UN force commander meets US Horn counterpart

The force commander of the UN peacekeeping mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) has held talks with the head of the US anti-terror taskforce based in Djibouti.

The two-day talks, which took place last week, focused on security in the Horn of Africa and how to ensure long-term stability in the war-ravaged region.

UNMEE's Major General Robert Gordon met Major General John F. Sattler aboard the USS Mount Whitney in the Gulf of Aden – the headquarters of the Horn of Africa taskforce.

A statement released by the US after the talks, which ended on Thursday, said that while both sides had “distinctly different missions”, they discussed “topics of mutual interest”.

It said the meeting addressed “security issues in the Horn of Africa region, force protection and methods for establishing conditions leading to long-term stability in the region".

Maj-Gen Sattler heads a 1,700 strong US force, including special forces troops who aim to “detect, disrupt and defeat” terrorist groups operating in the Horn of Africa region.

His British military counterpart heads the 4,200 UN peacekeepers, taking command as crucial demarcation of the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea gets underway.

The talks took place after military leaders from Ethiopia and Eritrea met in Djibouti - part of a series of Military Coordination Commission (MCC) meetings held under the auspices of the UN.