The United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) was established by the United Nations Security Council in July 2000[1] to monitor a ceasefire in the border war that began in 1998 between Ethiopia and Eritrea. First military troops Netherlands - Canadian battalion 'NECBAT' arrived and established bases in the region in December 2000.
The mission was formally abandoned in July 2008[2] after experiencing serious difficulties in sustaining its troops due to fuel stoppages[3] and after due consideration of remaining options.[4]
On July 31, 2000, the Security Council adopted Resolution 1312 and established UNMEE. The mission was put in place in order to formally demarcate the border between the two countries. The border followed the route as declared by an international commission in The Hague but Ethiopia refused to accept the ruling, despite originally agreeing to binding arbitration.[5]
The mission maintained headquarters in Asmara (Eritrea), and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), and consisted of 1,676 military personnel, amid high tensions between the two countries. About 1,500 of these peacekeepers were from the Indian Army. In addition, there were about 147 international civilians, 202 local civilians and 67 UN Volunteers. Their area of responsibility was a buffer zone 25 kilometers (15 miles) wide on the Eritrean side of the Ethiopian-Eritrean border. There have been recorded 20 fatalities: 13 military personnel, 3 international civilian personnel and 4 local civilian personnel. The approved budget for the mission between 1 July 2007 and 30 June 2008 was $118.99 million.[citation needed]
The border between Ethiopia and Eritrea has remained closed and thousands of people live in refugee camps while perhaps a million people remain displaced. In October 2005, the Eritrean government restricted UNMEE helicopter flights along the border and demanded the reduction of the UNMEE force by 300 staffers. Eritrea also restricted movement of ground patrols inside the buffer zone. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1640 in November 2005 threatened sanctions on both parties if there was no resolution.
In September 2007, United Nations special envoy to the Horn of Africa, Kjell Magne Bondevik, warned that war could resume between Ethiopia and Eritrea over their border conflict. In November, Eritrea accepted the border line demarcated by the international boundary commission, which was rejected by Ethiopia. In January 2008 the UN extended the mandate of peacekeepers on Ethiopia-Eritrea border for six months, and UN Security Council demanded Eritrea lift fuel restrictions imposed on UN peacekeepers at the Eritrea-Ethiopia border area. Eritrea declined, saying troops must leave border, and in February the UN began pulling out the 1,700-strong peacekeeper force due to lack of fuel supplies following Eritrean government restrictions. In April, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon warned of the likelihood of new war between Ethiopia and Eritrea if peacekeeping mission is withdrawn completely, and outlines options for the future of the UN mission in the two countries. In May, Eritrea called on UN to terminate the peacekeeping mission.[6]
The mission was ended with effect from 31 July 2008 with a UNSC resolution adopted on 30 July 2008. Peacekeepers had been driven from the border zone by Eritrea by February 2008, and Ethiopia had refused to accept a binding International Court of Justice ruling on the border issue. There are fears that this may set a precedent to show that a country can force out UN peacekeepers. Analysts also fear a new war may erupt between Ethiopia and Eritrea over the border dispute.[7] Eritrea has, however, tried to allay fears over a new war.[8]
On 30 November 2007, UNMEE had a total of 1,676 military personnel, including 1,464 troops and 212 military observers, supported by 147 international civilians, 202 local civilians and 67 UN Volunteers.
Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of Mission:Azouz Ennifar (Tunisia)
^United Nations Security CouncilDocument145. Special report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and EritreaS/2008/145 3 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
^United Nations Security CouncilDocument226. Special report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and EritreaS/2008/226 7 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
^"Report of the Secretary-General on Ethiopia and Eritrea". 2005-03-07. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
^. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved July 30, 2008.
^"Eritrea allays fears over new war". BBC News. 31 July 2008.
