From: Biniam Haile \(SWE\) (eritrea.lave@comhem.se)
Date: Tue Jun 02 2009 - 09:29:18 EDT
THE INDIAN OCEAN NEWSLETTER N°1261
02/05/2009
ETHIOPIA
EPRDF’s idea for the Afar region
The Ethiopian ruling coalition is urging for several political parties
in the Afar Regional State to merge. Those concerned are for from
enthusiastic.
A delegation from the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
(EPRDF, in power in Addis Ababa) went to the Afar region in Ethiopia
from 9 to 16 April.
A delegation from the EthiopianPeople's Revolutionary Democratic Front
(EPRDF, in power in Addis Ababa) went to the Afar region in Ethiopia
from 9 to 16 April. This delegation consisted of a general and Gebre
Yohannes, a high ranking security official. During the discussions with
the local authorities, the delegation suggested that the Afar political
parties supporting the government should merge ahead of next year's
general election. This proposition would concern the AfarPeople's
Democratic Party (APDP) of the President of the Afar Regional State,
Ismael Ali Sero and the ARDUF of the Deputy Minister for Tourism
Mahamooda Ahmed Gaas. However, neither Ali Sero nor the two other
leading men in his party, Mahmad Kadir known as Anbata and Seyoum Awal,
are particularly keen on such a merger.
The EPRDF delegation also had meetings with dignitaries in the
AfarLiberation Front (ALF) including Ali Mirah's two sons Habib and
Osman. It is believed to have asked them to dissuade young Afar from
joining the Eritrea-backed Ugugumo underground or another group linked
to the ALF. Indeed, the Addis Ababa government is worried by the Afar
attacks. The rebels have carried out three operations between 3 and 7
April: the destruction of an Ethiopian armed vehicle on the As'alé road,
near a salt mine in the north of the Afar region; a small skirmish in
the Terru district in the south; and an attack against Chinese workers
building the Samara-Afdera road, not far from the Erta Ale volcano.
In the background of these discussions on the merger of Afar political
parties is the replacement of Ali Sero from the presidency of the Afar
Regional State. The circle of aspiring candidates to succeed Ali Sero
has recently grown, with the addition of Habib Ali Mirah (who had
already held this post from 1993 to 1996), Mahamooda Ahmed Gaas, Abdu
Algeria, a Tigrigna-speaking Afar who recently returned from Canada and
Mohammed Ahmed. The latter is not an Afar but is linked to the Sahoo
tribe.
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