July 11. 1998
By ABEBE ANDUALEM
Associated Press Writer
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP)--Ethiopia has rounded up more than 1,000 members of Eritrea's ruling party on suspicion of spying during the two-month border conflict between the former allies in East Africa, the government said Saturday.
``All the Eritrean nationals who have been rounded up will be deported, but they will be allowed to appoint agents to manage their businesses and property,'' Ethiopian government spokeswoman Selome Tadesse said. ``Their families will be allowed to stay in Ethiopia if they so wish.''
Many of those rounded up in Ethiopia are well-known owners of transport companies, garages, retail shops, bars and beauty parlors. They will be deported to Eritrea.
Selome said the Ethiopians acted when the government of Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki ``started to re-activate its party members for espionage and fund-raising activities for the Eritrean war effort.''
The Eritrean People's Front for Democracy and Justice, the successor to the rebel movement that fought Ethiopia for 30 years to obtain independence, had an extensive network in Ethiopia.
Last month, the government closed down the group's main office. Its leaders were among an earlier group of 1,047 Eritreans sent home.
The Eritrean News Agency said those being rounded up included families who had been assured by the Ethiopians that they would be allowed to stay after their family members had been deported.
In a statement issued Friday, the state-run news agency accused the Ethiopian government of deporting people ``because of their ethnic origin.''
Ethiopia has dismissed accusations by Mary Robinson, head of the U.N.'s human rights agency, that it violated international human rights principles by carrying out the deportations.
The conflict over borders set by Italian colonizers in the early 20th century erupted May 6 when Eritreans moved into areas claimed by Ethiopia. Both sides bombed each other in early June, causing at least 100 casualties on the Ethiopian side.
There has been no fighting reported for several weeks, but there is a stalemate in efforts to bring both sides together to talk peace.
Each side has begun to charge the other with abusing its citizens.