Ethiopia keeps UN away from border

About 70,000 lives were lost in the border war

By Nita Bhalla BBC Ethiopia Correspondent

The Ethiopian Government has closed its borders to all UN peacekeepers deployed in the region to oversee a cease-fire between Ethiopia and its neighbour, Eritrea.

According to sources, a statement from Ethiopia's Ministry of Defence to the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) on Friday, said Addis Ababa had decided to close its borders to all UNMEE aircraft, vehicles and personnel, starting from 0800 hours on Saturday.

There is currently a 4,200-strong UN peacekeeping force deployed in a 25km buffer zone, called the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ), separating the two countries along their disputed border.

The UN force polices the peace agreement

The UN peacekeepers, consisting mainly of Indian, Jordanian and Kenyan battalions - are patrolling the 1000km border.

Ethiopia's decision to close its borders to the UN peacekeeping mission comes at a time when political tensions are rising between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

A propaganda war has broken out between the two neighbours over an international tribunal decision on the disputed border.

The ruling was delivered in The Hague earlier this month, but it was obscure enough to leave both countries claiming victory.

Disputed town

At the heart of the controversy is the small town of Badme - the ownership of which sparked off one of the bloodiest wars of recent times.

Each side claims to have won control of this key border town.

Sources in Addis Ababa say the reason for the border closure is linked to the issue of UNMEE transporting international journalists from the Eritrean capital, Asmara, to Badme, which is currently under Ethiopian administration.

Both sides claimed the new border as a victory

Officials in Addis Ababa have complained that it was "not correct" to transport non-UN personnel from Eritrea into Ethiopian-administered areas.

"The fact that UNMEE took journalists to Badme from Asmara insinuates that Badme is in Eritrea and this is simply not the case," said one Ethiopian official.

"UNMEE has no right to take anyone from Eritrea into Ethiopian controlled areas without our permission," the official added.

Diplomatic sources, however, say that prior permission to take journalists to Badme was sought and not denied by the Ethiopians.

Flexing muscles

The Ethiopian Ministry of Defence has informed the UN mission that the decision to impose border restrictions has been taken by the Ethiopian authorities at the "highest political level".

The town of Badme is at the centre of the dispute

However, the Ministry of Defence and other Ethiopian officials, as well as UNMEE, have so far refused to comment on the measure.

The UN mission has been in place since November 2000.

It is mandated by the UN Security Council to oversee a cease-fire agreement signed in July 2000, which ended a bloody two-and-half-year conflict in which tens of thousands lost their lives.

Political analysts in Addis Ababa on Saturday speculated that the border closure was a short-lived political exercise, saying the Ethiopians were flexing their muscles to teach UNMEE a lesson.

Mission hampered

But any restriction of movement will seriously hamper the peacekeepers' efforts to oversee the cease-fire and maintain the peace process.

Hundreds of thousands were displaced in the war

Up to 1,500 UN peacekeepers are likely to be affected, with no flights, vehicles or personnel crossing the Ethiopian border from Eritrea.

The main UNMEE Headquarters is based in Asmara and all food, water, fuel and medical supplies to the peacekeepers stationed in Ethiopian-administered areas are dispatched from Eritrea.

Furthermore, should serious medical attention be required for injured peacekeepers, evacuation has to be made to Asmara, where the UN mission has a hospital.

There is no indication as to when the measure might be lifted.