Eritrea foils UN mission over key territory

Thami Dickson, New York
The UN Security Council has once again strongly condemned Eritrea's shabby treatment of the world body's peacekeepers, which are monitoring that country's disputed border with Ethiopia.

The UN peacekeepers have been forced to leave Eritrea after its government has cut fuel and food supplies to their camps. Government forces are also obstructing their relocation to Ethiopia. The Security Council is warning Eritrea of further steps if it does not co-operate.

The UN has decided to withdraw its peacekeepers from the Eritrean side of the border with neighbouring Ethiopia. Eritrea's actions are aimed at putting pressure on the UN to force Ethiopia to end its occupation of Badme town. Ethiopia refuses to hand over the territory, and thus defying a ruling of an International Boundary Commission, which awarded the key town to Eritrea.

The Security Council says Eritrea is blackmailing the world body. However, the Eritrean government remains defiant and continues to ignore the UN.

There are fears that the absence of a buffer zone between the two countries could spark a new conflict that could plunge them into a deeper crisis. But the UN says it is a temporary relocation, which will be determined by the attitude of the Eritrean government.