Global Policy Forum

By Nita Bhalla

Ethiopia has reacted strongly to United Nations assertions that the security of peacekeepers stationed in the region has been seriously threatened by Ethiopian villagers and militia.

The Ethiopian ministry of information issued a statement accusing the UN peacekeeping mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (Unmee) of putting out one-sided and distorted information. Officials were angry about reports earlier this month that UN troops overseeing the ceasefire that ended a 30-month territorial war were threatened by armed villagers and militia along the disputed border with Eritrea.

The UN said its peacekeepers working in Aromo were surrounded and threatened by 50 to 60 armed villagers and some 10 militiamen. In their statement on Saturday, Ethiopian officials said: "The Unmee office has distortedly revealed to the media what should have been initially dealt with between the pertinent Ethiopian authorities and Unmee."

Last week, Unmee revealed that a letter of protest had been delivered to the Ethiopian Government over security threats made to their peacekeepers in the Aromo area on 4 October. The organisation said armed Ethiopian villagers and militiamen entered the buffer zone - which separates the Ethiopia and Eritrea armies - and tried to enter Eritrean territory.

Unmee said the Ethiopians were carrying sticks, axes, and daggers and were trying to reach Eritrean villages. It added that when the UN's Indian peacekeepers stationed in Aromo tried to intervene to prevent a violation of the peace agreement and to stop clashes, there was a serious confrontation.

UN 'concerned'

Unmee said militiamen carrying AK47s fired two rounds in the air and, together with the villagers, surrounded the six peacekeepers. The UN expressed concern, claiming that the incident was "a serious threat" to the peacekeepers and to the peace process between Ethiopia and Eritrea, still emerging from their bloody conflict.

But Ethiopia has now said that it had repeatedly notified Unmee that Eritrean militia had rustled cattle and abducted Ethiopian citizens on several occasions. Addis Ababa said that it had long suspected that such actions might lead to a problem in Aromo.

"It was after Unmee and the Ethiopian Government had agreed to settle the incident diplomatically that Unmee staff leaked the matter to the media in a manner that is selective, to say the least," the ministry of information statement said.

"Unmee staff did not make known Ethiopia's long-held concerns which were there even before the incident. "Unmee publicised the incident selectively and in an exaggerated fashion. Not only is this wrong, but also least expected from it whose mission should be peace and nothing else," the statement added.

Ongoing problems

The ongoing peace process been Ethiopia and Eritrea has been dogged by what Unmee call "hiccups". In April, Ethiopia closed its borders to UN peacekeepers for 10 days and demanded the removal of the head of military wing of mission, Major-General Patrick Cammaert, accusing him of "political bias" in favour of Eritrea. Unmee has repeatedly denied that assertion.

Since then, Addis Ababa has also imposed airport restrictions on all Unmee staff who come to Ethiopia by demanding that they show their passports, are subjected to luggage checks and use the international terminal instead of the domestic terminal at the airport.

The UN says Ethiopia is violating some parts of the State of Forces Agreement signed between Ethiopia and Unmee, which allows for freedom of movement and no restrictions for all Unmee personnel.

The 4,200 strong UN peacekeeping force has been stationed in the region since September 2000, to ensure that a ceasefire agreement signed between Ethiopia and Eritrea is respected.

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