"The Security Council calls upon the parties to refrain from using force and to settle their disagreements by peaceful means, to normalize their relations, to promote stability between them and to lay the foundation for sustainable peace in the region," the statement added.

The continuing tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea, the failure to resolve their longstanding boundary dispute and the military build-up along their common border were cited as causes for serious concern by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a recent report.

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Security Council

Distr.: General 1 November 2007 / Original: English

Report of the Secretary-General on Ethiopia and Eritrea

I. Introduction

1. The present report is submitted pursuant to paragraph 12 of Security Council resolution 1320 (2000) of 15 September 2000, and provides an update on developments in the Mission area since my previous report, dated 18 July 2007 (S/2007/440). The report also describes the activities of the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE).

II. Situation in the Temporary Security Zone and adjacent areas

2. The military situation in the Temporary Security Zone and adjacent areas remained tense during the reporting period. Eritrea has maintained troops and heavy military equipment, including tanks in the Zone since October 2006. The Ethiopian troops and heavy equipment that were deployed in areas adjacent to the Zone at that time have remained in position. During the reporting period, Eritrea inducted additional military personnel and equipment into the Zone and both countries conducted rotations, training and troop regroupment of their forces in the border area.
3. The Eritrean Defence Forces personnel have continued the construction of new defences inside the Temporary Security Zone, including in close proximity to Badme. In this connection, UNMEE observed a number of new camps of Eritrean Defence Forces erected in Sector West and Sector Centre. The Eritrean Defence Forces also conducted troop rotations in Sector Centre and Subsector East, as well as a gradual replacement of the militia manning posts in the Zone by regular military personnel.
4. Since early September, a large number of Eritrean Defence Forces, heavy military equipment and ammunition have been deployed to the Temporary Security Zone and the areas adjacent to it. According to UNMEE estimates, during September and October, Eritrea moved an estimated 1,000 additional troops, 10 heavy machine guns and five truckloads of small arms ammunition into the Zone in Sector Centre, bringing the total number of troops inducted into that sector since December 2006 to more than 2,580 military personnel. On 16 October, UNMEE confirmed the presence of three Eritrean artillery pieces inside the Zone near Tsorena in Sector Centre. As regards Subsector East, the strength of Eritrean Defence Forces inducted into the Zone in that area is now approximately 600 military personnel. In Sector West, Eritrea inducted approximately 2,025 military personnel into the Zone in October this year, in addition to some 2,000 troops, tanks and artillery, which had been inducted into that Sector in October 2006. Continued Eritrean restrictions have not made it possible for the Mission to monitor all Eritrean troop movements and deployments in the Zone. As underlined in my earlier reports to the Council, the continued presence and deployment of Eritrean Defence Forces and heavy military equipment inside the Zone constitute direct violations of the Algiers Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities of 18 June 2000.
5. During the reporting period, the Ethiopian Armed Forces conducted training and reinforced defences, including in areas around Badme, and carried out live firing exercises, involving personal and automatic weapons in Sector Centre and Sector West. The Ethiopian Armed Forces have continued to deploy a strategic reserve force in Sector West. UNMEE observed that Ethiopian forces redeployed some 14 armoured personnel carriers and 18 medium artillery guns in the locations of the three mechanized divisions in Sectors Centre and West, approximately 20 to 30 km south of the areas adjacent to the Temporary Security Zone. A further 39 armoured personnel carriers were observed moving to the mechanized formations deployed in Sector West. In addition, from 1 to 10 October, UNMEE observed the Ethiopian Armed Forces deploying a total of 22 T-55 tanks and one armoured recovery vehicle in adjacent areas in Sector Center approximately 10 km from the Zone. The Ethiopian Armed Forces stated to UNMEE that the deployment had been undertaken in response to the presence of 30 tanks that the Eritrean Defence Forces had located some 15 km from the border of the Zone. UNMEE could not independently verify that allegation because of existing Eritrean restrictions. In the meantime, Ethiopian Armed Forces tanks and artillery guns observed in the area of Bure in Subsector East earlier this year had been pulled back south of the adjacent area.
6. Although the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea have repeatedly stated that they do not intend to initiate hostilities, the build-up of the forces on both sides of the border area is a cause of serious concern. In this connection, on 15 September, Ethiopian authorities alleged that an Eritrean sniper fired at Ethiopian troops in the area of Zela Ambessa, in Sector Centre, and wounded an Ethiopian soldier. Eritrean commanders denied knowledge of the incident. Another shooting incident between Eritrean and Ethiopian forces allegedly took place in the same area on 8 October.
7. During the reporting period, UNMEE continued to assist the parties with investigations into cross-border incidents, including reports of cattle rustling. The Mission also facilitated the repatriation of Ethiopian and Eritrean civilians who inadvertently had crossed the border.

