Horn of Africa: War Clouds Gathering

Horn of Africa: War Clouds Gathering

AfricaFocus (Washington, DC)
November 6, 2005 Posted to the web November 7, 2005
Washington, DC
AfricaFocus Bulletin
The commander of the UN force on the disputed border between Ethiopia and Eritrea, Maj-Gen. Rajender Singh, last week described the situation as "tense and potentially volatile," the strongest language used by UN Mission officials in the five years the force has been in place. When pressed by a journalist to be more explicit, Major Singh stressed that urgent action was needed by the Security Council to avoid the threat of a return to war.
Both governments have used the conflict in attempts to distract attention from internal issues of democracy and human rights. After agreeing to international arbitration, Ethiopia subsequently refused to implement the ruling by an international Boundary Commission in 2002. The current build-up of tension has been sparked by an Eritrean decision to bar UN helicopters from sectors of the border zone. At the same time, adding to the generally tense atmosphere, in an unrelated dispute over the outcome of the May 2005 elections, more than 40 people have been killed by Ethiopian security forces following opposition demonstrations in the capital.
Critics say that major powers have been hesitant to put sufficient pressure on the Ethiopian government, on either internal issues or the border conflict, because of the country's size and strategic importance.
This AfricaFocus Bulletin contains a news release from the United Nations following a Security Council decision to send a high-level envoy to the region, and excerpts from the press conference by the UN Force Commander Singh and the Secretary-General's Special Representative, Ambassador Legwaila Joseph Legwaila.
For detailed updates from UN and other sources, see http://www.reliefweb.int For additional background and analysis on the border conflict, see http://www.africafocus.org/docs04/horn0401.php and http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=2301.