Search
  1. Home
  2. East Africa
  3. Eritrea

Eritrea accuses Ethiopia of shooting incident

    NAIROBI

    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.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join