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Hanish islands crises

Map of the Hanish islands
Date 15 December 1995–17 December 1995
Location Greater Hanish, Zukur-Hanish archipelago
Result Eritrean occupation of the island
Territorial
changes		 the Permanent Court of Arbitration eventually determined that the archipelago belonged to Yemen
Belligerents
Flag of Eritrea Eritrea Flag of Yemen Yemen
Strength
unknown unknown
Casualties and losses
3-12 killed 15 killed
196 captured
17 civilians taken prisoner

The Hanish islands crises (or the Eritrean-Yemeni Border crises also known as the Odd War[1]) took place over three days from 15 December and 17 December 1995 on the island of Greater Hanish, one of the largest in the then disputed Zukur-Hanish archipelago. Events 533 - Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Events 546 - Gothic War (535–554: The Ostrogoths of King Totila Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 The Hanish Islands (جزر هانيش are an Island group in the Red Sea. The Permanent Court of Arbitration ( PCA) is an International organization based in The Hague in the Netherlands. Eritrea () ( Ge'ez: ኤርትራ ʾErtrā, Arabic: إرتريا Iritriya) officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in Yemen ( Arabic: اليَمَن al-Yaman officially the Republic of Yemen ( Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya Events 533 - Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Events 546 - Gothic War (535–554: The Ostrogoths of King Totila Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 The Hanish Islands (جزر هانيش are an Island group in the Red Sea.

Contents

The War

Reports vary on the number killed in action; between three and twelve members of the Eritrean Defence Forces were believed to have been killed while fifteen Yemeni soldiers were believed to have been killed. The Eritrean Defence Forces military role stems from Eritrea 's strategic geographical location Between 185 and 196 Yemeni prisoners of war (soldiers) and 17 civilians were captured by the Eritreans. The prisoners were repatriated a few weeks later at the end of December to Yemen. [2] During the fighting a passing Russian merchant ship was hit and damaged in mistake for a Yemeni naval vessel.

The archipelago is on the southern side of the Red Sea near Bab-el-Mandeb (Mouth of the Red Sea). The Red Sea is a Salt water Inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. The Bab-el-Mandeb (variously Transliterated Mandab or Mandib, and with article "el-" given also as "al-" with or without connecting The Red Sea is about 30 miles (50 km) wide at this point. Since the British occupation of Aden the islands had generally been regarded as part of Yemen although they were on the southern, Eritrean, side of the straits. Aden (ˈeɪdən Arabic: عدن) is a city in Yemen, 170 kilometers east of Bab-el-Mandeb.

After being granted independence and membership of the United Nations, the new Eritrean government had started negotiations with Yemen over the status of the archipelago. Two rounds of talks had taken place before the invasion:

Gutmann [French mediator] produced an Agreement on Principles, which Eritrea and Yemen signed on 21 May. Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. The two sides agreed to resort to arbitration, to refrain from using force, and to abide by the verdict of an arbitration tribunal. The French mediation effort almost collapsed when, on 10 August, Eritrean forces occupied Hanish al-Saghir. Events 612 BC - Killing of Sinsharishkun, King of Assyrian Empire With Yemen threatening to take military action, the UN Security Council ordered Eritrean troops off the island. Asmara withdrew its forces on 27 August…. Events 479 BC - Greco-Persian Wars: Persian forces led by Mardonius are routed by Pausanias, the Spartan The renewed threat of conflict prompted Eritrea, at the end of August, to begin deploying along its coastline Russian-made SAM missiles acquired from Ethiopia. A surface to air missile ( SAM) or ground-to-air missile ( GTAM) is a Missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy Aircraft

– Lefebvre [3]

On 22 November 1995, Yemen's Foreign Minister Adb al-Karim al-Iryani met in San'a' with three Eritrean officials to discuss the problem. Events 498 - Kofi Aseidu- After the death of Anastasius II, Symmachus is elected Pope in the Lateran Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Abdul Karim Ali Aleryani (عبد الكريم علي يحي محمدعبد ألله الإرياني (born 12 October 1934) was the Prime Minister Iryani, heading a Yemeni delegation, then attended a meeting in Eritrea on 7 December. Events 43 BC - Marcus Tullius Cicero assassinated 1696 - Connecticut Route 108, one of the oldest highways There, both sides agreed to resolve their dispute over maritime borders through negotiations, which they scheduled for February 1996. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) If those negotiations failed, both sides agreed to take the case to the ICJ at The Hague.