External links
Mission homepage
March 04, 2023
united, nations, mission, ethiopia, eritrea, unmee, established, united, nations, security, council, july, 2000, monitor, ceasefire, border, that, began, 1998, between, ethiopia, eritrea, first, military, troops, netherlands, canadian, battalion, necbat, arriv. The United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea UNMEE was established by the United Nations Security Council in July 2000 1 to monitor a ceasefire in the border war that began in 1998 between Ethiopia and Eritrea First military troops Netherlands Canadian battalion NECBAT arrived and established bases in the region in December 2000 United Nations Office in Ethiopia and EritreaDutch UN soldiers on camel in EritreaAbbreviationUNMEEFormation31 July 2000Dissolved31 July 2008TypePeacekeeping MissionLegal statusCompletedHeadAzouz EnnifarParent organizationUnited Nations Security CouncilWebsiteWeb archive of former UNMEE website The mission was formally abandoned in July 2008 2 after experiencing serious difficulties in sustaining its troops due to fuel stoppages 3 and after due consideration of remaining options 4 Contents 1 History 2 Staff and forces 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksHistory EditOn July 31 2000 the Security Council adopted Resolution 1312 and established UNMEE The mission was put in place in order to formally demarcate the border between the two countries The border followed the route as declared by an international commission in The Hague but Ethiopia refused to accept the ruling despite originally agreeing to binding arbitration 5 The mission maintained headquarters in Asmara Eritrea and Addis Ababa Ethiopia and consisted of 1 676 military personnel amid high tensions between the two countries About 1 500 of these peacekeepers were from the Indian Army In addition there were about 147 international civilians 202 local civilians and 67 UN Volunteers Their area of responsibility was a buffer zone 25 kilometers 15 miles wide on the Eritrean side of the Ethiopian Eritrean border There have been recorded 20 fatalities 13 military personnel 3 international civilian personnel and 4 local civilian personnel The approved budget for the mission between 1 July 2007 and 30 June 2008 was 118 99 million citation needed The border between Ethiopia and Eritrea has remained closed and thousands of people live in refugee camps while perhaps a million people remain displaced In October 2005 the Eritrean government restricted UNMEE helicopter flights along the border and demanded the reduction of the UNMEE force by 300 staffers Eritrea also restricted movement of ground patrols inside the buffer zone United Nations Security Council Resolution 1640 in November 2005 threatened sanctions on both parties if there was no resolution In September 2007 United Nations special envoy to the Horn of Africa Kjell Magne Bondevik warned that war could resume between Ethiopia and Eritrea over their border conflict In November Eritrea accepted the border line demarcated by the international boundary commission which was rejected by Ethiopia In January 2008 the UN extended the mandate of peacekeepers on Ethiopia Eritrea border for six months and UN Security Council demanded Eritrea lift fuel restrictions imposed on UN peacekeepers at the Eritrea Ethiopia border area Eritrea declined saying troops must leave border and in February the UN began pulling out the 1 700 strong peacekeeper force due to lack of fuel supplies following Eritrean government restrictions In April UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon warned of the likelihood of new war between Ethiopia and Eritrea if peacekeeping mission is withdrawn completely and outlines options for the future of the UN mission in the two countries In May Eritrea called on UN to terminate the peacekeeping mission 6 The mission was ended with effect from 31 July 2008 with a UNSC resolution adopted on 30 July 2008 Peacekeepers had been driven from the border zone by Eritrea by February 2008 and Ethiopia had refused to accept a binding International Court of Justice ruling on the border issue There are fears that this may set a precedent to show that a country can force out UN peacekeepers Analysts also fear a new war may erupt between Ethiopia and Eritrea over the border dispute 7 Eritrea has however tried to allay fears over a new war 8 Staff and forces EditThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed January 2013 Learn how and when to remove this template message On 30 November 2007 UNMEE had a total of 1 676 military personnel including 1 464 troops and 212 military observers supported by 147 international civilians 202 local civilians and 67 UN Volunteers Special Representative of the Secretary General and Head of Mission Azouz Ennifar Tunisia Deputy Special Representatives Force Commander Major General Mohammad Taisir Masadeh Jordan Contributors of military personnel Africa Algeria Gambia Ghana Kenya Namibia Nigeria South Africa Tanzania Tunisia Zambia Americas Canada Bolivia Brazil Guatemala Paraguay Peru United States Uruguay Asia Bangladesh China India Jordan Kyrgyzstan Malaysia Nepal Pakistan Philippines Sri Lanka Europe Austria Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic Slovakia Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Ireland Italy Netherlands Norway Poland Romania Russia Spain Sweden UkraineSee also EditEritrean Ethiopian WarReferences Edit United Nations Security Council Resolution 1312 S RES 1312 2000 31 July 2000 Retrieved 2008 04 13 United Nations Security Council Resolution 1827 S RES 1827 2008 30 July 2008 Retrieved 2008 08 17 United Nations Security Council Document 145 Special report of the Secretary General on the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea S 2008 145 3 March 2008 Retrieved 2008 08 17 United Nations Security Council Document 226 Special report of the Secretary General on the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea S 2008 226 7 April 2008 Retrieved 2008 08 17 Report of the Secretary General on Ethiopia and Eritrea 2005 03 07 Retrieved 2010 06 09 1 BBC News 19 June 2008 AFP Security Council ends UN monitoring of Eritrea Ethiopia row Archived from the original on May 20 2011 Retrieved July 30 2008 Eritrea allays fears over new war BBC News 31 July 2008 External links EditUN UNMEE mission page Mission homepage Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea amp oldid 1136724655, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
