By Patrick Worsnip, Reuters
UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. Security Council considered on Monday a plan to disband its peacekeeping mission to the volatile border between Eritrea and Ethiopia after Eritrea forced most of its troops to go home.
The 1,700-strong force could be replaced by a small military observer mission on the Ethiopian side of the border, under one proposal before the council in a draft resolution submitted by Belgium.
The council took no immediate decision and instructed experts to assess the options, diplomats said.
The United Nations withdrew its peacekeeping force, known as UNMEE, from the border in February after Eritrea cut off fuel supplies. The force had been in place since 2000 after a two-year war between the Horn of Africa neighbours that killed some 70,000 people.
Asmara is angry that the United Nations has been unable to enforce a ruling by an independent boundary commission awarding the bulk of disputed border territory to Eritrea.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned in April that the withdrawal of UNMEE could spark renewed conflict on the 1,000-km (620-mile) frontier.
Brussels-based think-tank International Crisis Group said last week the armies of the feuding neighbours were “less than a football pitch” apart, risking a catastrophic new war.
The Belgian draft would end UNMEE’s mandate, which comes up for a regular renewal on July 31.
Variant proposals would then either set up a mission “to observe and report developments in the border area which could undermine the peace process” or leave it to Ban to come up with ideas for a follow-on to UNMEE.
In a letter to the Security Council, Ethiopian Prime Minister dictator Meles Zenawi said Addis Ababa was open to a U.N. presence on its territory provided it did not mean continuation of UNMEE “under a new arrangement.”
But Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki said the only answer was for Ethiopia to withdraw from “sovereign Eritrean territory” and that the United Nations could not legitimize Ethiopian “occupation” by its presence.
Copies of both letters were obtained by Reuters.
Asmara says a November 2007 “virtual demarcation” of the border by the now-defunct boundary commission ended the issue. Ethiopia says Eritrea is illegally massing troops on the border in a supposedly demilitarized zone and it wants to discuss the border demarcation further.
The Eritrea-Ethiopia dispute is part of a set of regional tensions that extends into Somalia, where Ethiopian troops are supporting an interim government, and into Djibouti, whose forces clashed with Eritrean troops earlier this month.
(Editing by John O’Callaghan)
4 thoughts on “U.N. looks at disbanding Eritrea/Ethiopia peacekeeping force”
Here is something that is hard to believe. As powerful as the UNSC is, it is difficult for it to admit its utter failure. It failed miserably on the Eritrea Ethiopia issue because it succumbed to one of its members whim and betrayed the principle it supposedly stands for. Of course in the process, both the people of Eritrea and Ethiopia continue to suffer. But, who cares when the Weyane leaders are dining and wining with them at the very time when the people of the area are begging for peace and food! Shame on you UNSC and go to hell for there is nothing important to us more than the plight of our people!
The issue is over, I am not sure what these people are saying. The border has already been demarcated and the commission has completed it’s mandate. Case closed, what’s needed is to have TPLF forces out of someone’s sovereign territories.
“The 1,700-strong force could be replaced by a small military observer mission on the Ethiopian side of the border”
Both countries have thousands of armies at their border and being watched by 1700 UN forces from Ethiopia side. How strange is that. I have no idea the difference that will make if they place 100 or 2000 UN forces. They are spectators, nothing more. They could have moved them long time a go as Eritrea is not interested in Bademe right now. The Eritrea gov made it clear. Eritrea want TPLF gone. The further discussion is not about the border it is about opposition groups stationed at Asmara. The TPLF midget said it himself, it is about OLF, TPDM, Somalia”The Alliance”, and may be Ginbot 7. So there will not be a difference at all. Last week the international Crisis group exagrated the situation by saying they are “a ball pich apart”. Eritrea is playing smart and Ethiopia is stuck in Badme. They need the UN peace keeping force in Somalia if they find armies willing to go to there. The UN who cant in force a finished deal, border dispute of ours , cant bring change in Somalia and can’t be counted on to protect and serve the people of the world. it is fake organization like Birtukan or lame like Hailu Shawel.
The ill advised and irresponsible UNSC are at it again, I suppose. The sad thing is that the members being the most powerful boys in the club, there ain’t much one can do to get rid of them and really revitalize the inept UN?
But, there is one thing we, the residents of the area, can and should do. We shouldn’t give these bad boys any opportunity or excuse to “care for us” for we should know by now they don’t give a rat’s ass on what happens to our people. they are vying the area for their strategic interest only. heck, do you folks really believe that Djibouti had any interest with fighting any of its neighbors/ No, of course not. It is all hatched in foreign capitals.