III. Restrictions on freedom of movement

8. During the reporting period, Eritrea continued to maintain all restrictions that it had imposed on UNMEE. The ban on United Nations helicopter flights in its airspace and the exclusion from service, in Eritrea, of international personnel of certain nationalities remain in force. Eritrea also maintained the 45 permanent (longer than six months) restrictions on the Mission’s freedom of movement, including night patrols, and continued to restrict its patrols to the main supply routes within the Temporary Security Zone in all Sectors. In addition, Eritrea maintained the closure of the strategic bridges between Om Hajer in Eritrea and Humera in Ethiopia, and between Shilalo in Eritrea and Shiraro in Ethiopia, both in Sector West. On 26 September 2007, Eritrea imposed new restrictions on the Mission’s demining operations in Sector Centre. From the first week of June, Eritrea had introduced new restrictions in Subsector East, preventing Mission patrols from monitoring areas away from the main road.
9. On 11 August, Eritrean police detained a military observer patrol in Sector Centre for entering the town of Tsorena after 1800 hrs. On 29 August, during their compensatory time off in Asmara, two military observers were detained by the Eritrean authorities for more than two days for visiting an area where prior Eritrean clearance is required. They were later released following a formal protest lodged by UNMEE. Six weeks after the incident, the Eritrean authorities demanded that both military observers leave the country. The military observers subsequently left the country on 12 October 2007.
10. While the restrictions imposed by Eritrea on UNMEE operations seriously undermine the ability of the Mission to effectively monitor the Temporary Security Zone and the adjacent areas, particularly in Sector West, the Mission’s static checkpoints continue to monitor, to the extent possible, the movements of Eritrean troops and heavy equipment into and out of the Zone, particularly in Sector Centre and Subsector East, where the difficult terrain bars major military movements away from the main roads.
11. For its part, Ethiopia has lifted all restrictions it had previously imposed on the Mission.

IV. Military Coordination Commission

12. The Mission has not been able to convene any further meetings of the Military Coordination Commission since the 37th meeting, held on 31 July 2006. Ethiopia has indicated to the Mission that it would resume its participation in the Commission only after Eritrea restores the integrity of the Temporary Security Zone. At the same time, Eritrea has stated to UNMEE that if Ethiopia conveys a positive response, Eritrea would attend the meetings of the Commission. The Mission is still awaiting an official response from both countries to invitation letters to a meeting of the Military Coordination Commission sent to them by the Mission on 21 June 2007. The Mission has repeatedly urged the Ethiopian authorities to resume their participation in meetings of the Commission.

V. Implementation of Security Council resolution 1767 (2007)

13. Further to the letter dated 8 June 2007 from the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia addressed to the President of the Security Council (see S/2007/350), reiterating that Ethiopia had accepted the 2002 delimitation decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission without preconditions, Ethiopia continued to assert that the security conditions for demarcating the border do not exist. In this connection, Ethiopia has maintained that the persistent violation of the Temporary Security Zone by Eritrea has rendered the Zone virtually non-existent and that the restrictions imposed by Eritrea on the Mission have seriously reduced the Mission’s capability to monitor the Zone, as provided for in the Algiers Agreements.
14. On 22 September, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia sent a letter to his Eritrean counterpart stating that Eritrea had committed a material breach of the Algiers Agreements by introducing troops and heavy military equipment into the Temporary Security Zone since October 2006. The letter further stated that, unless Eritrea returns to compliance with the Agreements, the breach could force Ethiopia to consider resorting to “legal and peaceful options” under international law, including terminating or suspending its participation in the Agreements. It further reiterated Ethiopia’s rejection of the planned boundary demarcation by the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission using map coordinates.
15. On 27 September, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Eritrea addressed a letter to the President of the Security Council, the Witnesses of the Algiers Agreements, the European Union and myself, in response to the Ethiopian letter of 22 September. The Minister stressed in the letter that the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission was the “sole legal forum” for resolving the demarcation issue. The letter further indicated that Ethiopia “has refused to cooperate with the Boundary Commission’s lawful orders almost since the day that the Award was first announced in April 2002” and had committed “repeated violations of the Algiers Agreement”. The Minister also urged the Security Council to enforce the decision of the Commission.
16. As part of my continued efforts to engage the two parties in the peace process, I dispatched the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs on a mission to Eritrea and Ethiopia from 27 to 29 August, during which he held consultations with the President of Eritrea and the Prime Minister of Ethiopia on matters pertaining to the peace process, as well as on regional issues. I was encouraged by the constructive talks the Under-Secretary-General held with the two leaders, as well as the willingness of the two parties to overcome the current impasse in their relations.
17. On 2 October, I held separate meetings with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Eritrea and Ethiopia. The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Eritrea reiterated the position of his Government that Eritrea was prepared to meet all the requirements of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission, including some easing of restrictions imposed on UNMEE and the withdrawal of troops from the Temporary Security Zone, insofar as their presence impinged on operations of the Boundary Commission. The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Eritrea also rejected any possibility of dialogue on normalization before the demarcation of the border and indicated that any discussions with Ethiopia at this stage could be only on how to put border pillars on the ground. The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia confirmed the desire of his Government to move the demarcation process forward, but indicated that it would be impossible as long as Eritrean troops remained deployed in the Zone, adding that dialogue on the many practical issues related to boundary demarcation remained necessary.

