Djiboutian–Eritrean border conflict

2008 Djiboutian–Eritrean border conflict
Map of the Djibouti–Eritrea border
Date June 10–13, 2008 Location Ras Doumeira border region between Djibouti and Eritrea on the Red Sea Coast (12°42′30″N 43°8′0″E / 12.70833°N 43.13333°E / 12.70833; 43.13333) Result Eritrean forces seize territory from Djibouti in April 2008 and withdraw in June 2010 to help facilitate the start of bilateral negotiations Qatari peacekeeping forces are deployed to monitor the disputed area after Eritrea's withdrawal[1]
Belligerents
Eritrea	Djibouti Supported by:[a]  France[2]
Commanders and leaders
Isaias Afewerki Sebhat Ephrem	Ismail Omar Guelleh Ougoureh Kifleh Ahmed
Casualties and losses
100 killed 267 captured[3] 21 defected[b]	12–44 killed 55 wounded 19 captured
a Logistical, medical and intelligence support only. b No official figures from Eritrean sources.

The Djiboutian–Eritrean border conflict between the forces of Djibouti and Eritrea occurred between June 10 and June 13, 2008.^{[lower-alpha 1]} It was triggered by tension which began on April 16, 2008, when Djibouti reported that Eritrean armed forces had penetrated into Djiboutian territory and dug trenches on both sides of the border.^[4] The crisis deepened when armed clashes broke out between the two armed forces in the border area on June 10, 2008.^[5] During the conflict, France provided logistical, medical and intelligence support to Djibouti, but did not participate in direct combat.^[2]

Background

Map of the disputed Ras Doumeira region

The currently in force 1900 boundary agreement specifies that the international boundary starts at Cape Doumeira (Ras Doumeira) at the Red Sea and runs for 1.5 km along the watershed divide of the peninsula. Furthermore, the 1900 protocol specified that Ile Doumeira (Doumeira Island) immediately offshore and its adjacent smaller islets would not be assigned sovereignty and would remain demilitarized. ^[6] Djibouti and Eritrea had twice previously clashed over the border area. In January 1935, Italy and France signed the Franco-Italian Agreement wherein parts of French Somaliland (Djibouti) were given to Italy (Eritrea).^[7] The actual border at Ras Doumeira (a hill) though was never fully demarcated save for a broad agreement that the northern slopes of hill were Italian and the southern slopes were French and this arrangement sufficed whilst France and Italy remained in control of the area. However, the question of ratification has brought this agreement, and its provision of substantial parts of Djibouti to Eritrea into question.^[8][9] In April 1996 they almost went to war after a Djibouti official accused Eritrea of shelling Ras Doumeira.^[10]

Eritrean movements in Ras Doumeira region

In January Eritrea reportedly requested to cross the border in order to get sand for a road, but instead occupied a hilltop in the region.^[11] On April 16, Eritrea is reported by Djibouti to have set up fortifications and dug trenches on both sides of the Djiboutian border near Ras Doumeira.^[4] Djibouti, in a letter to the UN calling for intervention, claimed new maps put out by Eritrea showed Ras Doumeira as Eritrean territory. Eritrea denied it had any problems with Djibouti.^[12]

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said on May 15 that the row was a "threat to the peace and security of the whole Horn of Africa" and said Ethiopia would secure their trade corridor through Djibouti in the event of a conflict. Ethiopia has relied on Djibouti for access to the Red Sea since Eritrea's independence. Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki denied sending troops into the area and added they do not have any problem with Djibouti.^[13]

Armed clashes

On June 10, according to Djibouti several Eritrean troops deserted their positions fleeing to the Djiboutian side. Djiboutian forces then came under fire from Eritrean forces demanding the return of the deserters.^[5] Djibouti called up soldiers and police who had retired since 2004 in response to the fighting. Eritrea dismissed accounts from Djibouti as "anti-Eritrean". A statement from Eritrea's Foreign Ministry said it would not "get involved in an invitation of squabbles and acts of hostility" and claimed Djibouti was trying to drag Eritrea into its "concocted animosity".^[14] According to French Colonel Ducret, French soldiers in Djibouti provided logistical and medical assistance to the Djibouti army as well as providing them with intelligence.^[15] Clashes between the two forces reportedly continued for several days before Djibouti's military announced on June 13 that fighting had subsided,^[4] but on the same day, President Guelleh, was quoted by the BBC as saying that his country was at war with Eritrea.^[2]

