III

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 46

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

OCTOBER 27, 1999

Received and referred to the Committee on the Foreign Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Urging an end of the war between Eritrea and Ethiopia

and calling on the United Nations Human Rights Commission and other human rights organizations to investigate human rights abuses in connection with the Eritrean and Ethiopian conflict.

Whereas peace and stability existed between Eritrea and

Ethiopia following the 1991 ouster of the Mengistu dictatorship and the independence of Eritrea in 1993;

Whereas on May 6, 1998, a military confrontation erupted

between Eritrea and Ethiopia, resulting in the deaths of

thousands of civilians and the reported forced detention

or deportation of over 60,000 people;
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Whereas hundreds of thousands of Eritreans and Ethiopians

have been displaced from their homes as a result of this

conflict;

Whereas the governments of the United States and Rwanda,

the Organization of African Unity (OAU), as well as

countries in the region, immediately put forth proposals

for resolving the conflict;

Whereas on September 9, 1998, Congress passed H. Con.

Res. 292 commending efforts by the United States facilitation team to resolve the crisis, including its success in

brokering a moratorium on air raids, and calling on Eritrea and Ethiopia to end the conflict peacefully before it

escalated into a full-scale war;

Whereas on December 17, 1998, the Central Organ Summit

of the OAU approved a Framework Agreement in furtherance of its efforts to mediate the dispute between the

two parties and provide an avenue for peace;

Whereas on January 29, 1999, the United Nations Security

Council adopted Resolution 1226 expressing its strong

support for the OAU Framework Agreement, and calling

on both parties to work for a reduction in tensions by

adopting policies leading to the restoration of confidence

between the governments and peoples of Eritrea and

Ethiopia, including urgent measures to improve the humanitarian situation and respect for human rights;

Whereas the Government of the United States, the OAU, and

countries in the region have been engaged in an intensive

effort to identify a peaceful solution to the conflict;

Whereas on February 6, 1999, while sustained diplomatic efforts by the international community were ongoing, the
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moratorium on air strikes was violated and war once

again erupted between Eritrea and Ethiopia;

Whereas on February 10, 1999, the United Nations Security

Council passed Resolution 1227 condemning the use of

force by Eritrea and Ethiopia, stressing that the OAU

Framework Agreement remains a viable and sound basis

for peaceful resolution of the conflict, and calling once

again on both countries to ensure the safety of the civilian population and respect for human rights and international humanitarian law;

Whereas the governments of Eritrea and Ethiopia have enjoyed warm relations with the United States and have

stated their commitment to a peaceful resolution of the

conflict based on the OAU Framework Agreement; and

Whereas the peoples of Eritrea and Ethiopia have suffered

for decades due to war and manmade famines and do not

deserve once again to suffer due to armed conflict, which

could destabilize the entire subregion of Africa: Now,

therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That the Congress—

3 (1) deplores the escalation of the conflict be4 tween Eritrea and Ethiopia which has resulted in

5 the massive and senseless loss of life, as well as sub6 stantial economic hardship to the peoples of Eritrea

7 and Ethiopia;

8 (2) strongly urges both Eritrea and Ethiopia

9 immediately to bring an end to the violence between

10 the two countries;
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1 (3) commends the efforts of the Organization of

2 African Unity (OAU) and former United States

3 National Security Adviser Anthony Lake to mediate

4 peace between Eritrea and Ethiopia;

5 (4) strongly affirms United States support for

6 the OAU Framework Agreement; and

7 (5) calls on the United Nations Human Rights

8 Commission and all human rights organizations to

9 investigate human rights abuses in connection with

10 the forced detentions, deportations, and displace11 ments of populations caused by this conflict.

Passed the House of Representatives October 26,

1999.

Attest: JEFF TRANDAHL,

Clerk.