UN to reduce peacekeeping troops in Eritrea, Ethiopia

EritreaDaily News, Oct 02, 2004: The United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) announced on Friday [1 October] that it would soon reduce its 3,600 - strong peacekeeping force.

UNMEE's spokesperson, Gail Bindley-Taylor Sainte, told AFP that the reduction was made due to the departure of 500 Kenyan soldiers. The exact date of the departure is not yet known, she added.

The UN Security Council extended on 14 September UNMEE's mandate until March next year, which according to her called for a reduction in its size with a view to reducing its annual budget of about 200m US dollar.

UNMEE was deployed in the wake of the 1998-2000-border war. Its troops are mostly stationed in a buffer corridor that hugs the length of the 1,000 km frontier.

Source: http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/unmee/PressBrief300904.pdf