Buffer zone marks “progress”

In a briefing to the UN Security Council, the Under-Secretary General for Peacekeeping, Jean-Marie Guehenno, said there had been significant progress in the Ethiopia-Eritrea peace process. On 18 April the establishment of the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) had been announced, which marked the formal separation of the forces of Ethiopia and Eritrea. The establishment of the TSZ allowed for the immediate restoration of Eritrean civil administration and the return of displaced persons to the buffer zone. The Security Council was told that both parties had sought adjustments to the Southern Boundary of the TSZ, and Ethiopia was criticised for not communicating “the full nature of its redeployment plans in the Irob area”. Discussions with Ethiopia on redeployment were “ongoing”, Guehenno said. He said that the UN was expected to reach agreement on the clarification of the redeployment lines provided by Ethiopia and “gain a more accurate understanding of the differences between the parties on the ground in specific locations”.

According to the 18 June Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, the establishment of the buffer zone would permit the restoration of Eritrean civilian administration, including police and local militia. Preparations for the return of the displaced population could then start, Guehenno said. He said the return of displaced populations was the most immediate challenge facing Eritrea. Eritrean President Isayas Afewerki had told the UN Special Representative that Eritrea considered the return of the displaced persons prior to the rainy season a top priority. So far, only a few thousand had returned, most to areas of the TSZ which were under Eritrean control during the hostilities, Guehenno told the Security Council.