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| Africa Horn |
| Eritrea urged to withdraw from Djibouti border |
| 2008-06-14 |
| Arab and Western nations called on Eritrea yesterday to withdraw its troops from the border with Djibouti following clashes that killed at least six Djiboutian soldiers and wounded over 50 others. Officials said the first fighting for a decade between the Horn of Africa neighbours, two of the continent's smallest states, stopped late on Wednesday. Troops from both sides had exchanged fire since Tuesday along a part of their frontier that overlooks strategic shipping lanes in the Red Sea. Djibouti hosts French and U.S. military bases and is the main route to the sea for Eritrea's arch-foe and Washington's top regional ally, Ethiopia. France said its military was providing logistical support to Djibouti. Africa's youngest nation, Eritrea has fractious ties with the West, which accuses it of backing Somali insurgents and expelling U.N. peacekeepers on its border with Ethiopia. The Arab League called on Eritrea to withdraw its forces immediately from the border area, stressing the need to respect Djibouti's sovereignty, Egypt's state news agency MENA said. It said the League took the decision during an emergency session to discuss with the crisis. |
| Posted by:Fred |