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ETHIOPIA: UN TO WITHDRAW ITS INDIA-LED MISSION January 4, 2006
Apunyu Bonny
(SomaliNet) The UN on Tuesday 3rd issued a report indicating withdrawal of an Indian-led peace mission monitoring the five-year-old ceasefire between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Reports Hindustan Times.
The speculation over withdrawal is due to the increased confrontation between the two countries making it’s functioning almost impossible. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said the situation had reached a dangerous stalemate and held out the possibility of withdrawing the mission. Kofi Annan has asked the Council to put a deadline on the two nations to meet its demands, apparently hinting that the mission could be asked to fold up after that or its nature could be changed.
Annan proposed for creation of a preventive force deployed entirely on the Ethiopian side as Eritrea is placing a restriction on the mission's movement. However Annan admitted that none of the options is perfect.
The Indian mission to the United Nations had no comment on the options given by Annan but India's Ambassador Nirupam Sen had told a meeting of the Council, convened by New Delhi in October, that the mission would collapse unless it took a decisive decision.
At the moment, the mission has the strength of 3293 troops, including 214 military observers and is headed by Major Gen Rajender Singh. India is the main contributor with about 1500 troops followed by Jordan which had 1000 military personnel.
The Indian-led peace mission was established in 2000 after Algeria and the African Union brokered peace between Eritrea and Ethiopia following a two-year bloody war over a border dispute.