Breaking news: Eritrean, Djiboutian troops exchange fire at border

[General Duke]

Eritrean, Djiboutian troops exchange fire at border

3 hours ago

 

DJIBOUTI (AFP) — Djiboutian and Eritrean troops exchanged fire Tuesday for the first time since a tense stand-off started at their border two months ago, the Djiboutian military said in a statement.

 

The clashes took place in the Ras Doumeira area at Djibouti's northern border, where Eritrean troops carried out an incursion on April 16 that sparked military tension between the two neighbours.

 

"During the pursuit of an Eritrean deserter who tried to rally the Djiboutian armed forces, the Eritrean military opened fire on our units at around 12:30 am (0930 GMT)," the Djioutian army said in a statement.

 

"The Djiboutian armed forces retaliated with their weapons," it added.

 

The army explained that Eritrean military officials posted on Mount Gabla then issued an ultimatum for Djibouti to turn in all 30 Eritrean deserters on its soil or face armed action.

 

"At 6:40 pm (1540 GMT), under the cover of darkness and prayer time, Eritrean troops opened fire on our soldiers," the statement went on.

 

"In the face of this attack, our military struck back... As this statement is published, the fighting continues."

 

The clash was the first since tension between the two neighbours escalated two months ago and raised fears of an all-out military confrontation that would plunge the already restive region into further chaos.

 

Djibouti and Eritrea had already clashed twice over the border area at the southern end of the Red Sea.

 

In April 1996 they almost went to war after a Djibouti official accused Eritrea of shelling the town of Ras Doumeira.

 

In 1999, Eritrea accused Djibouti of siding with Asmara's arch-foe Ethiopia, while Djibouti accused its neighbour of supporting Djiboutian rebels and having designs on the Ras Doumeira region. Eritrea has denied this.

 

Djibouti has accused Eritrean forces of digging trenches on both sides of the border on April 16, infringing several hundred metres (yards) on to Djiboutian territory, an accusation Asmara has vehemently denied.

 

On May 19, Eritrean President Issaias Afeworki described talk of a military standoff as "a wild invention."

 

"We are not willing to accept an invitation to get involved in a new problem or regional crisis," he said in a statement.

 

The tiny Red Sea state of Djibouti also has borders with Ethiopia and Somalia, where regional power struggles have played out for years.

 

Somali political rivals on Monday reached an agreement -- which includes a three-month truce to begin within a month -- during UN-sponsored talks in Djibouti.

 

According to international rights organisations, thousands of young Eritreans attempt to leave their country every year. Ethiopia recently reported that 1,300 Eritrean had defected and crossed the border

[General Duke]

Dowlada Eritrea Oo Weerar Ku Qaaday Dalka Jabuuti Xili Uu Dhamaaday Shir Uga Socday Xubnaha DKGS Iyo Isbahaysiga

War Deg Deg Ah::

Wararka naga soo gaaraya Dalka Jabuuti ayaa sheegaya in goordhaweyd ay Ciidamada Dalka Eritrea ay weerar ku qaadeen Dalka Jabuuti iyadoona haatan uu xuduuda labada dal ka socdo dagaal aad u kharaar,

 

Warmurtiyeed ka soo baxay wasaarada gaashaandhiga Jamhuuriyada Jabuuti ayaa sheegay in iska caawiyeen Ciidamada Dalka Eritrea oo weerar gardaraa ku soo qaaday Caawa saldhigyada Dowlada Jabuuti ay ku leedahay Xadka ay la wadaagto Dalka Eritrea,

 

Dagaalkaan ayaa waxaa uu yimaaday Sida la sheegay ka gadaal markii ay 30- askar oo ka tirsan Ciidamada Dalka Eritrea ay ka soo baxsadeen una soo galeen Ciidamada Dalka Jabuuti,

 

Wixii ka soo kordha hamoogaan allmudug.org

 

Saciid C/llaahi Kulmiye Nadaara,

[General Duke]

Djibouti says clashes with Eritrean troops at border

 

DJIBOUTI, June 10 (Reuters) - Djiboutian soldiers clashed with Eritrean troops for the first time in a nearly two-month old standoff, Djiboutian state media reported on Tuesday.

 

The Eritrean government was not immediately available for comment, and no independent confirmation of the clash was immediately available.

 

"There was a clash between the two armies this afternoon," Djiboutian government media reported the Ministry of Defence as saying. "The fighting is still happening."

 

The clash took place in the Mount Gabla area in northern Djibouti, the Defence Ministry was quoted as saying.

 

The two tiny Horn of Africa nations have been locked in a standoff since mid-April, when Djibouti accused Eritrea of a illegal foray across its border. Eritrea has denied any aggression.

 

An African Union fact-finding mission was in Djibouti to monitor the situation over the weekend, but has made none of its findings public yet.

 

The two nations clashed over the border in the mid-1990s. Eritrea's rivalry with neighbouring Ethiopia led to a 1998-2000 war over their border that killed at least 70,000 people.

 

Bitter feelings over that war have dominated politics in the Horn of Africa ever since, and both countries are supporting different sides in neighbouring Somalia's latest civil war. (Additional reporting by Jack Kimball in Asmara, Writing by Bryson Hull; Editing by Matthew Jones) (For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: africa.reuters.com/ )

[General Duke]

Horn of Africa neighbours clash

 

Troops from Djibouti and Eritrea have fired shots at each other along their shared border, the Djiboutian military said in a statement.

 

The clashes took place on Tuesday in the Ras Doumeira area where Eritrean troops reportedly carried out an incursion on April 16, sparking tensions between the two Horn of Africa neighbours.

"During the pursuit of an Eritrean deserter who tried to rally the Djiboutian armed forces, the Eritrean military opened fire on our units at around 12:30am [0930 GMT]," the Djioutian army said in a statement.

 

"The Djiboutian armed forces retaliated with their weapons."

 

The army said that Eritrean military officials then issued an ultimatum for Djibouti to return all 30 Eritrean deserters on its soil or face armed action.

 

"At 6:40pm [1540 GMT], under the cover of darkness and prayer time, Eritrean troops opened fire on our soldiers," the statement said.

 

"In the face of this attack, our military struck back ... As this statement is published, the fighting continues."

 

Stand-off

 

The fighting is the first since Djibouti accused Eritrean forces of digging trenches on both sides of the border, infringing several hundred metres on to Djiboutian territory, an accusation Asmara has vehemently denied.

 

The claims began a tense stand-off which raised fears of an all-out military confrontation at the southern end of the Red Sea, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

 

Djibouti and Eritrea had twice previously clashed over the border area.

 

In April 1996 they almost went to war after a Djibouti official accused Eritrea of shelling the town of Ras Doumeira.

 

And in 1999, Eritrea accused Djibouti of siding with Asmara's rival Ethiopia, while Djibouti accused its neighbour of supporting Djiboutian rebels and having designs on the Ras Doumeira region.

 

According to international human rights organisations, thousands of young Eritreans attempt to leave their country every year.

 

Ethiopia recently reported that 1,300 Eritrean had defected and crossed the border in the last six months.

 

Djibouti is backed by France and the United States, both of which have big military bases in the country, while Eritrea is accused of backing anti-government fighters in Somalia and is involved in a long-running border standoff with Ethiopia.