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The United Nations has said there is no end in sight to the new checks imposed on its peacekeepers by Ethiopia.
The UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) said it was in talks to try and resolve the matter, and lawyers were examining documents to see if Ethiopia had breached agreed rules.
The Ethiopian authorities imposed the new checks on 9 May after UNMEE arranged a trip for journalists to the village of Badme - where the two-year border war began in 1998 - via Eritrea.
This means UNMEE staff now have to show passports and are subject to searches when travelling between the two countries. Both countries claim they were awarded the village - which is currently administered by Ethiopia - under the 13 April independent border ruling.
Acting UNMEE spokeswoman Gail Bindley-Taylor Sainte told a press conference on Friday that they had been given no indication as to when the checks might be lifted.
“As far as I know the situation remains the same,” she said. “We have no further information. There are still ongoing conversations between UNMEE and the Ethiopian authorities.”
UNMEE believes the new checks could be in breach of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) which Ethiopia signed with the UN. The SOFA – which all UN peacekeeping missions sign - allows them unhindered movement to carry out their mission.
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