VI. Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission

18. Representatives of Eritrea and Ethiopia participated in the meeting convened by the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission at The Hague on 6 and 7 September. However, no progress was made towards the implementation of the 2002 delimitation decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission. A detailed account of the work of the Commission is contained in annex II to the present report.

VII. Administration and support

19. The provision of administrative and logistical support to UNMEE in Eritrea has been hampered by the continued restrictions imposed by the Eritrean authorities, particularly the ban on helicopter flights, the exclusion from service in Eritrea of United Nations personnel of certain nationalities, restrictions on the supply of diesel fuel, and other restrictions. These restrictions continued to pose major operational difficulties to the Mission.

VIII. Mine action

20. Landmines and unexploded ordnance continued to pose a major threat to people who live and work inside the Temporary Security Zone and the adjacent areas. During the reporting period, UNMEE continued to carry out humanitarian demining operations. Some 181,255 m² and 168 km of road were cleared, and 1,019 km of road were verified during the reporting period. The Mission also carried out the disposal of unexploded ordnance, during which it destroyed 43 anti-tank mines, four anti-personnel mines and 546 pieces of ordnance. The Mission continued to conduct mine-risk education for the local population and newly arrived Mission personnel. Investigations were conducted into six mine incidents involving local civilians in Sector West and Sector Centre, in which nine persons died and six were injured. The demining operations were hindered, however, by new restrictions imposed by Eritrea, as described in paragraph 10 above.

    IX. Human rights

21. Consistent with the mandate of UNMEE to coordinate its activities in the Temporary Security Zone and areas adjacent to it with humanitarian and human rights activities of the United Nations and other organizations in those areas, the Mission continued to monitor the human rights situation in the Temporary Security Zone and areas adjacent to it. On 27 July, under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Mission monitored the repatriation of 576 Ethiopian nationals from Eritrea, and 20 Eritrean nationals from Ethiopia.
22. On 31 July, UNMEE conducted a field visit to Shimelba refugee camp in Ethiopia to monitor the situation of Eritrean refugees. The camp administration informed the Mission that about 350 to 400 Eritrean asylum-seekers had reported to the camp every month in the recent past. Camp officials reported that the nutritional conditions of the refugees had improved following the efforts by the World Food Programme to raise resources in order to ensure recognized food ration standards for the camp refugees.

X. Public information

23. UNMEE continued to work actively to meet strong local demand for information, including through the issuance of the Mission’s bimonthly magazine, UNMEE News, its weekly radio magazine programme and video products. All of the information products are printed and broadcast in the local languages and in English. They are also available on the Mission website, and from outreach centres located in Addis Ababa, Mekele and Adigrat, in Ethiopia. The UNMEE outreach centres in Eritrea have remained closed since 2003.

XI. Humanitarian situation

24. In Eritrea, following the return and resettlement of 20,000 internally displaced persons in the Gash Barka region, in western Eritrea, in May and June, with the support of the United Nations and its partners, all internally displaced persons camps in the region have since been closed. However, both the resettled internally displaced persons and the 12,000 others remaining in camps in the Debub region, in southern Eritrea, still require humanitarian assistance, particularly basic needs. Since the resettlement programme is ongoing, the remaining camps will close when its residents have all been resettled.
25. The Government of Eritrea informed the United Nations, soon after a consultative process on food security for the Horn of Africa held in Nairobi in June 2007, that it was in the process of preparing its food security road map. Meanwhile, the rainy season started, and generally remained above average. As a result, overall official projections for the current agricultural season are favourable.
26. As part of flood preparedness and early response, the Ethiopian Government and its humanitarian partners launched, on 13 August 2007, a joint flood contingency plan seeking $21 million to address relief and recovery needs of an estimated 324,000 beneficiaries under the most likely scenario. In addition, the Humanitarian Response Fund pledged $2 million for flood preparedness. Due to a lack of potable water and poor sanitation services, acute watery diarrhoea continued in a number of regions in Ethiopia. To address the problem, the Central Emergency Response Fund has granted Ethiopia $3 million to support water, sanitation and health-related projects.

