1410610429

*

performance oł my mtssjon. ind to pay a tribucc tu di< Irarmng of the legii cxpcns who assisted mc in the drafting ihe Constiturion.

I havc ihe honour to be, Sir.„

L ANZC MA71ESZO United Narions Commissioftcr m Eritrea

INTRODUCTIOC

Section 1; Histcrical and Policka) '

1.    The General Aucrobiy of the United Narions, at ńs fifth reguła r session, recommended tKat Eritrea should consrituic an autonoroous unit federated wiA Ethiopia under the iovtrcignty of the Ethiopian Ctown. The rcJc-rant rcsolution, 390 A (V). of 2 Deccmbcr 1950, the tcxt of which is anneaed to the present report, was the cukru-narion of four ycais* endcavour by the Council of tht Foreign Minister*, the Paris Confercnce and, fbuDy, the United Narions, to decide on the disposal of this fprmer kaiian colony, administered by the United King dom sińce

1*41.

2.    Eritrea lics betwecn the Red Sca to the east, the Sudan to the nonh and west and Ethiopia tn the sornh, and Kas an area of 1)7,248 sq. km, (45,800 sq. roiks). From Massawa on the Red Sea to the frootier town of Sabderat in the west, the distancc is abnost the same as frora the Sudanese fionoer in the north to the Scot and Marcb rWers in the south (abouc 500 km). But the Red Sea DWisien is wedged berwetn Ethiopia and the coast from norA-wesc to souA-easr, ha ring a length of some €00 km. *nd a brcadth of a Lnie morę than 100 kro. at certain pouus.

3.    AlAough there are no aceuratc cen sus fi gum, the Briush Admimstrition cstimaud the population at abouc one million. It is madę up of Christians and Mos-Itms in roughly equal numbers, the platcau being inhab-ired roainly by Christians and the Iow lands by Mosiem*.

4.    The popularions of the platcau (the Hamaiicn, Serae and Akcie Guii dirisions), as well as of the "Abyssinian Dutricts* of the Kercn region, nil hive pr actkaUy the same social struaure. The basie unit is the villagc community madę up of kinihip groups of familie*, among which ordy che scnlcrs and their familia hive righcs in the sunounding lands. The riUagcs were admin-isteied in the past by a chief, assisted by dders.

5.    The nomad tribes of the north and west (SahcI, Beni Aroer, Mensa, etc.) comprise noblcs and serfs who owed them serrices and tribute naw for the most part abolished; dass distinerions have not complctcly disap-peared, howerer.

6.    Thirdly. Ac Pxd Sca coast a:ca is inhibsrrd 1/ che Darukih, the teminnma Jic Saho-f peaking cribes and the Samhar pcoplc. UnJcr lulian rulc. trihal chtcruim werc added to the democratically-organiaeJ kiiiwiap groups. whkh lud their OW» chiefs.

7.    FinaJly, the pcopłes o i the souA-wcst (Baria and Kunami) living in semi-pcrmar.cnt vi!Iages, ate ocpmrrd in farmie and tribal groups. cach famiły group harinę itt council of elders.

8.    Among tbc foreign'comrounities. whose cco-nornic aetmcy is imporum to Ac country, the lulian. Arab, Indian, Greek, JewiA and Sudanese havc offkial organuations. The Urgesc communicics ire the lulian, numbenng approrimaceły 17,000, and thosc coming ongcnaUy from Asia, roainly Arab and Indian.

9.    The lulian Adminbtr arion. facilitatcd by the acąuisirion of the Bay of Assab by the Rubactino Coca-pany, began with Ac fcundation of che colony of Eritrea (January 1890).The lulian population in Eritrea, besidei being large in ruto ber, has pbycd a big part in ihe

- dcvdopencm of the country (communkattoos fiecwork, peru, town planning) and in its prog/ess in agrieulture (conccssions) and industry. The ItaKan Administratioo ended in 1941 wach the enery of the Allied arrncd form.

10.    łt is at Ais rime. in 1941, Alt the Union*: Party daims to havc begun its acrWibcs, Aough poinrbg out that a •moecmenc* for union wiA Ethiopia had long existcd in Eritrea. The Four Pow er Commission of lnvcs-tigarion. however, rcfcrrmg ro Ac actual founding of tbc party, set Ae dacc at 1946. V The pany*s a»m was uncoodirional union wjA Ethiopia.

11.    Towards Aecndof 1946, a Mosiem Lcagueof Eritrea was founded at Kercn, in Ac \Cestem Prorince; it demanded Ac independence of Erirrea or, if chat wtre not considercd poisible, “an imernational uusteeship for ten ycan wi A tncemal mdependcrtce under Ae conaol of Ae BoriA Gcrtinmcnx^m.V In 1949, Ais Mosiem Leaguc joined wirh a nura ber of less im po rum pirries to form an Independence Bloc, and changed its programmc, dc-manding iromediare independence for Eritrea.

12.    Fuully, Ae Mosiem Leaguc of Ae Wescem Province, coosming of former roerobers of Ae Mosiem Leaguc of Eritrea and founded at the beginning of 1950, advocaicd a separatc solurion for ebe Western rrovir.ee, nameły, a period of Bcitish Admirustration followcd by independence, Ac rest of the territory to be left free to dedde its own futurę.

13.    Since the Council of Foreign Minuters had noc bccn aWe to rcaA agreemenr in spite of the ditpuch of a Commission of Enąuiry (Novcmbcr 1947 to January

V Four 7ov.cn Cornminioo of Inmtigaiioo for ihr former lul.in Colorwt. roi I, X*?^0rl om EiUrtj. p. 1 f.

3/ /W, roi 1, afp. 20, p. 3.

»» mMuMI .U.

