Thousands in Ethiopian protest rally

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- Several thousand people have rallied to accuse the Ethiopian government of selling out to its smaller neighbour, Eritrea.

The rare political rally was organised by six opposition parties, who believe that the peace agreement between the two countries left Eritrea better off.

The accord, signed on December 12 in Algeria, was "a sellout of the vital interests of Ethiopia, including its outlet to the sea," Admassu Gebeyehu, chairman of the Ethiopian Democratic Party, told the rally in Meskel, the main square in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

Eritrea won a narrow coastal strip of the Afar region, including the Red Sea port of Assab, under the accord, which formally ended a two-year war between the two Horn of African nations.

The war was ostensibly fought over their disputed 620-mile border.

Eritrea gained independence from its southern landlocked neighbour in 1993 following a referendum, but the border was never formally marked, and fighting between the two broke out in May 1998.

Many Ethiopians believe Assab and Massawa, another Red Sea port, should never have been ceded to Eritrea.

Without the seaports, Ethiopia has to rely on Eritrean ports for its exports and imports.

The ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Front was also criticised for its economic programmes and human rights record.

Opposition rallies and criticism of the government are extremely rare in Ethiopia, but the EPRF has been credited with allowing greater freedom of speech.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.