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UN observer, Eritrean national wounded in landmine explosion

    NAIROBI

    A United Nations military observer and an Eritrean interpreter were injured on Sunday morning when their vehicle detonated a landmine on a road 30 km east of Om Hajer.

    The road between Om Hajer and Antore is close to Eritrea's southwestern border with Ethiopia and is frequently used by UN military observers. It had previously been considered clear of landmines by the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE).

    This is the latest in a series of recent landmine incidents close to the border between the two countries. On 1 April, a farmer was killed when his tractor struck a landmine close to Om Hajer. On 16 June, five Ethiopian civilians were killed and seven injured when the truck they were travelling in detonated an antitank mine just across the border in Ethiopia.

    The men injured on Sunday were travelling in a two-vehicle convoy, returning from a routine patrol at around 11:00 local time, when their lead vehicle struck what is believed to have been an antitank mine. Two military observers and two Eritrean interpreters travelling in the second vehicle were unhurt.

    The two wounded were evacuated to UNMEE's Level II Jordanian hospital in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, by helicopter immediately after the incident.

    The injured observer, who was driving the vehicle - a lieutenant-colonel from Croatia - is recovering at the hospital. His injuries are reported to be minor. The interpreter has been moved to another hospital in Asmara, where he is being treated for more serious injuries, although his condition is said to be stable.

    The UN is investigating the incident.

    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

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