Government accuses Ethiopia of fresh attack

The Eritrean government has lodged a “strong protest” against an attack by Ethiopian forces on a police and militia post in the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ), according to a press statement issued by the Eritrean Commission for Coordination with The United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), on Monday. The statement said the attack took place on Sunday at the 64-km mark along the Assab to Bure (12.36N 42.16E) road, well inside the TSZ. A written protest was sent to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Ambassador Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, by Commissioner Andeberhan Woldegiorgis. The letter said Ethiopian troops, using light machine guns, attacked the police station from “elevation point 611 (grid reference 965042)” at 0530 hours [local time] from a range of 300-400 metres. The Ethiopians killed one member of the local militia, the statement said. It said the attack had been “verified by UNMEE’s Eastern Sector Command and Military Liason Office”.

The attack was “a provocative act of aggression”, which “constitutes a grave violation of the Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities” the letter said, and it called on the international community to take appropriate steps to ensure that Ethiopia respected its commitment under the Agreement.