Collapse of Eritrean Mereb-Setit Front

A total victory for Ethiopian Defense Forces was achieved on Friday February 26,1999 in the military counter offensive named Operation Sunset. This military engagement which took place on the Badme Front from February 23 - February 26, 1999 was consolidated yesterday said the central military command.

During this engagement at the Badme front the enemy deployed over 40,000 military personnel from three corps, several divisions, hundreds of heavy artillery, around 70 tanks and armoured military vehicles. The Eritrean Government also tried unsuccessfully to use their air force. For nine months the enemy had dug and heavily fortified over 100kms of trenches on the border using bulldozers and surrounded by anti-personnel and anti-vehicle landmines.

The Defense Forces of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, in spite of such a large enemy military presence, were, in the space of four days able to win a total victory destroying the enemy army and sending them into total disarray. During this operation Ethiopian Ground and Air Forces:

• captured, killed and wounded tens of thousands of enemy army personnel;
  
• destroyed many tanks and heavy artillery and captured several;
  
• captured thousands of medium and low-level armaments;
  
• shot down and burnt two enemy MIG-29 enemy fighter planes;

During Operation Sunset, Ethiopian Defense Forces not only captured the 100 km heavily fortified enemy trench but also extended their victory.

The enemy has been totally routed out of the area - the very same area that President Issaias said "expecting Eritrea to withdraw is as unlikely as the sun never rising again." This area has been freed due to the determination of the Ethiopian Defense forces.

The army of President Issaias has suffered a monumental and humiliating defeat. Enemy army personnel left over have fled, scattering and leaving behind their military armaments.

Because of this heavy blow, the Government of President Issaias Afeworki is under a lot of pressure and there is heavy demoralisation in the enemy camp.

The Military Central Command "congratulates the Ethiopian people and their heroic defense forces and says that this victory is one to be very proud of as it renews our history."

The Defense Forces of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia have shown their resolution and determination in achieving a victory that the Ethiopian people are very proud of.

Dozens of motorists pumped their horns and flew Ethiopian flags in the capital early in the day.

The atmosphere overall was one of calm and quiet smiles rather than wild outbursts of joy.

At the government spokesman's offices, officials took congratulatory messages from diplomatic missions and from Ethiopians, who viewed last May's seizure of Badme as "Eritrean aggression".

State television showed a sunset over the western Badme-Shiraro region, a part of the territory first fought over from May 6, with the caption: "Operation Sunset ended in an Ethiopian victory".

Last week's offensive to retake Badme drew its name from a remark by Eritrean President Issaias Afeworki, who had said that "pulling out of Badme would seem to us as unlikely as the sun failing to rise".

Late Saturday, after five fierce days of fighting on hot plains beneath hills, Afeworki told the UN Security Council in a letter that he would accept a peace plan drawn up in November by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).

Ethiopia's military proclaimed a "total victory" and Radio Ethiopia broadcast war songs, some of them dating back to days of battle on horseback, while government communiques were broadcast in Amharic, Tigrayan, Oromigna and Somali.

Private papers, such as the weekly Reporter, on Sunday morning ran headlines such as: "The Eritrean army is being taught a lesson at Badme."

An Ethiopian official on Sunday said that Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's government was debating an immediate ceasefire -- demanded by the United Nations as a matter of urgency -- but a government source later said the chances of this were "minimal (but) possible".

Addis Ababa would later issue its decision, the official said.

The rival armies were still fighting early on Sunday evening on the Badme front, Eritrean presidential chief of staff Yemane Ghebremeskel told AFP in Asmara at 6:30 p.m. (1530 GMT).

Eritrea, which became independent from Ethiopia in 1993 -- depriving it of its Red Sea coast -- last year occupied the disputed Badme region and an area on the central front.

The fighting subsided after five weeks, but reignited on February 6 as diplomatic mediation stalled.

On Friday, Addis Ababa announced its forces had inflicted "major losses" on Eritrean troops. Later, the government said "tens of thousands" of the enemy had been killed, wounded or captured.

On Saturday, Eritrean television claimed that since February 6, Eritrean troops had killed 9,000 Ethiopian soldiers, wounded 12,000 and captured 170 -- figures that were impossible to verify.

The Addis Ababa government said the Eritreans and President Afeworki -- former allies who ousted Ethiopian military dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991 -- had "suffered a monumental and humiliating defeat."

With the report that Badme had fallen, several people came to the AFP offices or telephoned to ask if the news had been confirmed by the Eritrean authorities.

The jubilation in Addis Ababa stood in stark contrast to Asmara, where the mood was sombre, marked by an unwillingness to believe the tide had turned.

Afeworki's office failed to broadcast his announcement of acceptance of the peace plan, but news spread. Many Asmara residents have satellite television and they had been officially told by the government on Friday that Eritrean troops had lost territory.

The main concern in Addis Ababa on Sunday was the military victory at Badme, not the letter in which Afeworki told the UN Security Council that Ethiopia "now occupies by force Eritrean sovereign territory ...

