Displaced need to return to buffer zone

Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Jean-Marie Guehenno said a committee had been established to provide humanitarian assistance to returning civilians in the newly established buffer zone on the disputed Ethiopian-Eritrean border. He said a Steering Committee for Humanitarian Assistance in the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) had been established in March with the participation of the Eritrean Authorities and the UN Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator and the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE).

A rapid village assessment had been conducted in the first week of April in the area of Gash Barka, where many returnees were expected. The assessment team noted the importance of getting the returnees back to their homes and farms in time for the annual planting season, Guehenno said. Projects aimed at providing basic services, particularly water, shelter, food, health and education should be implemented as soon as possible, as well as mine clearing, the report said. A similar assessment is expected to be carried out this week in the Debub region.

Guehenno warned that while there was an available budget for urgent, quick-impact projects, “the humanitarian challenges linked to the establishment of the Temporary Security Zone are enormous”. The international community was urged to contribute generously to the UN Country Team Appeals of the two countries.