XII. Conduct and discipline

27. Since my previous report, UNMEE has reported three cases of misconduct, of which two cases are under investigation. The third case, relating to an UNMEE staff officer who was forced by local authorities to leave Eritrea on grounds of misconduct, is nearing completion. UNMEE also continued to train its staff; more than 1,500 Mission personnel were trained in conduct-related matters, including sexual exploitation and abuse, during the reporting period.
28. UNMEE conducted a survey of recreation facilities in the Mission area to prepare a recreation and welfare strategy for Mission personnel. It also launched initiatives such as exit interviews and a helpline to provide advice on discipline. Exit interviews enable outgoing staff to provide suggestions for improving systems and mechanisms and identifying flaws. The helpline allows staff to obtain advice from the conduct and discipline unit. Furthermore, a radio programme broadcast in four languages has been introduced to inform the local communities about the zero tolerance policy of the United Nations and a complaint mechanism.

XIII. HIV/AIDS activities

29. During the period under review, the UNMEE HIV/AIDS Unit continued to conduct induction training to incoming military and civilian personnel, and awareness training for members of military contingents. It also provided voluntary counselling and testing. The unit increased outreach to the local population in collaboration with the UNMEE Public Information Office, the Human Rights Office and the level-1 hospital.

XIV. Observations

30. The meeting of the two parties with the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission, held on 6 and 7 September at The Hague, failed to resolve the impasse between the two countries on the demarcation of the boundary. The continued stalemate on this issue, the tension between the two parties and the military build-up along the border area are matters of serious concern.
31. There is no other option but for the two parties to find common ground that would allow the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission to proceed with the demarcation of the border. The United Nations remains firmly committed to the full and unconditional implementation of the final and binding delimitation decision, which the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission announced on 13 April 2002. I urge the parties to extend full cooperation to the Commission, without further delay, with a view to proceeding to the boundary demarcation on the basis of the Commission’s 2002 delimitation decision. In this regard, I urge Eritrea and Ethiopia to cooperate with and facilitate the work of the Commission before the November 2007 time frame set by the Commission. On my part, I will continue to engage both parties to find a mutually acceptable way to implement the final and binding 2002 delimitation ruling of the Commission.
32. I also urge Eritrea and Ethiopia to comply fully with the Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities and the Peace Agreement, which both parties signed in Algiers on 18 June and 12 December 2000, respectively. The two Agreements remain the only basis for the peaceful resolution of the border conflict and the establishment of a lasting peace between the two countries.
33. It is also essential to preserve the integrity of the Temporary Security Zone. I therefore call on Eritrea to withdraw its forces and military equipment from the Zone and to lift its restrictions on UNMEE. The continued military build-up in the border area is a cause of serious concern, which has already resulted in shooting incidents that underscore the risk of further miscalculation. I call upon both parties to exercise the utmost restraint, and to pull back their forces and reduce military activities in the border area. I also urge the parties to reactivate the Military Coordination Commission, which provides a unique framework for dialogue between military representatives of the two parties to peacefully address issues of border security.
34. Ultimately, Ethiopia and Eritrea bear the primary responsibility for overcoming their differences and moving the peace process forward. I deeply appreciate the efforts undertaken by some Member States in seeking to bridge the divide between the two parties. Such efforts, however, can bear fruit only if both parties display the political will and flexibility necessary to reach a solution to their dispute.
35. In conclusion, I wish to express my gratitude to all civilian and military personnel of the Mission for their continued commitment, hard work and perseverance in an increasingly difficult and stressful working environment. I pay tribute to all the partners of the Mission, the African Union, the Witnesses to the Algiers Agreements and the Friends of UNMEE, as well as the United Nations country team, humanitarian agencies and other international organizations, and Member States, for the support they continue to lend to the peace process. I also pay special tribute to the troop-contributing countries for their sustained support to this important peacekeeping operation.
    
    

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