"Nonetheless," the text went on, "the government of Eritrea accepts the OAU framework agreement to pave the way for an expedited demarcation."

Such points, along with the return to Badme of Ethiopian administrators there until last May 6, were not raised in Ethiopian government statements or the media on Sunday.

Observers here said that while Sunday was a day of rest, celebrations in other parts of the country would be less muted. On Saturday, thousands of people at Debre-Birhan in the centre and Dessie and Menda in the northeast took to the streets.

The Eritrean troops were defending themselves, he told AFP.

At 10:45 a.m. (0745 GMT), he had declared: "There is no fighting at all up to now."

Ethiopia earlier claimed "total victory" on the western front as Eritrea accepted a three-month-old peace plan.

On Saturday, in the face of military losses, Eritrea told the United Nations Security Council it accepted a peace plan drawn up by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) which Ethiopia had already endorsed.

Despite international calls for an immediate ceasefire, Eritrean presidential adviser Yermane Gebremeskel said Ethiopia launched a fresh assault at 11 a.m. (0800 GMT) on Sunday along the 60-km (40-mile) Badme front in the highlands. He later added it was ``on a much smaller scale than the last few days.''

Ethiopian government spokeswoman Selome Taddesse said that allegation was a ``pure and simple lie aimed at hoodwinking public opinion,'' adding there was ``no Eritrean force to fight against in Badme.''

``A total victory for Ethiopian defence forces was achieved on Friday,'' she said in an earlier statement, quoting central military command. ``The enemy has been totally routed out of the area.''

The latest round of fighting between the Horn of Africa neighbours began last Tuesday as Ethiopian troops tried to recapture territory which Eritrea had occupied in May last year at the start of the conflict.

Yermane confirmed Eritrea had retreated from the Badme plain to higher ground to the north after Ethiopian troops broke through its defensive line last week.

``The Eritrean army was not happy with its positions and withdrew to more strategic positions behind Badme,'' he said.

But Selome said Eritrea's army had been destroyed and retreated ``in total disarray.''

The 15-member U.N. Security Council, meeting in an emergency Saturday session, welcomed Eritrea's acceptance of the OAU plan and called for both sides to stop fighting.

U.S. President Bill Clinton welcomed Eritrea's acceptance, saying he joined ``the international community in urging both parties to end the fighting immediately.''

The OAU plan called on both sides to withdraw to positions held before the conflict erupted last May. Eritrea had refused to endorse the plan until Saturday, demanding international monitors police the disputed region after any withdrawal.

But Yermane said Eritrean casualties had been ``very slight, especially in comparison to Ethiopian losses'' which he put at 9,000 killed and 12,000 wounded.

Taxis took to the streets of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Sunday, blaring their horns and waving the country's green, yellow and red flag after news of the victory was broadcast on state radio.

In the Eritrean capital Asmara, one resident said the mood was one of ``shock and disbelief.''

Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a referendum and the two countries were initially seen as allies. But relations began to sour over a currency dispute in 1997 and the long-running border dispute turned violent last year.

Eritrean presidential chief of staff Yemane Ghebremeskel said in Asmara on Sunday that Ethiopian forces had launched a new attack against the Eritrean army on the western Badme front at around 11:00 a.m. (0800 GMT).

Eritrean troops were defending themselves, he told AFP.

At 10:45 a.m. (0745 GMT), he had declared: "There is no fighting at all up to now."

In the Ethiopian capital, the source said the government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi was "debating (and...) will soon make its response known," a day after President Issaias Afeworki in Asmara agreed to a peace plan.

"A total victory for Ethiopian Defense Forces was achieved on Friday February 26, 1999 in the military counter offensive named Operation Sunset," a statement from the government spokesman's office said after heavy fighting in the Badme zone of the front lines.

Ethiopian radio announced on Sunday morning that Addis Ababa's troops were in full control of Badme, which had been taken by Eritrean forces soon after the outset in May last year of the fighting, which broke out anew this month after a relative lull.

The government spokesman's office reported "tens of thousands of enemy army personnel captured, killed and wounded" in the Badme zone, the scene of fierce battles since Tuesday, and said that Ethiopian troops "destroyed many tanks and heavy artillery and captured several".

The Ethiopians also "captured thousands of medium and low-level armaments" and "shot down and burnt two enemy MiG-29 fighter planes".

On Saturday, Afeworki made it known to the UN Security Council that the Asmara government would accept a peace plan put forward by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), after long stalling over the proposals for troop withdrawals to pre-war positions and neutral demarcation of disputed frontier territory.

The UN Security Council welcomed this announcement and called for an immediate end to hostilities between the warring Horn of Africa nations.

"During Operation Sunset, Ethiopian Defense Forces also extended their victory," the Addis Ababa statement said, prior to the statement in Asmara that renewed fighting had begun. "The enemy has been totally routed out of the area."

In Addis Ababa, an army spokesman said Ethiopia had won a "total victory" over Eritrean forces in its offensive in the Badme region on the western front.

"A total victory for Ethiopian defense forces was achieved on Friday February 26, 1999 in the military counter-offensive named Operation Sunset," the spokesman said, quoting the army's central command.

