Religious leaders to be helped by UN mission

Religious leaders from Ethiopia and Eritrea will be meeting community leaders and affected civilians in some of the towns near the disputed border from 19 to 21 May. The deputy spokeswoman for the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), Angela Walker, told IRIN that UNMEE would be assisting the meeting of church leaders by providing security and logistical support. She said about 50 people would be participating in the planned mission, which would start in Adigrat, Ethiopia, and move to Adi Keyih in Eritrea, Zela Ambesa (14.31N 39.23E) on the disputed border, and finish in Senafe, Eritrea. “We consider it a positive sign and a confidence building measure. It is a positive step in the peace-building process,” she said.

Religious leaders from both countries decided on the peace mission after meeting in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. “The healing process has to start now, the hostility and hatred that the war brought has to stop. We have to look into the future - a peaceful future,” the Reverend Zerit Yohanes, the secretary of the Eritrean delegation, was quoted as saying.