3 March 2008
After more than a week of repeated blockages by Eritrean forces, United Nations peacekeepers in the Horn of Africa country have finally completed regrouping to the capital, Asmara, in preparation for their planned temporary relocation across the border to Ethiopia.
According to the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), all staff have now left the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) that separates the two countries, which fought a bloody border war that ended in 2000.
Except for 112 military personnel who are awaiting further instructions in the port city of Assab, all of the approximately 980 peacekeepers - mainly from Jordanian, Indian and Kenyan battalions - along with most military observers in the country are now in the capital city.
UNMEE decided to temporarily move its personnel from Eritrea after the country cut off diesel fuel supplies to the mission, paralyzing its operations. UN military personnel in Ethiopia have not been affected by the relocation.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 UN News Service. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
