3 - 9 May 2001
Issue No.532
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 3 - 9 May 2001 Issue No.532 |
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Hijackers clear the air
The return of a hijacked Ethiopian plane to Addis Ababa from Khartoum opens a promising new chapter in relations between the two neighbours, writes Gamal Nkrumah
Sudanese Foreign Minister Mostafa Othman Ismail flew to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Monday for consultations with his Ethiopian counterpart Seyoum Mesfin on a number of outstanding bilateral issues. Officially, Ismail went to Addis Ababa to attend a joint ministerial commission which regulates relations between the two Horn of Africa neighbours. Their ties deteriorated sharply following the attempted assassination of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during the Organisation of African Unity summit in Addis Ababa in July 1995. At the time, Ethiopia accused the Sudanese authorities of masterminding the incident and harbouring the culprits, charges Sudan vigorously denied.
An Ethiopian child leaving the hijacked plane (photo:AP)
Nevertheless, with the outbreak of border hostilities between Ethiopia and Eritrea in May 1998, there was a marked thaw in relations between Ethiopia and Sudan. The two countries saw in Eritrea a common enemy, which meddled in their respective domestic affairs. The Sudanese umbrella opposition grouping, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is headquartered in the Eritrean capital Asmara. Sudan emerged as the main beneficiary of the border dispute between the once staunch allies Ethiopia and Eritrea, both of whom were deeply concerned about the militant Islamist regime in Sudan. However, tensions between Ethiopia and Sudan eased following the break between Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir and the former speaker of the Sudanese parliament and chief Islamist ideologue Sheikh Hassan Al-Turabi, currently incarcerated for signing a memorandum of understanding with the main armed Sudanese opposition group the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA).
The visit of the Sudanese foreign minister to Addis Ababa came two days after the hijacking of an Ethiopian Antonov-12 plane by Ethiopian air force cadets 10 minutes after takeoff from the northwestern Ethiopian garrison town of Bahr Dar. The hijackers, four men and a woman, originally intended to head for Saudi Arabia, but the pilot told them that there was not enough fuel. Flying to Eritrea was also ruled out because as an Ethiopian military plane it would have been extremely risky to venture into Eritrean air space. In spite of the cessation of hostilities, relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea are far from friendly. After toying with the idea of flying to Djibouti, the hijackers then reluctantly consented to head for Khartoum.
After arrival in Khartoum international airport, the hijackers at first insisted that they simply wanted to refuel in Khartoum and then fly to an unknown destination. Next they demanded to meet British and American diplomats in Khartoum. They had expressed interest earlier in being granted political asylum in the United States. But following lengthy negotiations with the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations and the Sudanese home ministry they agreed to stand trial in Sudan.
Begemberhan Tebegne, the hijackers' leader, and a member of the Ethiopian Air Force, said their main goal was to "draw international attention to the deplorable economic and political situation in Ethiopia and gross human rights violations." His 16-year-old sister, Feriyoini, played a leading role. The teenage hijacker feigned illness and flung herself at the pilot and contorted her body as if in anguish. She pleaded with the crew for help as a distraction. The Sudanese authorities said that the hijackers will "receive a fair trial." Sudanese Minister of Information Ghazi Salah Al-Din denied any secret deal between the Sudanese authorities and the hijackers. "We have told the hijackers that they will receive a fair trial according to the international laws governing plane highjacking," he told reporters in Khartoum. He stressed that the "unfortunate incident will not impact the cordial relations" between Khartoum and Addis Ababa.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi praised the, "decisive and wise measures taken by the Sudanese authorities". Still, Ethiopia demanded the extradition of the hijackers. The hijackers had released their hostages, mainly relatives of Ethiopian military personnel, and gave themselves up after receiving assurances from the Sudanese authorities that they will not be sent back to Ethiopia. The 51 passengers aboard and the crew arrived in Addis Ababa on Saturday. The incident coincided with nationwide protests in Ethiopia spearheaded by student demonstrations that claimed the lives of 50 people last week. Thousands were arrested and civil unrest has not subsided. But Sudan is careful not to stoke any fires or make political capital out of the incident. The two neighbours pledged not to meddle in the internal affairs of each other.
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