Military officer says troop movements near border 'provocative'

A senior Eritrean military official has dismissed guarantees that Ethiopian troop movements near their common border were purely defensive, according to the United Nations. Eritrean Col Zecarias Ogbagaber said he believed the troop deployment was "provocative", the UN peacekeeping mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) said. His comments came at the 28th Military Coordination Commission (MCC) meeting hosted by UNMEE to try and ensure peace between the two sides on Monday. Ogbagaber "expressed serious concerns about the movement of additional Ethiopian troops towards the northern border of Ethiopia", UNMEE said in a statement. "He said that he did not consider these deployments defensive in nature and interpreted them to be provocative," the statement added. Ogbagaber also "expressed the hope that with the beginning of a new year, there would be fresh impetus, which [would] help move the peace process forward". Ethiopian Gen Yohannes Gebremeskel stressed "the redeployment of Ethiopian army troops along the Eritrean border was a purely defensive measure and part of the reorganisation process of the army". Ethiopia first announced in December it would redeploy troops near the border region, providing details to the UN peacekeeping force. UNMEE force commander, Maj-Gen Rajender Singh told the MCC that the military situation remained "stable and calm". Singh said he was "fairly satisfied" with the security situation and urged both countries not to take any steps that would jeopardise the situation. He also added that the "sanctity and the stability" of the 25-km demilitarised zone was being "maintained effectively" by the 3,800 UN peacekeepers. On 13 January, he told reporters that the movements did not indicate that Addis Ababa was preparing for a new war with its neighbour, adding that the Ethiopians were merely strengthening their defences in Badme and Zalambesa - two disputed areas where fierce fighting occurred during their two-year border conflict. "I am of the opinion that no large-scale mobilisation on the Ethiopian side is taking place," Singh said. "I am also of the opinion that considering the movement of troops on both sides - it does not seem that they are preparing for any conflict situation." According to UNMEE, the MCC discussions were held in a "cordial and a constructive environment". Both countries expressed their willingness to cooperate fully with UNMEE, the peacekeeping force added. Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a two and a half-year border war between May 1998 and December 2000 in which tens of thousands of people were killed. Although a peace deal was agreed, tensions remain over their still disputed common frontier. Recently, a UN envoy said millions of people had remained in abject poverty as a result of the impact of the border dispute. Lloyd Axworthy said both impoverished nations were missing vital trade and social opportunities that would lift millions out of their dire economic situation.