CPE September 5, 2000
Introduction and Background
One of Citizens for Peace in Eritrea's (CPE) main roles is the promotion of peace and understanding not only between the peoples of Eritrea and Ethiopia but among all the peoples of the region. The advocacy work on behalf of the war victims that has occupied CPE so far is actually part of a bigger picture of peace-building and an important pre-condition for the process of reconciliation
CPE very much associates itself with the notion that the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea is one that could have been avoided. This is because no plausible reason can be found as to how two close allies and two closely related people could overnight turn into worst enemies. It was not surprising therefore that every neutral observer considered the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea as tragic. CPE definitely believes that peace has not been given a chance in this conflict.
War between Ethiopia and Eritrea is not a new phenomenon. Eritrea had fought Ethiopia for thirty years to determine its own destiny and to gain its independence. However, the current war is more vicious in every way: loss of lives, destruction of property and in the way hatred, suspicion and antagonism has been fostered on the ordinary peoples of both countries.
Antagonism and hatred at individual and personal level started with the deportation of Eritreans and Ethiopians of Eritrean origin from Ethiopia. A supposedly simple border conflict thus culminated not only in the expulsion of ethnic Eritreans from Ethiopia but in the escalation of a full blown out war between the two countries. In the process, many civilians were killed, horrific crimes committed, the rights of many innocent people violated and over a million displaced.
CPE regrets the extremely hostile propaganda being perpetrated by both parties to a degree that all relations between the two peoples have been brought under great pressure. What makes it doubly unfortunate is that the Eritrean and Ethiopian people are not only destined to live together as neighbors but are ethnically and culturally very closely affiliated.
CPE's standpoint in this conflict has been very clear. Firstly, it does not think that it was necessary to resort to an all out war to resolve the conflict - border or otherwise. Secondly, it does not believe that either party could have imagined the magnitude of the calamity that resulted from the conflict. Had they done so, alternative ways of resolving the conflict could have been sought. Thirdly, it does not think that the international community has done enough to resolve the conflict in an impartial way.
EFFORTS TOWARDS PEACE AND RECONCILIATION
In addition to the efforts which the Governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea must make to achieve a sustainable and just peace, CPE believes that many other actors and stakeholders - civil society organizations, national and international humanitarian and human rights groups, and individuals - need to play an active role in the promotion of reconciliation. This requires that Eritreans and Ethiopians undertake both internal peace-fostering activities and dialogue with each other.
To this end, CPE proposes a two-phased approach: first, a conference in Asmara { October 20th to October 22nd}, followed by a conference with Ethiopian organizations and individuals in a third country.
(1) CPE will organize a conference in Asmara involving a cross-section of the Eritrean society to review the role which different segments of the population can play towards the promotion of peace.
(2) CPE will contact organizations with extensive experience in conflict resolution and reconciliation, such as UNESCO's Culture for Peace Program, the Heindrich Böll Foundation, and the OXFAM Conflict Resolution Program and other organizations, to seek their expertise and assistance.
(3) CPE will ask some or all of the above organizations to help open and maintain channels of dialogue between civil society organizations in Ethiopia and Eritrea.
(4) CPE will ask these go-between institutions to suggest that Ethiopian organizations initiate a conference in Addis Ababa that will hold preliminary meetings (of the Phase 1 type described here) to prepare for the joint Ethiopian-Eritrean conference. That should be proposed without in any way suggesting that they model their conference on ours.
(5) A joint conference between Eritrean and Ethiopian organizations can then be held in a third country. The objective will be to reach an understanding of the root causes, nature, scope and consequences of the conflict; to promote reconciliation, to encourage the development of the culture of peace and the creation of institutional mechanisms that will help to sustain peace for the long term. Conflict resolution training will constitute an important element of this process.
Phase I - Objective of the Asmara Conference
The objective of the workshop will be to seek positive and concrete solutions that address the remedies for the consequences of the conflict and the steps necessary to achieve and maintain a durable peace, a necessary component of which is reconciliation. At the heart of these efforts will be the raising of people's consciousness about peace as an active process in which all must be involved.
While the conference will be limited to around 200 participants, the larger audience of the conference will be the peoples of Eritrea and Ethiopia whom CPE will attempt to reach through the use of the media, press and by disseminating the proceedings of the conference. In addition, a one-day meeting for a larger audience will be held as part of CPE's outreach and public education activities.
The following thematic areas could form the basis for discussion in the conference:
THE AGENDA FOR PEACE
1. Public Expression of Grievances: An important mechanism of conflict resolution is the creation of a platform for the aggrieved to tell its grievances openly. All sections of the Eritrean society are affected by the conflict and it is important to create the opportunity for them to speak out. It is equally important for them to hear about the grievances of Ethiopians who may be in comparable situation as themselves.
2. Peace and Justice: Peace cannot be sustained without justice and without finding ways of rectifying the injustices that have been committed upon the civilian population during the course of the war. To this end we will invite experts to present papers on all aspects of human rights violations and on methods of undoing the damage that has been done.
