I. Introduction
1. The present report is submitted pursuant to paragraph 12 of Security Council resolution 1320 (2000) of 15 September 2000, by which the Council requested me to keep it closely and regularly informed of progress towards the implementation of this resolution. The report provides an update on developments in the Mission area and describes the activities of the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) since my previous report dated 1 November 2007 (S/2007/645).
II. Situation in the Temporary Security Zone and adjacent areas
2. The military situation in the Temporary Security Zone and adjacent areas remained tense during the period leading up to the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission deadline of 30 November for demarcation of the boundary. Both Eritrea and Ethiopia continued to reinforce their military deployments in the border area. The Eritrean Defence Forces continued to induct troops into the Temporary Security Zone. Since 1 November, UNMEE has observed some 500 newly deployed Eritrean soldiers in the Zone in Sector West, 300 in Sector Centre and 100 in Subsector East.
3. UNMEE also observed Eritrean troops participating in various training activities, involving small arms and mortars, inside the Temporary Security Zone in Sector Centre, and tanks near Assab, outside the areas adjacent to Subsector East. On 28 and 29 November, the Mission observed an Eritrean armoured personnel carrier and five artillery guns in the area adjacent to the Temporary Security Zone in Sector Centre. On 23 December, the Mission observed three tanks deployed in the Zone in Sector West. In addition, UNMEE assesses that considerable numbers of troops entered the Zone in all sectors using newly constructed alternate routes, which enable them to bypass UNMEE’s static check posts to avoid detection.
4. A significant number of regular Eritrean troops are now deployed along multiple defensive lines in all sectors. Eritrean forces also continued to fortify and build new defences. Some 17 new Eritrean camps were established in the Temporary Security Zone and areas adjacent to it during the reporting period. A number of new check posts were also erected inside the Zone. In late October, UNMEE observed Eritrean troops building 21 new bunkers inside the Zone in Sector Centre and a
defensive stone wall near the village of Serha, also in the Zone in the same Sector. The Eritrean Defence Forces have also dug new trench lines in the Zone.
5. For their part, the Ethiopian Armed Forces conducted training and advanced some 2,300 additional troops deeper into the border areas in Sector West. They also constructed new defences in areas adjacent to Subsector East. In late October, Ethiopian forces built a two-kilometre trench line with bunkers in Subsector East.
6. On 22 and 27 October, in the first such occurrence, an Ethiopian military helicopter carried out an aerial reconnaissance over the border town of Zela Ambessa, in Sector Centre. On 24 November, 16 Ethiopian armoured personnel carriers were observed at a location near the strategic Mereb Bridge in Sector Centre. On 26 December, UNMEE observed three surface-to-air missile launchers, a target-acquisition radar and a command post being deployed in areas adjacent to Sector Centre. Ethiopia also continued to maintain a strategic reserve force, which is located approximately 150 kilometres south of the areas adjacent to Sector West. Though UNMEE has not been able to determine the exact strength of the reserve force, it is likely to comprise a number of infantry and mechanized divisions that are equipped with weaponry, including heavy equipment with a defensive and offensive capability.
7. On 22 October, Ethiopian forces alleged that Eritrean troops crossed the border to collect stones for the construction of the stone wall in Sector Centre mentioned in paragraph 4 above. On 1 December, the Ethiopian forces deployed in the Zela Ambessa area, opposite Serha, threatened to open fire at any Eritreans who crossed the borderline into Ethiopia to collect stones for the construction of the stone wall. UNMEE mediated between the two sides and prevented the situation from escalating. The Eritrean Defence Forces have since reduced the number of military personnel working at the construction site. On 21 November, two Ethiopian youths from Zela Ambessa in Sector Centre alleged that they had been detained for two hours by Eritrean troops. UNMEE was unable to verify these allegations.
8. On 26 December, Ethiopian and Eritrean forces exchanged gunfire near the village of Tserona in Sector Centre. Both Eritrea and Ethiopia granted UNMEE access to the location of the incident for an investigation. While both parties acknowledged the incident, they accused each other of initiating the attack. Eritrea stated that it captured two “prisoners of war” during the incident.
9. UNMEE assisted the parties in resolving other cross-border incidents, including cases of livestock-rustling. On 8 November and 24 December, six Ethiopian children, who had inadvertently crossed the border into Eritrea from Zela Ambessa in Sector Centre, were repatriated with UNMEE’s assistance. UNMEE’s medical service also continued to provide medical assistance to civilians on both sides of the border.
Full Report (pdf)