23 October 2008
New York — The Security Council heard calls today for the peaceful resolution of the current border dispute between Djibouti and Eritrea, which flared into fighting in the Horn of Africa in June that killed at least 35 people and left dozens of others wounded.
Representatives of Djibouti and Eritrea outlined their positions to a Council meeting that also heard statements from the Council's 15 members, in which they stressed the need for restraint and backed existing international efforts to mediate a settlement.
Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh, whose country requested the Council meeting, asked the panel to call on Eritrea to meet its international obligations and move to end the dispute, which centres on an undemarcated border in an area known as Doumeira. If not, he said, sanctions may be needed.
The armed conflict erupted in early June after weeks of tensions and military build-up on both sides, and a subsequent UN fact-finding mission reported that the dispute had the potential to destabilize the entire region.
Mr. Guelleh said Djibouti's priority was to demilitarize the area and re-establish mutual trust by reactivating existing bilateral mechanisms and creating some sort of arbitration to demarcate the border.
He said Eritrea had continued to reinforce its troops and refuse to negotiate since June, and Djibouti therefore had no choice but to mass troops at the border and defend its territory.
Eritrea's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Araya Desta, said his country had already dealt with Djibouti's "unwarranted statements" at a previous Council meeting on the issue, adding that it was Djibouti that had provoked the conflict in June.
Mr. Desta said Eritrea had exercised restraint and not taken any land belonging to Djibouti, and there had not been any new developments since the fighting four months ago.
"Eritrea will not allow itself to be dragged into and invited to engage in a diversionary and fabricated conflict," he said, noting that his Government stood ready to resolve the dispute.
Eritrea refused to receive the UN fact-finding mission when it visited after the fighting, and consequently only Djibouti's version of events was made available to it. The mission concluded that Djibouti was being drawn into a crippling and expensive military mobilization to deal with the situation.
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It is important to point out that "allafrica" is the instrument of propaganda for the U.S, lets be clear about that... So all "News" reported on the site is intended simply to conform to and advance their agenda through misinformation. However Informed African's are very well aware of the U.S's opinion on the indomitable Eritrea and will not be deceived. We know that you hate the fact that Eritrea refuses to acquiesce and succumb to your will, so you will instigate things through Djibouti, Ethiopia, whoever, or invoke Al-Qaeda to justify your aggression towards the resilient country. But I suppose you need to also justify your establishment of "Africom", so you must destablize the region to make the point that it is necessary for such an imperialistic agenda to be advanced. This is precisely why now you are instigating the conflict between Rwanda, Uganda, DR Congo, and even Southern Sudan.... You wish to orchestrate another regional war so that you can step in and save the day. It might very well work....but it will be a transient victory, rest assured.