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Over 3,000 UN Peace-keepers Deployed on Ethio-Eritrean Border
The United Nations Missions in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) said Thursday, January 11, that it has deployed 3,279 peacekeeping troops along the Ethio-Eritrean border region.
This represents more than three quarters of its expected total strength, said the UNMEE in a press release.
By January 10, 71 countries have contributed 3,433 military and 125 civilian personnel to the UNMEE, set up by the U.N. Security Council in September 15, 2000, the document said.
The peacekeeping soldiers began arriving in the border region last December from, among others, Bangladesh, Canada, Denmark, India, Italy, Jordan, the Netherlands and Slovakia.
In the west region of the mission area, a regional UNMEE headquarters is being set up in Barentu, located at about 150 kilometers west of Asmara, the capital of Eritrea.
In the eastern region, a sector headquarters is also being established in Assab, a port city at the southeastern most of Eritrea.
In addition to peacekeeping contingents, there are 154 military observers from 30 countries involving in the mission, most of whom are positioned in 15 observing sites.
A small number of the military observers are based in the capitals of Ethiopia and Eritrea, doing coordination and logistics work, according to the news release.
An additional 60 military observers are expected to arrive at the end of the month, UNMEE sources said.
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