Uncertainty over who is affected by border ruling

Families along the disputed border of Ethiopia and Eritrea will probably have to wait until it is physically demarcated to know whether they have been affected or not, the UN said on Friday.

The United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) said it was “still not definite” about which communities had been affected by the ruling in The Hague. "The question of which communities will be affected will become clearer with the conclusion of the demarcation," said Franklyn Bai Kargbo, head of UNMEE's human rights office.

More than a million people were forced from their homes during the two-year border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea and thousands still remain homeless.

“Over the last few months we have concentrated on monitoring the border communities, that is the communities lying in what was then contested areas," Kargbo told a press briefing. “Though the Boundary Commission decision has been rendered, we are still not definite as to where these communities will be."

"In the meantime, we will be putting our work plan into ready mode to tackle any issue that may arise as a result of territory exchange," he added.

UNMEE said it was unsure how long the demarcation process would take. The areas first have to be photographed from the air and thousands of mines cleared to ensure the safety of field workers who will mark the border. So far no populations have been moved or have voluntarily moved themselves, according to UNMEE spokesman Jean Victor Nkolo.

But the new boundary could mean that some areas change sovereignty. Kargbo said any populations that could be affected by changes in the border would be asked if they wanted to move. "The key element is giving an option to the party or the individual concerned," he said.

UNMEE said the 25-km buffer area between Ethiopia and Eritrea, known as the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ), had remained calm and stable following the announcement by the Boundary Commission and there had been no troop build-up or movement by either Eritrea or Ethiopia.