3. Humanitarian assistance and healing: In some aspects of humanitarian work, it is more important to help the victims than it is to initiate court procedures on their behalf. For the many families that have been broken up during the war and in the course of the expulsions, the most important need is the re-unification of the families and the return of children left behind after the expulsion to their parents. In this and many other instances the reconciliation and healing processes will involve not justice but help.
4. Culture of Peace: Nations that have been at war for several decades have a highly developed defensive language that can thwart peace making activities at their inception and treat all peace overtures as clever maneuvering. The passage from the culture of war - necessary for the survival of nations who believe that their very existence is threatened - to a culture of peace -- necessary for the development of trust, dialogue and collaboration between neighboring nations -- is a difficult transition. All institutional resources, national and international, should be summoned to help Ethiopia and Eritrea make that transition.
5. Promotion of Durable Peace: A particular conflict can only be said to have ended if it is followed by durable peace. Appropriate attitudes must be developed and enduring institutional arrangements built to sustain peace. In this regard respect for the rights of each other's citizens rather than ethnic cleansing is the more lasting solution.
THE AGENTS OF PEACE
The press and media:
Responsible reporting is important for the promotion of peace and understanding in a conflict situation. The existing reporting has the effect of fuelling fear and suspicion and consequently hatred of people towards each other. The need to abandon the language of war and adopt the language of peace is urgent. It is exceedingly difficult for the national presses of Ethiopia and Eritrea to give up the saber rattling and bravado they have been engaged in -- partly for the purpose of drumming up support for the war effort -- to begin to think, once again, of the ties that bind and of the benefits that can be gained from a peaceful and collaborative relationship with one's neighbors.
Religious Groups:
Eritrean religious leaders have been engaged actively in dialogue with their Ethiopian counterparts. Their moral authority can be brought to bear to diffuse the hatred and antagonisms fuelled by the war. Their role in promoting reconciliation is as important as has been their voice for peace. They will be invited to share their experiences with us and help us map out our future strategies.
International Organizations:
In the Peace Building Process, we believe that the UNESCO Culture of Peace Program can play an important role, at all stages of the process. Similarly UNICEF, UNDP and UNHCR can play an equally significant role in the rehabilitation of the uprooted populations and in supporting the healing process. We will use the conference to do some stock-taking of the quality of the work that has already been done and to get some sense of what remains to be done.
Humanitarian Organizations:
ICRC has been an important contributor in maintenance of some rudimentary and indirect communication between the two nations concerning prisoners of war, internees, and expulsions from one country to the other. There are also many areas in which their performance has fallen far below their mandates. We will invite ICRC to join us in thinking about what has been accomplished and what remains to be done.
A number of NGO's have also been involved in relief operations that are critical for the survival and rehabilitation of the internally displaced and expelled populations. Their findings will be an important part of the material that will go into the dialogue with our Ethiopian counterparts.
Human Rights Organizations:
Notwithstanding the perception that these organizations could have played a much stronger role both in denouncing the gross human rights abuses and in limiting the scope of the conflict itself, the positive actions taken by some organizations must be acknowledged. It is important to focus on what positive actions they can now take to bring about a lasting peace. We are still in the dark as to what contributions have been made or can be made by UN Commission of Human Rights in spite of the appeals we submitted to them. We will invite the commission to help us assess where we are today and what tomorrow has in store for us.
The International Community.
Efforts to inform and clarify the issues of the conflict must be strengthened so that the perceptions of the international community are accurate and fair. We will invite humane nations who have demonstrated the capacity to raise human rights above petty national interests, to take part in our deliberations.
Strategy - the First Conference in Asmara
The presentations will take three different forms.
A. Papers by Experts: Individuals with specialized knowledge of the peace building process and on methods of conflict resolution will be asked to share their experiences and present to the conference case studies of peace building in other parts of the world.
B. Panel discussions: Local and bi-national organizations actively involved in the peace building process will participate in panel discussion in which they will informally share their experiences with us. This will help us to map out realistic strategies for the bilateral conference.
C. The public expression of grievances: Those who were the civilian victims of the war will have an opportunity to express their grievances in a separate meeting addressing the Eritrean population. Members of CPE will also present reports on the major campaigns that have been launched in their defense and an assessment of the successes and failures of the organization..
Participants will include representatives of key civil society organizations, prominent individuals, representatives of international organizations present in Eritrea, Eritreans from the Diaspora, and invited guests with expertise in conflict resolution and reconciliation, members of international organizations. CPE will network with individuals and organizations in the preparation of this conference.
FINANCING
CPE calls upon collaborating agencies to contribute to a "Peace building Conference Fund." CPE is eager to build on the momentum which the Asmara Conference - as well as efforts towards peace and reconciliation on the Ethiopian side - may create. It will therefore be important that these activities should be followed as soon as possible by the conference that will bring together civil society elements from both parties. To this end, planning for the second conference to be held in a third country will part of the activities that will be undertaken in the first conference. A separate budget will be submitted for the second bilateral conference.