ERITREA: PEACEKEEPERS’ FUEL RESERVES GETTING SCARCE

25 February 2005 (United Nations, New York)

The UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) says that the regrouping of UN peacekeepers and equipment in Asmara continued without restrictions today.

To date, seven out of 11 Team Sites in the Temporary Security Zone have been vacated and four of the 21 military observer posts have been closed.

The Mission notes that the pace of this temporary relocation is dependent on fuel reserves, which are running scarce. This may cause the Mission to leave container housing and storage facilities, along with some equipment, at observer posts, team sites and sector headquarters inside the Temporary Security Zone in the care of Eritrean authorities. In some locations, private security contractors are already providing protection for some UN materials.

The Mission expects that by the end of today, some 547 UN peacekeeping troops and 89 military observers will have relocated to Asmara. There are a total of 981 peacekeeping troops and 101 military observers in Eritrea.

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