44 Djiboutian soldiers were killed and 55 wounded during the fighting. According to Djiboutian estimates, 100 Eritrean soldiers were killed, 100 captured, and 21 defected. Djiboutian President Guelleh declared: "We've always had good relations. But they aggressively occupied part of our country. This is an aggression we are resisting".^[16]

Djiboutian troops with light armoured cars near the border

By 2008 the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency estimated the army was 18,000 strong (with Eritrean army strength estimated at the same time as 200,000).

International reaction

• Arab League:

The League of Arab States held an emergency session in response to the fighting and called for Eritrea to withdraw from the border region.^[17]

• France:

The French foreign ministry said it was highly concerned about the fighting.^[5] The French defense ministry announced they were increasing their military presence in Djibouti and increasing their support for Djibouti's army following the border clashes. The announcement also said France was "preparing to deploy a forward logistics base and a land force near the zone where the clashes took place", adding that "its military has stepped up air surveillance over the border to monitor the activities of Eritrean forces." Reports also indicate that additional naval forces are being moved to the region as well as an additional team of military surgeons.

French Defense Minister Hervé Morin also held discussions with Djibouti's Defense Minister Ougoureh Kifleh Ahmed, promising to strengthen the French military presence in the country in case there is "an escalation in the current border row." Also to reaffirm the "very great concern of France" over the recent border incidents, Morin, according to diplomatic sources, has "reassured his counterpart of the full support" of his government, at the same time calling for a "diplomatic" settlement of the issue. The two nations have a mutual defense agreement.^[18]

• United Nations:

The United Nations Security Council called on both sides to exercise maximum restraint and re-establish dialogue.^[19][20]

• United States:

The United States State Department issued a press release condemning Eritrea's "military aggression" saying it represented "an additional threat to peace and security in the already volatile Horn of Africa" and calling for Eritrea to accept third party mediation on the border dispute.^[21] Eritrea responded to the statement accusing the U.S. of instigating conflict in the region.^[22] The American embassy in Djibouti advised citizens against traveling to the northern Djibouti where Ras Doumeira is located for safety reasons.^[23]

• African Union:

The Peace and Security Council of the African Union urged Eritrea and Djibouti to exercise the utmost restraint and to resolve the dispute through dialogue including fully cooperating with an AU mission sent to the area. However, Eritrea, unlike Djibouti, had not yet accepted the mission.^[24] Bereket Simon, special adviser to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia told Reuters "Ethiopia firmly believes that such unwarranted action should be stopped immediately and peaceful and diplomatic solution must be sought for the problem."^[14]

Aftermath

On June 24, 2008, the United Nations Security Council held a meeting at their headquarters in New York to hear a briefing of the situation, as well as statements from the Prime Minister of Djibouti Mohamed Dileita and the ambassador of Eritrea.^[25]

A UN fact-finding mission was sent to the region and issued a report saying the standoff between Djibouti and Eritrea could "have a major negative impact on the entire region and the wider international community" noting while Djibouti has pulled out of the disputed area Eritrea has not. The fact-finding mission was not allowed into Eritrea by the Eritrean government.^[26]

The United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1862 on January 14, 2009, urging dialogue between the two countries to solve the issue peacefully. The council welcomed Djibouti's withdrawal to positions before June 10, 2008, and demanded Eritrea make a similar withdrawal within five weeks of the resolution.^[27]

In early June 2010, Djibouti and Eritrea agreed to refer the matter to Qatar for mediation, a move that was praised by the African Union.^[28] In March 2016, 4 Djiboutian prisoners of war captured during the border war were released by Eritrea eight years after the conflict.^[29]

See also

• Foreign relations of Djibouti
• Foreign relations of Eritrea
• Eritrean Defence Forces
• Djibouti Armed Forces

Notes

References

External links

• A Conflict’s Buffer Zone: Rocks, and Inches (by Jeffrey Gettleman, The New York Times)
• Staff, Eritrea - Djibouti, ConflictMap, A bibliography of articles on the conflict.