Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of a new border aggression
By Tesfa-alem Tekle
January 25, 2008 (ZALANBESA,Tigray) — Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of violating it’s border by opening a gun fire toward the soil of Ethiopia
Eritrean troops have opened gun fire at their own soldiers who escaped and reached on Ethiopian soil, North Ethiopia’s Zalambesa front military chief said.
The military official who didn’t give his name because he is not authorized to speak with the press said “Eritrean troops have shot dead an Eritrean solider named Filmon Teklemichael on Jan 23, while another solider, Romodan Oumor Mohammed managed to escape and turn in himself to Ethiopian soldiers.
Filmon died after a serious of wounds, soon after he managed to reach the UN peace keepers deployed there.
“This is more than the usual aggression action by Eritrea” he said adding “the gun fire opened this time is pointing at the Ethiopian military barracks and is totally unacceptable”
Both Eritrean soldiers escaped from an Eritrean military base sited by the borders of Zalambesa town on Jan 23, six o’clock in the morning. It was thought.
The survived Eritrean solider, Omour Mohammed said “Eritrean soldiers are under a maximum pressure to act unwillingly to a series of inhuman military commands or face harsh consequences such as threats on their life, torture and get thrown to a number of secret detention centers.”
“There is no trust among Eritrean military officials” Mohammod said adding “Eritrean soldiers are morally dead to stand for the Eritrean regime any more”
Mohammed has accused Eritrean military officials of misusing military rations of soldiers to their own propogandal purpose.
The incident is reported to the U.N. Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea.
The two nations have been deadlocked over their 1,000-km (620-mile) frontier since a decision by an independent boundary commission in 2002 gave the flashpoint town of Badme to Eritrea.
Ethiopia had initially rejected the 2002 ruling. It now says it unconditionally accepts it, but wants more talks, which Eritrea dismisses. Asmara has repeatedly accused Addis Ababa of planning to invade — an allegation that Ethiopia dismisses.
(ST)