The war between the two Horn of Africa neighbours broke out in May over control of the Badme region.

According to Eritrean presidential chief of staff Yemane Ghebremeskel, no fighting was taking place early Sunday.

"There is no fighting at all up to now," he told AFP at 10:45 a.m. (0745 GMT), hours after the United Nations announced that Eritrea had accepted the OAU peace plan.

The move, in a letter from President Issaias Afeworki to the UN Security Council, was made public in New York late Saturday evening, Eritrean time, but had still not been announced on Eritrean radio by 9:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) Sunday.

However, many people in Asmara have satellite television, and the news spread fast after international news announcements.

The plan calls for Eritrea to withdraw from the disputed Badme region on the west of the 1,000-kilometre (600-mile) border between the two Horn of Africa nations.

Eritreans saw acceptance as meaning they had lost the war.

The initial battles lasted for about five weeks. The fighting resumed on February 6 after the failure of diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis.

The OAU peace plan, presented last November, had earlier stalled on Eritrea's refusal to withdraw from Badme ahead of neutral delineation of the disputed frontier.

To the question: "Are you happy the fighting will stop, or are you disappointed?" the universal reply in Asmara was a grim "disappointed."

Many found it hard to believe the news, claiming the Eritrean forces had staged a tactical retreat in the Badme zone. The area has been the theatre of intense fighting since Tuesday, and Afeworki's letter indicated the Ethiopians were winning there.

Eritrean radio acknowledged on Friday that the Ethiopian forces "have gained some terrain", and the letter said: "The Ethiopian government now occupies by force Eritrean sovereign territory ... Nonetheless, the government of Eritrea accepts the OAU framework agreement to pave the way for an expedited demarcation."

The Eritrean ambassador to the United Nations acknowledged that Ethiopian troops had "advanced 10 kilometres (six miles) into Eritrean territory beyond the disputed Badme sector."

That admission by Eritrean Ambassador Haile Menkerios was contained in a letter from UN Security Council president Robert Fowler to the other council members.

Eritrean television claimed Saturday that in three weeks of fighting since February 6, Eritrean troops had killed 9,000 Ethiopian soldiers, wounded 12,000 and captured 170, with "minimal" Eritrean losses.

Meanwhile, Ethiopian radio reported Sunday that some 10,000 Eritrean soldiers had been killed, wounded or captured, and two MiG 29 fighters and heavy military materiel had been destroyed in the Badme clashes.

The OAU plan calls for the restoration of the Ethiopian administration which had been in place in Badme before the Eritrean offensive last May.

It also provides for deployment of a peacekeeping force for six months along the border, and the demilitarization of the Badme zone, which would be controlled by the peacekeepers.

Finally, the plan demands a halt to massive expulsions by each country of the other's nationals, and the delineation of the border under UN supervision within six months.

The fighting between the two Horn of Africa neighbours is officially over some 2,000 square kilometres (770 square miles) of land along the border.

The news came amid reports that Eritrea had accepted an Organisation of African Unity (OAU) peace plan to resolve its border war with Ethiopia.

The acceptance implies that Eritrea will withdraw from the disputed Badme region on the west of the 1,000-kilometre (600-mile) border between the two Horn of Africa nations.

Eritreans saw it as meaning they had lost the war.

The acceptance, in a letter from President Issaias Afeworki to the UN Security Council, was made public in New York late Saturday evening, Eritrean time, but had still not been announced on Eritrean radio by 9:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) Sunday.

Saturday, Eritrea said it accepted a peace plan drawn up by the Organization of African Unity which Ethiopia had already endorsed, but there was no reaction from Addis Ababa to international calls for an immediate cease-fire.

``A total victory for Ethiopian defense forces was achieved Friday,'' said Ethiopian government spokeswoman Selome Taddesse, quoting central military command. ``The enemy has been totally routed out of the area.''

The latest round of fighting began Tuesday as Ethiopian troops tried to recapture territory which Eritrea had occupied in May last year at the start of the conflict.

Eritrean presidential advisor Yermane Gebremeskel Sunday confirmed that Eritrea had retreated from the contested Badme area after the latest Ethiopian offensive.

Drivers waved the green, yellow and red flag of Ethiopia after news was broadcast on state radio on Sunday morning that the army had recaptured the contested Badme region which Eritrea had occupied when war first erupted last May.

A cafe owner called the radio to offer free drinks to anyone who visited his two restaurants in the city on Sunday, while journalists were offered champagne and cakes at the office of government spokeswoman Selome Taddesse.

On Saturday, in the face of military losses, Eritrea told the United Nations Security Council it accepted a peace plan drawn up by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) which Ethiopia had already endorsed.

It has also acknowleged its retreat from the Badme plain.

Both sides claim to have killed many thousands of enemy soldiers in the latest clashes, which began on Tuesday with an Ethiopian offensive to recapture Badme.

In Asmara, one resident said the mood was one of ``shock and disbelief'' at the news of Eritrea's retreat.