunal
of Rwanda (ICTR) [→ DR Congo (FDLR, Interahamwe)].
In return, Rwanda agreed to stop supporting
Tutsi general Laurent Nkunda and his National Congress
for the Defense of the People (CNDP) [→ DR Congo
(CNDP)]. However, the implementation of the agreement
remained difficult. In mid-March, Congolese Foreign
Minister Mbusa Nyamwisi stated that the Rwandan
Hutu rebels had been largely disarmed, and accused
Rwanda of sabotaging their return. On September 19
and October 8, respectively, the Congolese government
accused Rwanda of still supporting Tutsi rebel leader
Nkunda and of intending to attack the town of Goma.
Both claims were strongly refuted by Rwanda. On October
17, UN special representative Alan Doss announced
that the claims would be investigated by the UN verification
body. On October 18, the DRC withdrew from the
Joint Monitoring Group, which was set up to implement
the Nairobi Agreement. Nyamwisi claimed on October
29 that not the CNDP but Rwanda was the real aggressor.
On November 1, the USA stated there was no proof
for the Congolese allegations. Four days later, Rwanda
announced that the conflict in eastern DRC was an internal
problem as opposed to a bilateral one. (sw)
Eritrea - Djibouti
Intensity: 3 Change: Start: 1995
Conflict parties: Eritrea vs. Djibouti
Conflict items: territory
The border conflict between Eritrea and Djibouti turned
violent. From February on, Eritrea built up its military positions
in the Ras Doumeirah area in the Eritrea-Djibouti
land region. Djibouti accused Eritrea of constructing positions
on Djiboutian territory. Eritrea denied this. Military
officials from both countries met to compare maps
on April 24. Following the meeting, Djibouti sent troops
to the border as well. Against the background of the
increasing militarization of the border zone, Djibouti’s
President Ismail Omar Guelleh described the relations
as very tense. However, the conflict parties repeatedly
tried to solve their dispute by diplomatic means under
Qatar mediation. On May 2, the AU Peace and Security
Council (AUPSC) urged Djibouti and Eritrea to end their
row. Later that month, the Arab League (AL) sent a factfinding
mission to the disputed border area on Djibouti’s
request. The AL Peace and Security Council contacted
the chairperson of the AU Commission and the AUPSC
to secure a joint Arab-African action to address the dispute.
On June 10, Eritrean soldiers reportedly defected
to Djibouti whereupon Eritrean officers demanded their
handing over. According to Djibouti’s army, 35 of its soldiers
were killed in the following encounter. The UN Security
Council demanded the withdrawal of troops from
the border. According to a UN fact-finding mission, only
Djibouti had complied by the end of July. Guelleh blamed
Eritrea for the failure of a diplomatic solution. Late in October,
Security Council members urged both countries to
find a peaceful solution to the crisis, and called on Eritrea
to commit to a ceasefire, engage in diplomatic negotiations,
and withdraw its forces to pre-conflict positions. (jd)
Ethiopia (OLF/Oromyia)
Intensity: 3 Change: Start: 1974
Conflict parties: OLF vs. government
Conflict items: secession
The secession conflict between the Oromo Liberation
Front (OLF) and the government remained violent. The
OLF claimed to have carried out several attacks on army
posts and military convoys in the state of Oromyia, killing
five soldiers on 12/21/08, 48 in January, 77 in March,
and eight on May 15. According to OLF sources, the
Ethiopian army organized and instigated the armed attack
by a Gumuz ethnic militia on Oromo civilians from
May 17 to 19, causing more than 400 casualties. On
May 20, three civilians died in a bus bombing in the capital,
Addis Ababa. Ethiopian authorities accused both
the OLF and the secessionist Ogaden rebels [→ Ethiopia
(ONLF/Ogaden)] of being responsible for the attack. On
June 16, the OLF claimed to have killed 16 Ethiopian soldiers
while repelling an attack in Wangalali Ebicha. On
July 30, the OLF changed its entire executive committee
because of internal disagreement over the organization’s
performance. The OLF allegedly killed six soldiers in the
Western Zone on August 15. Security forces arrested
several OLF leaders in Addis Ababa on November 6, accusing
them of plotting terror attacks. On November 15,
the government offered negotiations, which was rejected
by the OLF. The following day, 94 Oromo, charged with
supporting the OLF, were arrested by the government in
various towns in Oromyia. (pg)
Ethiopia (ONLF/Ogaden)
Intensity: 3 Change: Start: 1984
Conflict parties: ONLF vs. government
Conflict items: secession
The secession conflict between the Ogaden National
Liberation Front (ONLF) and the government remained
violent. ONLF fought for the independence of the predominantly
Muslim-inhabited Ogaden region, bordering
on Somalia. Late in 2007, ONLF accused the government
of committing human rights abuses in Ogaden.
Refugees from Ogaden reported that government troops
had been forcibly recruiting civilians to fight the rebels.
In February, ONLF claimed that it had killed 43 soldiers.
The government dismissed the claim. On June
12, the American Association for the Advancement of
Science announced to have evaluated satellite images
proving the destruction of towns and villages in Ogaden
by government forces. On July 12, the Swiss branch
of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) left Ogaden after its