Tension in Ethiopia-Eritrea Border Rising Sharply Says UN

By A Staff ReporterThe disputed border between Ethiopia and Eritrea "remains tense" and troop movements have been seen on both sides, the U.N. mission in the two countries said on Thursday.The U.N. Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) carried out 746 ground patrols in the past week in the border's demilitarized Temporary Security Zone (TSZ), it said. "The military situation in the TSZ and adjacent areas remains tense. Routine troop movements have been noticed on both the Ethiopian and Eritrean sides," it said in a report.UNMEE said Eritrea's ban on U.N. helicopter flights remained in place, and that restrictions continued on its patrols in central and western parts of the TSZ, where movement in some areas and at night had been curtailed.Ethiopia and Eritrea had agreed to abide by an independent commission ruling on their border row, but Addis Ababa called for further "dialogue" in 2002 after the flashpoint town of Badme was given to Eritrea.Diplomats say Eritrea's helicopter ban in October, and the subsequent expulsion of U.N. personnel from the United States, Canada and Europe stemmed from frustration that the border demarcation had not been enforced.On Thursday, Ethiopian Premier Meles Zenawi accused Eritrea of "warmongering" and said Ethiopia had to bolster its defenses against a possible attack by its northern neighbor.