Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
New York (Agenzia Fides) – The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously to withdraw the remaining UN peacekeepers monitoring the ceasefire in the buffer zone between Ethiopia and Eritrea. The two countries were fighting for control of the area in a bloody civil war from 1998-2000, which ended with the Algerian Accords, which stated that the border area would be monitored be UN forces.
The Council’s 15 members have approved the proposal made by Belgium calling for the retreat of the 1,700 “Blue Helmets” of the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) because, as Belgian Ambassador Jan Grauls stated, “had become impossible to implement.”
The mission was forced to leave Eritrea because the government in Asmara refused to collaborate with the Blue Helmets, impeding their access to fuel and the use of night patrol. The mission was also weakened by Ethiopia’s refusal to accept an independent boundary commission's ruling in 2002 to award the key town of Badme to Eritrea. According to the Belgian Ambassador, “The border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea remains total, and the United Nations is withdrawing without having been able to assist the two countries in finding a common ground, in spite of having tried all to achieve it.”
In the resolution #1827 that marks the end of the mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea, the two African nations are asked to “fully respect the Algerian Accords” and to “to show maximum restrain and refrain from any threat or use of force” They are asked to “normalize their relations, promote stability in the region, to lay foundations for a peace that is comprehensive and lasting,” and above all, “to accept the good offices of the Secretary General” of the UN, Ban Ki-moon.
This last part was written to the Security Council before voting on the resolution, mentioning that “a real risk remains for escalation of tensions in the border area and a renewal of hostilities, by accident or design, following the retreat of the UNMEE.” The UN Secretary General has sent a message to the governments in Ethiopia and Eritrea, asking that they “break the current stalemate and create conditions necessary for the normalization of their relations, which is key to peace and stability in the region.” (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 31/7/2008)
