VOA Report - More than 1,000 Eritrean POWs
by Scott Stearns, VOA: May 16, 2000.
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DATE=5/16/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=ETHIOPIA / ERITREA (L)
NUMBER=2-262435
BYLINE=SCOTT STEARNS
DATELINE=NORTHERN ETHIOPIA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Ethiopia says it has captured more than a
thousand Eritrean prisoners of war in renewed fighting
on the two countries' western front. V-O-A's Scott
Stearns went to see some of the captives at a camp in
northern Ethiopia, near the Eritrean border.
TEXT: In makeshift tents of sheets flapping in the
wind, Eritrean prisoners of war crowd for shade from
the blistering mid-day sun of northern Ethiopia. They
were captured Saturday when Ethiopian troops regained
ground held by Eritrea for the past two years.
Ethiopian commander Esrem says his men broke through
the Eritrean lines here quickly, then circled around
from the right and left, capturing hundreds of
prisoners.
/// ESREM ACT ///
Within a short period of time, within an hour we
already occupied a long place so it [the battle]
was very short. They tried to defeat us but
they couldn't. Already our soldiers rushed, our
army rushed them. They went behind [the
Eritreans] and came from behind.
/// END ACT ///
It appears Ethiopia broke the trench line so easily
because Eritrean units lacked heavy firepower.
Prisoners say most of their tanks and heavy artillery
were moved to the central front over the last few
weeks, as Ethiopia and Eritrea moved closer to war.
Instead of attacking the heart of Eritrea's army
there, Ethiopia went around them on this western
front, driving further north into the country.
Eritrean conscript Asmeron Habte said his unit was
stationed farther east on the Tsorona front when they
were called to reinforce positions around the Mareb
River Saturday morning. By the time they got here,
the Eritrean troops they joined were already
surrounded.
/// HABTE ACT ///
When we entered the place, the fight was taking
place. It was already under the control of the
Ethiopian army on both sides, and we entered in
the middle.
/// END ACT ///
Mr. Asmeron, a draftsman by trade, is one of nearly
500 prisoners at this camp in northern Tigray
Province. He says conditions here are not great but
the prisoners do eat the same tinned corned beef and
dry bread as their Ethiopian guards. Water is trucked
in, and there is medical care on-site. Ethiopia says
it has already transferred more than 70 of the most
seriously wounded prisoners to a local hospital.
Officials say they intend to move these prisoners
farther from the fighting, grouping them in a larger
P-O-W camp with other Eritreans captured across this
front. (Signed)
NEB/ST/ENE-T/WTW
16-May-2000 17:14 PM EDT (16-May-2000 2114 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
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DATE=5/16/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=ETHIOPIA / ERITREA (S)
NUMBER=2-262437
BYLINE=SCOTT STEARNS
DATELINE=ADI-HAGARAI
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Ethiopian troops pushing into western Eritrea
are reinforcing their positions, sending thousands of
troops toward the front. V-O-A's Scott Stearns was
with Ethiopian forces Tuesday and has this report.
TEXT: Ethiopian troops packed into buses and hanging
off trucks rolled toward western Eritrea throughout
the day, waving flags and singing songs. The army is
hauling food, ammunition and heavy artillery toward
the front, near the Eritrean town of Barentu.
While Ethiopia is clearly pleased with how quickly it
has moved across the border, military officials appear
to be taking no chances that their offensive may lose
momentum. They have stationed troops across newly-won
territory, protecting against a possible counter-
attack. Pairs of Ethiopian (MIG) fighter jets filled
the sky, flying back and forth across the border,
bombing positions deep inside Eritrea.
The Ethiopian army is trying to capture Barentu, which
would cut Eritrea's main supply route west of the
capital, Asmara. (Signed)
NEB/SKS/ENE-T/WTW
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DATE=5/16/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=ERITREA-ETHIOPIA (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-262426
BYLINE=CAROL PINEAU
DATELINE=ASMARA, ERITREA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Eritrea says its forces are inflicting heavy
casualties on Ethiopia despite having lost territory
during the last five days of heavy fighting between
the two countries. Carol Pineau reports from Asmara
about the situation on the Eritrean side.
TEXT: Eritrea has confirmed that Ethiopian troops
have moved into Eritrean territory, but officials say
Addis Ababa's claims of taking huge amounts of land
and cutting off the main supply road are exaggerated.
Officials in Asmara appeared surprisingly calm,
describing the situation as fluid, with neither army
having fixed positions. They say Ethiopia is obsessed
with gaining territory, but that for Eritrea, daily
military shifts in position have no significance on
the final outcome.
Eritrea claims to be inflicting increasingly heavy
casualties on the Ethiopian army. Authorities say the
armed forces have brought down two Ethiopian planes,
and destroyed a helicopter gunship and 16 tanks. On
Sunday, Eritrean officials claimed 25-thousand
Ethiopian casualties in the first two days of
fighting. There have been no specific figures since
then.
While Ethiopia appears to be concentrating on taking
the main southern town of Barentu, 40 kilometers from
the border, Eritrea says Barentu is secure, though
there have been unconfirmed reports of two bombs
hitting the town.
Eritrea says its air defense units are preventing
Ethiopia from penetrating Eritrean airspace at will,
but officials admit it is possible a few fighter jets
have been able to get through.
The government says there have been no organized
evacuations of civilians, but aid workers say two
camps for displaced civilians have been moved and many
people may have left Barentu as the sound of artillery
moved closer.
The government relief agency has taken precautionary
measures, such as stocking up on food and other
supplies.
The United Nations Security Council is to vote
Wednesday on two proposed resolutions concerning the
two countries. While Russia and China are calling for
continued mediation with no punitive measures, the
United States is calling for an arms embargo on the
two warring nations and diplomatic sanctions against
Ethiopia.
Eritrea says it is disappointed that the United
Nations has not already reached a consensus. It says
the United Nations would be correct in imposing
diplomatic sanctions on Ethiopia, but that an arms
embargo against Eritrea would be unfair. Eritrea says
Ethiopia started this latest round of fighting and
that the United Nations must protect Eritrea's right
of self-defense. (Signed)
NEB/CP/LTD-T/
16-May-2000 16:57 PM EDT (16-May-2000 2057 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
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