Eritrea calls for “compliance” in buffer zone

The Eritrean government has urged the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) to make Ethiopia withdraw troops immediately from the newly established buffer zone on the disputed border. A statement issued by the Eritrean Commission for Coordination said that the continued presence of Ethiopian troops in the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) violated the peace agreement signed in Algiers between the two parties in December 2000. The Commission said Ethiopia had also refused to hand over a map on land mines planted over a large area of pasture and agricultural land. Ethiopia “continues to refuse even token compliance with its treaty obligation to supply UNMEE with minefields information” necessary for the safe return of displaced populations, the Eritrean government said in a statement on 20 April. Eritrea said it was concerned that internally displaced populations should be allowed to return to their villages and homes in time to prepare their farms for the coming rains. Eritrea said it had “fully complied with all its obligations” under the peace agreement by withdrawing its troops from the buffer zone.