Eritrea accuses Ethiopia of shooting incident

The Eritrean government has accused Ethiopian armed forces of attacking an Eritrean Police and militia post inside the Temporary Security Zone, set up to separate the two armies, according to a press Statement by the Eritrean Commission for Coordination with the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) dated 5 December. The statement said that the Eritrean Commissioner with UNMEE, Ambassador Andebrhan Woldegiorgis had written to UN Special Representative Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, protesting the latest violations of the Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities in the central sector. According to the statement, Ethiopian forces attacked the Eritrean positions last Friday. "On 30 November 2001, at about 9:30 in the morning, around 250 Ethiopian army troops opened fire on Eritrean police and local militia at Gegew (Zigfet), elevation peak 2708, in the Senafe sub-zone" said the Statement. The Commissioner's letter said that this attack "represents a dangerous provocation jeopardizing the peace process" and noted that the Ethiopian army has recently intensified its military activities, and "increased incursions into additional sovereign Eritrean territory", said the statement. The statement is just the latest in series of accusation and counter accusation between the two Horn of African countries.