– Lefebvre [4]

Greater Hanish (or Hanish al-Kabir) is one of three main islands in an archipelago, and until 1995 was inhabited only by a handful of Yemeni fishermen. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 In 1995 German company, under Yemeni auspices, began building a hotel and scuba diving centre on the Island. Scuba diving is swimming underwater, or taking part in another activity while using a Scuba set. The Yemenis then sent a force of 200 men, to guard the construction site. Eritrean officials thought that the construction work which the Yemen started on Greater Hanish was an attempt to establish facts on the ground before the negotiations scheduled for February started. "Prompted by concern over the Yemeni construction project on Hanish al-Kabir, Eritrea's Foreign Minister Petros Solomon delivered, on 11 November 1995, an ultimatum giving San'a one month to withdraw Yemeni military forces and civilians from Hanish al-Kabir"[5]. Petros Solomon (also known as Wed'Solomon Son of Solomon is an Eritrean politician Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 When that ultimatum ran out and the Yemeni military forces and civilians had not withdrawn the Eritreans launched their attack and captured the Island.

Three other reasons have been proposed for the attack by the Eritreans on the island. The Yemeni opposition sources claimed that during 1994, Sana'a received clandestine military assistance from Israel via the Eritreans and the Eritreans took Hanish when Sana'a failed to deliver the promised payments. Yemen's military claimed that they had intercepted radio messages in Hebrew and that "several Israelis" had helped to direct the Eritrean operation. This led the Arab League to suggest that the real motive for the attack was that Israel intended to set up a base on the island. The Arab League ( الجامعة العربية) officially called the League of Arab States ( جامعة الدول العربية The third reason put forward is that there may be oil in the Red Sea and that the territorial rights to the seabed was the underlying reason for the war.

As no resolution to the problem could be reached in bilateral talks, the status of the archipelago was placed in front of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in the Netherlands. The Permanent Court of Arbitration ( PCA) is an International organization based in The Hague in the Netherlands. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands

Arbitration

The two parties presented their case to the Permanent Court of Arbitration on October 3, 1996. Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) The court returned its findings (CHAPTER XI – Dispositif) on 9 October 1998 and it found that:

The islands, islet, rocks, and low-tide elevations of the Zuqar-Hanish group, including, but not limited to, Three Foot Rock, Parkin Rock, Rocky Islets, Pin Rock, Suyul Hanish, Mid Islet, Double Peak Island, Round Island, North Round Island, Quoin Island (13°43'N, 42°48'E), Chor Rock, Greater Hanish, Peaky Islet, Mushajirah, Addar Ail Islets, Haycock Island (13°47'N, 42°47'E; not to be confused with the Haycock Islands to the southwest of Greater Hanish), Low Island (13°52'N, 42°49'E) including the unnamed islets and rocks close north, east and south, Lesser Hanish including the unnamed islets and rocks close north east, Tongue Island and the unnamed islet close south, Near Island and the unnamed islet close south east, Shark Island, Jabal Zuquar Island, High Island, and the Abu Ali Islands (including Quoin Island (14°05'N, 42°49'E) and Pile Island) are subject to the territorial sovereignty of Yemen;

– CHAPTER XI – Dispositif[6]

On 1 November 1998 "Yemeni Defence Minister Mohammad Diefallah Mohammad raised his country's flag over the island of Greater Hanish as Yemeni army and navy troops took up positions on it. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi At the same time, Eritrean troops departed on board a helicopter and a naval vessel. "[7]

References

Further reading

Footnotes

  1. ^ Saleh AA Younis References The Odd War so called by the Saudi Gazette
  2. ^ El Salvador Civil War. Ali Said Abdella (September 1949&ndash August 28, 2005) was an Eritrean rebel commander politician and diplomat who at the time of his death was serving Events 1066 - Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King Saudi Gazette is an English language Daily newspaper published in Saudi Arabia. Retrieved on 2006-08-25. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1248 - The Dutch city of Ommen receives city rights and fortification rights from Otto III the
  3. ^ Lefebvre References page 381, (Quoted by Saleh AA Younis References)
  4. ^ Lefebvre References page 373 (Quoted by Saleh AA Younis References)
  5. ^ Lefebvre References page 372-373
  6. ^ :CHAPTER XI – Dispositif
  7. ^ United Nations and international organizations page Michigan State University. Michigan State University ( MSU) is a co-educational public Research university in East Lansing, Michigan USA. November 1, 1998 Yemen flag raised overGreater Hanish
Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi
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