INTERVIEW-Talks ease tension on Ethiopia-Eritrea border-UN

By Ed Harris

ASMARA, Feb 23 (Reuters) – Heat, mines, language problems and regional tensions make the Eritrea-Ethiopia border area one of Africa’s most difficult postings for a military observer.

But at least one of the challenges – frosty relations between the former foes – has been eased somewhat by improved communication between the two countries’ military officers.

So says Peter Magut, a senior Kenyan peacekeeper interviewed recently at the end of a tour of duty with the U.N. Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea, which patrols a buffer zone along the border where the Horn of Africa nations fought a 1998-2000 war.

“For a peacekeeper to have the two forces sitting at a table, discussing issues, maybe having lunch, having a drink, and talking together very well, cordially, that’s great,” he said of joint sessions between the former enemies.

The conflict killed some 70,000 people in trench warfare reminiscent of World War One and a U.N peacekeeping mission separates the two sides, still locked in an uneasy state of no-war, no-peace.

Tensions remain high along the 1,000 km (600 mile) frontier and some diplomats in the region say there are signs that both countries are preparing for the possibility of fresh war.

Lieutenant Colonel Magut, who for 10 months commanded one of three peacekeeping battalions – the 565-man Kenyan battalion, said it was hard at first to get officers from both countries to talk to each other at a Military Coordination Commission (MCC).

Direct contact between them is limited to the MCC at national level and three sector-level commissions for the western, central, and eastern sectors of the border zone. The MCC usually meets on neutral ground in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Kenyan battalion operated in Sector East, and worked hard to get both sides to the table.

“It was difficult initially. It took a lot of persuasion from me for the commanders of both sides to agree to sit down at a round table and talk. Finally they agreed on 9th June (2004),” he added, noting subsequent meetings in October and December.

Magut said his men, who had not been on other peacekeeping tours, had learned plenty from the experience.

Heat was a challenge. The Kenyans patrolled in the Danakil Depression, legendary for its furnace-like temperatures.

“When you go out for work itself, go for patrol, go for observation duties, you are outside in the heat, and you really get it rough. It was very difficult,” Magut said.

Kenyan soldiers patrolled 23,000 sq km (8,880 sq miles).

“Most of the areas were not clear of mines, but there were areas which were cleared, designated for patrols to monitor the two opposing forces,” said Magut.

Language was also a problem. “Somebody can come to a checkpoint with a paper written in the local language – like Tigrinya or Amharic,” said Magut, whose Swahili-speaking soldiers used liaison officers from both sides for assistance.