United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea
Encyclopedia
The United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) was established by the United Nations Security Council
in July 2000 to monitor a ceasefire
in the border war
that began in 1998 between Ethiopia
and Eritrea
.
The mission was formally abandoned in July 2008 after experiencing serious difficulties in sustaining its troops after fuel stoppages and the consideration of remaining options.
established UNMEE. The mission was in place in order to formally mark 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.
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.
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.
The mission was ended per 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. Eritrea has tried to allay fears over a new war.
Contributors of military personnel:
Africa
Nigeria
South Africa
Americas
Asia
Kyrgyzstan
Malaysia
Sri Lanka
Europe
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
in July 2000 to monitor a ceasefire
Ceasefire
A ceasefire is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be declared as part of a formal treaty, but they have also been called as part of an informal understanding between opposing forces...
in the border war
Eritrean-Ethiopian War
The Eritrean–Ethiopian War took place from May 1998 to June 2000 between Ethiopia and Eritrea, forming one of the conflicts in the Horn of Africa...
that began in 1998 between Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
and Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
.
The mission was formally abandoned in July 2008 after experiencing serious difficulties in sustaining its troops after fuel stoppages and the consideration of remaining options.
History
On July 31, 2000, the Security Council adopted Resolution 1312United Nations Security Council Resolution 1312
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1312, adopted unanimously on July 31, 2000, after reaffirming resolutions 1298 on the situation between Eritrea and Ethiopia, and 1308 , the Council established the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea in anticipation of a peacekeeping...
established UNMEE. The mission was in place in order to formally mark the border between the two countries. The border followed the route as declared by an international commission in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
but Ethiopia refused to accept the ruling, despite originally agreeing to binding arbitration.
The mission maintained headquarters in Asmara
Asmara
Asmara is the capital city and largest settlement in Eritrea, home to a population of around 579,000 people...
(Eritrea), and Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
(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
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer 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.
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
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
Resolution 1640
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1640
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1640, adopted unanimously on November 23, 2005, after reaffirming all resolutions on the situation between Eritrea and Ethiopia, particularly Resolution 1622 , the Council demanded that Eritrea lift restrictions on the movement of the United Nations...
in November 2005 threatened sanctions on both parties if there was no resolution.
The mission was ended per 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
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...
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. Eritrea has tried to allay fears over a new war.
Staff and forces
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 EnnifarAzouz EnnifarAzouz Ennifar currently serves as Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea . Ennifar has served as the Tunisian ambassador to Indonesia, Brazil and Italy, and was Chargé d'Affaires in the Tunisian embassy in Paris...
- Deputy Special Representatives:
- Force Commander: Major-General Mohammad Taisir Masadeh
Contributors of military personnel:
Africa
Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
Americas
Asia
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
Malaysia
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
Europe