Ethiopia-Eritrea row worries UN
2005-09-14 19:02
New York - The United Nations security council voted on Tuesday to keep a peacekeeping mission on the Ethiopian-Eritrean border for another six months until March 15, and called on Ethiopia to drop its rejection of an international ruling on their boundary.
The council expressed concern the two sides have increased the size of forces along the 1 000km border and appealed to them not to do anything that might add to tensions.
The East African neighbours fought a war that ended with a cease-fire in 2000.
A security council resolution called on Ethiopia to "accept fully the decision" of a commission in charge of demarcating the border between the two countries.
Ethiopia has refused to accept a ruling that awarded the town of Badme to Eritrea. The dispute over control of the town was the root of the war that left some 70 000 people dead.
The council resolution also warned of food shortages in Ethiopia and Eritrea and their "potential to create greater instability". It appealed to foreign donors to provide "generous support".
Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in a 1993 referendum after a 30-year guerrilla war.
- AP