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Africa: East
UN assesses security in Eritrea
2003-11-25
The UN has launched a security assessment of its operations in the far west of Eritrea after two bombs exploded destroying aid trucks. There have been no casualties reported but this is the biggest in a series of explosions in Tesseney on the border with Sudan.
Perhaps there is a coincidence between where the explosions took place and the proximity to the Sudanese border.
No organisation has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks - though previous attacks in the area have been blamed on a Jihad terrorist group.
That would be Harakat al-Jihad al-Islami or the Eritrean Islamic Jihad. They have ties to al-Qaeda dating back to the Sudan days and the Eritrean government claims that the Sudanese are still supporting them despite the pious denials from Khartoum that they’ve gone out of the terrorism business. They kill aid workers and the like, but generally seem to have a level of confidence rivaled only by Hek’s boyz in Afghanistan.
The bombs went off on Friday evening underneath two trucks carrying World Food Programme aid. Five minutes after the drivers left their vehicles, devices detonated under each vehicle. Both were extensively damaged and a large amount of the food destroyed. Tesseney is a town on the border with Sudan and has been the site of a number of explosions in recent weeks.
Fancy that. It's on the border with Sudan...
A truck near a petrol station and a cafe teashop were both targeted - though there have been no casualties in any of the attacks. The Eritrean government has played down the significance of the spate of bombings - blaming it on localised arguments and quarrels and said they were not unduly concerned by them. This is part of the country where the Eritrean Islamic Jihad group are thought to operate. It is only three hours walk from Kassala in Sudan - and though the border is closed it is still extremely porous. In April, a British geologist was brutally killed while prospecting for gold in the nearby countryside. The Eritrean government blamed it on the Islamic Jihad group with backing from the Sudanese government. Tesseney is the Eritrean base for refugee repatriations from the Sudan so it has a significant UN presence. They are now despatching a security team to assess what measures they should take in response to the bombs.
No doubt that’ll teach ’em, a UN security team. Anyways, this stuff taking place right now even in obscure parts of the world may seem to indicate that the recent terror offensive is a lot better coordinated than many pundits seem to think.
Posted by:Dan Darling

#5  Are we SURE the United Nations isn't a wholly-owned subsidiary of France?
Posted by: Old Patriot   2003-11-25 6:04:41 PM  

#4  The UN has launched a security assessment of its operations in the far west of Eritrea after two bombs exploded destroying aid trucks.

Run away, run away! Phewww! That was close!
Posted by: Steve White   2003-11-25 3:12:18 PM  

#3  I wouldn't put much faith in UN assessment of anything.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2003-11-25 12:52:50 PM  

#2  Doesn't Glenn Reynolds work for the University of Tesseney?
Posted by: Chuck Simmins   2003-11-25 9:24:56 AM  

#1  The Eritrean government has played down the significance of the spate of bombings - blaming it on localised arguments and quarrels and said they were not unduly concerned by them. translates into "please, Mr. International Community don't abandon my country."

I think we can rule out government concern for the possible negative effect on thetourist industry.
Posted by: Super Hose   2003-11-25 4:20:45 AM  

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