Dakar, Senegal — No casualties were reported after two incidents in which vehicles belonging to Canadian peacekeepers of the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) struck mines near the town of Tsorena in Eritrea.

A release Wednesday by UNMEE's Public Information office said the first mine incident occurred Tuesday, while the second occurred Wednesday.

"Fortunately these incidents did not result in tragedy," UNMEE Force Commander Major-General Patrick Cammaert was quoted as remarking.

Cammaert nonetheless insisted that the incidents press home the need for the peacekeepers to be supplied all relevant information on land mines in the area.

"We need this information in order to protect our peacekeepers and to ensure the safety of internally displaced populations when they return to their communities once the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) has been established," the Force Commander said.

At the time of the incidents, the vehicles were on a route- proving operation to render local roads safe from mines.

UNMEE insists that routes must be cleared in order to establish and monitor the future buffer zone between Ethiopian and Eritrean armies, and to facilitate the return of internally displaced people.

Elsewhere in the Mission area, UNMEE Slovak and Bangladesh de-mining units were, the release said, clearing areas and proving routes, while UNMEE's Mine Action Coordination Centre (UNMACC) was training de-miners and disseminating relevant information.

Further investigation, Wednesday's statement said, was being conducted to determine the circumstances of the two incidents.