114 THE USmD NATIONS AND THE tSDUtSDISCŁ OF iRimtA

ifiSi, the ęutition w»* *uKtwnfd to tKc Imitcd Nitiont t General AimnHy, tn aceordancc wkh »nocx XI. P*ra-- graph 3 of tKc Tccaty of Pcacc wŃh Iialy wh*rh States: •|f witK rrtpcct to uny o? the thesc ter mor ie* tKc Four Po^tfj are unaWc to apree upon tKcir disposal wiihin one >ear fcem the cominę inco {orce ©f the Treaty of Prace włrh Iraly, the miner shali be te-ferred to the General Assembly of the United Na-tiens for a recommcndation, and che Four Power* agrec to accept the recommendation and to take appropriate mcasutes for giving cffect tę ic.“

14.    At it* thiid rcgular session, the General Asscm-* Wy, after discuision, poeponed the quescion of the dit-

17 posal of the former lulian colonie* until the fourth :    rcgular session.

15.    The United Nations Commission for Eritrea. *esublished at the fourth rcgular session by rcsolution 289

A (IV). Sectioo C, of 21 Novcmbcr 1949, co “ascertair • -T    the re!cvant faos* and submit proposab “appropriate

r for the soluoon of the problem of Eritrea*, coneentrated ^ b attchtion on the IWO following faaori:

*    (1) The rigbts and claimt of Ethiopia based on

geogr aphicaJ, KistoiicJ, ethnic or cconomic teasons;

, ^    • (2) The need to fińd an acceptable compromisc

i; bcrwccn the Solutions rccommended by the population, which rangę d from independence to union with Ethio-

T *

f* 16. The solution of Federatioo, adopted by the '. General Aisembly by 4$ votes to 10, with 4 abstentions, (rcsolution 390 A (V)); on the basis of proposala by the rcprcsenutives of Bumu and the Union of South Afnca “ co the United Nations Commission for Eritrea, and of a draftresolunonsubnunedby a numberof delegadons, 5/ took into attount the wishes and weifarc of the inhabi-tana of Eritrea, the interesu of peacc and security in East Africa and the ńghu and daims of Ethiopia. It was csscmially a middle-cf-the-road formula, and the Cora-rnissiohcr, having acquainccd himsdf with the facu in , Eritrea, suted on many occasions chat in his vicw it ,. appeared to be the best possiblc “compromisc*. U

Seaion 1' Resoluiiom 390 A (V) and 390 B (V) of tKc General Aisembly of ihe United Natiotu. Tcrms of Refercncc and Election of tKc United Nations Commissioner in Eriuca

17.    The tcjn of resoludon 390 A (V)of2 Deccmbcr 1950, the first seven paragraphs of which form the Fcd-cral Aa, is rcproduced as anncx 1 to the pr cent r eperr.

18.    Paragraph lOof the rcsolution providcd lo< the appointraem by the General Aisembly of a United Nawom Commissioner in Eritrea. By resoludon 390 B (V),

adopted at the same mccting or\ 2 Deccmbcr 1950, it u as decided to esublish a Comnwtec to assist in makmp ihe appośntmcnt. When the report of the Commirree was rcccwcd, the General Assembly, at iu 325ih pknary mccting on 14 Deccmbcr 1950, by scere: ballot eketed Mr. Eduardo Ajuc Matienro to the oiikc of United Nations Commissioner in Eritrea. 7/

19.    The dutics of the Commissioner and the pow-cts confcrrcd upon Kim w etc set out tn paragraphs 12.13 and 15 of section A of the rcsolution. Thanks to the co-opcraiion and goodwill which he rcccivcd from the other imerested panie and from the Eritrons tbem-schcs, the Commissioner did not find it necessary co exe rcise the power of censulradon with the Interim Com-mincc confcrrcd by paragraph 15 of the resoludon.

20.    The main dutics and powers of the Commissioner are summariacd below in chronolopcal order (subject to oserlapping) and in order in which they are dealt with in (his report.

(1)    The duty, m consulration with;

(a)    The Adminisicring Authoricy;

(b)    The Govemment of Ethiopia; and

(c)    The inhabitams of Eritrea,

of preparing a draft of the Eritrean Consutution. which shall:    *    .

(a) Be based on the pnneiplcs of desnoeradc gov-ernment;

. (bj Incłudc the guarantees conrained in paragraph 7 of the Fcderal Act; aa J

(e) Conuin promions adopcing and ratifying the Federa) Aa on bchalf of the peopie of Eritrea.

(2)    The duty of submimng the draft Constitudoo to the Eikrcan Aisembly.

(3)    The duty of advising and assitdng the Eritrean Aisembly in ks coruideration of the draft Constitudoa

(4J The power and, if in the Commiisioner^ks opin-ion it conformed to the principles of the rcsolution, the duty of approring the Constkudon as adopted by the Eikrcan Assembly.

(5) The ducy of making appropriate repom to the General Aisembly of the United Nations conceming the discharge of his functions and, havir.g mainuined his headąuartcrs in Eritrea until the uansfer of power had bccn complcted; the duty of so reponing to the General Assembly and subminiag to it the text of the Eritrean Consdtudoa.

V Rrport ci the United Nauom (mjmuoo for tntrea, Offuul AłtOfJ I of thr G met ci Atumbfy, hftb SttMcr. 5-;; lr~mi Ko. i

<ani$$i

5/ Botivii, BmJ. Rurraj, Canadj. Oenmaii, Łcujdor. Głtett. bbr-fia, Mc **<>. fana -tu. Faniuar. fcm. Turkry. liaiud Su td of America (AMCWLJ7 and Cen. \.l U Sc« docunae- A/AC4WJ5, p. 4.

7/ Offieul KtiOfdi o/iSe    hfxh Snurm. irffU-

Documcnc 9    115