ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - Eritrean authorities keep placing more restrictions on U.N peacekeepers patrolling the tense border with Ethiopia, a U.N spokeswoman said Thursday. U.N. and other observers fear tension could escalate into a new war.Ethiopian and Eritrean troop movements are continuing along the 621-mile border, said Gail Bindley-Taylor Sainte, spokeswoman for the U.N. mission to the two countries. "The restrictions have increased almost daily," Sainte said during a regular briefing for journalists via video link from the Eritrean capital of Asmara. "Before the restrictions were more sporadic, now we have almost daily restrictions."
Sainte said the restrictions were heightening suspicions along the frontier and the situation remained "tense and potentially volatile." Sainte would not give details on the size of the armies facing each other, but Western diplomats estimate around 300,000 troops are hunkered in on the border. Eritrea has said its troop movements are for harvesting, while Ethiopia says they are carrying out training exercises.
| For what -- a bunch of sand and rocks in a gawd-forbidden landscape. These guys rival the Somalis in their common sense. |