- The tension between Eritrea and Ethiopia is rapidly building up. Now, also the UN peacekeepers stationed along the border between the two neighbours is warning about possible war preparations as their movements are more and more limited.
Less than a week after UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned that a serious deterioration between Ethiopia and Eritrea could lead to "another round of devastating hostilities," the peacekeeping mission monitoring a ceasefire between the two countries reported today that the situation on the ground is "tense".
The UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) said restrictions on its freedom of movement were continuing in both the central and western sectors on the Eritrean side following the recent ban imposed by the Asmara government on UN helicopters.
Night movement of patrols is also being curtailed, seriously limiting the mission's ability to monitor the remaining 40 percent of the Temporary Security Zone and adjacent areas, UNMEE representatives said in a statement.
Last week, Mr Annan had called on the UN Security Council to ensure that the Eritrean restrictions are lifted. At the same time he urged the 15-member body to address the underlying causes of the stalemate in the peace process between the two countries, which fought a fierce border war from 1988 to 2000, including Ethiopia's opposition to significant parts of the agreed Boundary Commission's binding demarcation decisions.
He said the helicopter ban was severely hampering UNMEE's ability to monitor the ceasefire, forcing the evacuation of 18 of 40 locations that had become no longer operationally viable.
The expensive five-year-old UN mission has not been allowed to do its work, despite the peace agreements signed by both countries, calling for the establishment of UNMEE. In particular Eritrea has kept a conflict profile with the UN peacekeepers, even accusing UNMEE of provoking instability. UNMEE on several occasions has threatened to withdraw.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
front page
| news
| countries
| archive
| currencies
| news alerts login
| about afrol News
| contact
| advertise
| español