Eritrea Again Obstructs Relocation Of UN Peacekeepers- UN

29 February 2008 (Transcript of UN noon briefing)

The regrouping of UN peacekeepers ahead of a temporary relocation out of Eritrea was again obstructed by Eritrean soldiers today in Senafe.

The latest obstruction has left 102 peacekeepers stranded inside the Temporary Security Zone and 21 vehicles sent to collect them unable to do so. Another 13 peacekeepers and eight UN vehicles were earlier today also stopped by Eritrean soldiers at the same checkpoint in Senafe.

Azouz Ennifar, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Ethiopia and Eritrea, was assured in a telephone conversation with Eritrean officials today, that there were no explicit instructions from the Eritrean Government to prevent UN peacekeepers from relocating.

Despite the obstructions, the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) says that only two UN camps remain to be vacated, with UN military headquarters near the town of Barentu now expected to be vacated by this Sunday.

Meanwhile, all military observers have now been accounted for, with 104 relocated to Asmara and another 11 awaiting further instructions in the port town of Assab.

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