The Secretary General of the United Nations for Political Affairs, B. Lynn Pascoe, on Tuesday welcomed recent progress made by Eritrea and Djibouti in the implementation of the agreement signed by both countries on border dispute that opposed them since 2008.

The mediation of the conflict has been entrusted to the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani. The Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Jabr al-Thani, confirmed the improvement of the situation in a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, dated July 9.

"The Prime Minister of Qatar has informed us that Eritrean troops have withdrawn from the areas of Ras Doumeira and Doumeira'île and the State of Qatar has deployed observers pending a final settlement," said M . Pascoe before members of the Security Council of the United Nations.

"The government of Qatar has confirmed that cooperation between the two countries and Qatari forces are good and that they will remain deployed in the two countries until the dispute is finally resolved," he added.

These positive steps towards complete normalization of the situation are following the agreement signed last June 6 between the Eritrean president, Isaias Afewerki, and Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh.

The agreement put an end to the dispute between the two countries since 2008 on a border not demarcated. Military confrontations erupted in the area of Ras Doumeira and Doumeira Island, located in the Red Sea. The violence had killed 35 people and left dozens wounded.

"We believe that the states of the Horn of Africa region, the Intergovernmental Authority (IGAD), African Union and the UN need to work together to respond effectively to the conflicts in the region that are interconnected, this including Somalia and the long-standing dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia, "said the head of Political Affairs of the United Nations.

For B. Lynn Pascoe, the recent appointment of members of the Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea will follow the evolution of various conflicts effectively.

Source:ADI