Eritrea releases Ethiopian hostages after Sudan’s mediation
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle March 4, 2016 (ADDIS ABABA) – Eritrean government has released dozens of Ethiopians who were recently abducted by a group of armed men from Eritrea, sources told Sudan Tribune on Friday. The kidnapped Ethiopians
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
March 4, 2016 (ADDIS ABABA) – Eritrean government has released dozens of Ethiopians who were recently abducted by a group of armed men from Eritrea, sources told Sudan Tribune on Friday.
The kidnapped Ethiopians were freed only a few days after Addis Ababa warned to take retaliatory measures in response to the cross-border kidnappings that were carried out in the northern Tigray region bordering Eritrea.
Recently, a group of armed men dressed in the Eritrean army uniform crossed borders to Ethiopia and forcibly kidnapped over 80 Ethiopian miners who were searching Gold near the Eritrean border.
The kidnappers took the hostages to Eritrea on foot and killed two of them who tried to escape.
A government source on Friday told Sudan Tribune that Sudan, which has excellent ties with Eritrea, had played an important role in freeing the Ethiopians captives.
It said the kidnapped Ethiopians were released following Khartoum’s mounting pressure exerted on President, Isaias Afeworki, and his government.
According to the source, the group of the Ethiopians returned home via Sudan. Motives behind the kidnappings are not yet clear but people who spoke to Sudan Tribune are demanding answers from the Ethiopian government on whether the government will be committed in future to protect the gold miners and others working near the shared border.
This is not the first time such a kidnapping incident happened in the area. In 2012, Eritrean soldiers similarly crossed border into Ethiopia and kidnapped over 100 miners in the region.
Ethiopia has routinely accused arch-rival Eritrea of orchestrating a number of cross-border attacks carried out in its soil, an accusation Asmara has been denying.
The horn of African nation had previously carried out attacks on targets inside Eritrea to what Addis Ababa said was a proportional measures to Eritrea’s continued aggression including the cross-border kidnappings targeting foreign tourists.
In 1998, the two neighbours fought a two-year long war over their disputed border which has claimed the lives of at least 70,000 people.
The dispute over their border remains unresolved and forces of both sides regularly engage in lower-scale skirmishes.
Eritrea split from Ethiopia in a referendum conducted in 1993 after decades of civil war.
(ST)
lemlem March 5, 2016
The regime needs lesson to repent.ethiopian retaliation are too soft. PJDF kept timing when to attack.they are weak but still showing their strength to innocent people.sometimes war is the means to peace and freedom.
AHMED SALEH !!! March 5, 2016
War is the heart breaker enemy of human beings that destroys lives . It
is funny only the young soldiers in front line die and their mothers
weep while it’s architects enjoy life at their comfortable corner .
War might be the means of peace and freedom for retarded people who
refuse to learn a lesson from their past experience .
WAR HAS NEVER BEEN A FRIEND FOR ORDINARY CITIZENS AND FOR NATIONS
CIVILIZATION .
Musa Ali March 6, 2016
Ahmed
Does that mean Ethiopia should not act and we the oppressed and abused citizens should not fight back for our freedom by raising arms.
AHMED SALEH !!! March 6, 2016
Raising arms alongside foreign forces is strictly my principle . As I
said before if Ethiopia attacks , Issayas get his wish . But we will
not compromise on our principle to fight internal and external enemies.
The insane EPLF supporters should learn from their mistakes in 1981 to
invite outsiders help on Eritrean political conflicts. The same blood
thirsty group want our people to fight for their cause , again for their
cause , which has nothing to do with national interest .
TAKE MY WORLD , ANYONE WHO ATTACK ERITREA IS MY ENEMY and ISSAYAS WILL
GAIN SYMPATHY OUT OF BOTH IDIOTS “NO WAR NO PEACE POLICY”.
AHMED SALEH !!! March 6, 2016
Pls read as ;
strictly against my principle
Abate March 7, 2016
Dear ahmed Saleh
For years i was thinking u had some rational but now??.
Are you suggesting if Ethiopia takes proportional measures against the abduction of Ethiopians merely because they are external forces we stand for pfdj?
I hope not!
AHMED SALEH !!! March 7, 2016
Abate
These two government policy had been against stability in our region
and the result of their failures created opposition forces on both
side . Now to declare war for destruction at innocents lives like what
they did in BADME war is insane if we justified it .
It was and still is my principled conviction to stand against WAR .
I WAS ONE OF THE FEW CRITICS ON BADME WAR BECAUSE THE THREAT TO THOSE POOR PEASANTS THAT RISK FOR DANGEROUS CONSEQUENCES .
I witnessed the ugly part of WAR , my brother . No more bloodshed.
Abate March 8, 2016
At least give credit to the then Ethiopian pm when he was asking for status-quo-ante. Yourself and many of us did not buy that, now u are saying both countries. Let us see ourselves and say a spade a spade. There is a saying of Eisenhower “when things go well look through the window, when things go wrong see yourself through the mirror”. My dear this is the culture we Eritreans should develop. If the dictator does something, like the recent abduction and some of us say action is needed people like u start to blame and curse Ethiopian government too instead of DIA; what is this fixation any way.
AHMED SALEH March 8, 2016
First of all we don’t know who is responsible for the abduction that took place since
armed Ethiopian opposition group have reputation on that activity . Issayas doesn’t
give consideration to safeguard our people interest except to protect his reign .
DEMHIT relationship with his authority is enough example to see the picture .
Now by calling them two idiots might irritate you , but that is what they are . At least
see reality in Ethiopian ground through the mirror than we give priority to politics at
the expense of innocent societies .
denden March 9, 2016
both side they taken their advantages