Eritrea Soldiers Go Into Djibouti

22 April 2008, Addis Ababa(AFP) - Eritrean soldiers have crossed the border into Djibouti and begun building defences, Djiboutian officials said.

"Eritrean soldiers made an incursion into Djibouti territory two or three days ago in the Ras Doumeira area," an official who did not want to be identified said in a telephone interview.

"The situation is not clear," he said, adding, "Top level negotiations are under way to resolve the problem."

Another source said, "There are Eritreans in Doumeira and work is being done."

The source said trenches had been dug on both sides of the border, with the Eritreans infringing several hundred metres (yards) on to Djiboutian territory."

However the official said the Eritreans digging the trenches seemed to be civilian labourers and not troops.

"This region is very isolated and it was a week before Djibouti authorities realised what was going on."

A military source said French forces based in Djibouti had carried out a reconnaissance on Thursday at the government’s request but had not been able to confirm an incursion.

Djibouti and Eritrea have clashed twice in the past over the border area situated at the southern end of Red Sea. In April 1996 they almost went to war after a Djibouti official accused Asmara of shelling the town of Ras Doumeira.

In 1999 Eritrea accused Djibouti of siding with Asmara’s arch-foe Ethiopia while Djibouti alleged its neighbour was supporting Djiboutian rebels and had designs on the Ras Doumeira region, which Eritrea denied.

Reportedly, “The Qatari prime minister is mediating to resolve the crisis between Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea and Isamail Guelleh of Djibouti. Both have agreed to meet in an Arabian Gulf state to talk about the crisis.”