Accord hailed by international community

The accord has been hailed in various quarters. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the signing now paved the way for a “speedy implementation of the Framework Agreement and Modalities”. Speaking in Cairo, he added that he hoped UN peacekeepers would be quickly deployed to the buffer zone to consolidate the agreement. UNICEF’s Executive Director Carol Bellamy, who is currently in the region, said the cessation of hostilities cleared the way for renewed emphasis on humanitarian relief in the drought-affected areas. US President Bill Clinton described the deal as a “breakthrough” which should allow the two countries to “realise their potential in peace, instead of squandering it in war”.

UNHCR officials in the Eritrean capital Asmara and the Sudanese capital Khartoum expressed the hope that the peace agreement would enable refugees and displaced people to regain their homes. “From the humanitarian point of view it is now essential that the agreement is honoured on the ground,” UNCHR official in Asmara Tahir Ali was quoted as saying. A UNHCR report recalled that the latest bout of fighting last month had caused large-scale displacement within Eritrea, and had driven some 85,000 people into neighbouring Sudan. Plans to repatriate an existing 150,000 Eritrean refugees from Sudan had also been put on hold.