Addis Ababa - The African Union urged
Djibouti and Eritrea to remain calm and exercise restraint on
Saturday after Djibouti accused its neighbour of occupying
disputed territory along their border following the withdrawal
of Qatari peacekeepers.
On Friday, Djibouti's Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf
said Eritrean troops had seized Dumeira Mountain and Dumeira
Island, areas the neighbours contest, and his country's military
was on alert.
Authorities in the Eritrean capital Asmara were not
available for comment.
Qatari peacekeepers were previously deployed along the
frontier. Doha announced on June 14 that it had pulled its
contingent out, days after the East African countries sided with
Saudi Arabia and its allies in their standoff with Qatar.
In a statement, the African Union Commission's Chairperson
Moussa Faki Mahamat appealed for calm.
"The AU Commission, in close consultations with the
authorities in Djibouti and Eritrea, is in the process of
deploying a fact-finding mission to the Djibouti-Eritrea
border," he said.
The United Nations Security Council is due to discuss the
situation behind closed doors on Monday, according to diplomats.
Clashes broke out between the Horn of Africa countries in
June 2008 after Djibouti accused Asmara of moving troops across
the border, raising fears the spat could engulf the region.
The dispute triggered several days of fighting in which a
dozen Djiboutian troops died and dozens were wounded. Eritrea
had initially denied making any incursions, accusing Djibouti of
launching unprovoked attacks.
At the time, the UN Security Council requested both sides
withdraw, before the neighbours accepted a Qatari request to
mediate and deploy peacekeepers.
Qatar has not given reasons for its withdrawal, but it comes
amid a diplomatic crisis with some of its Arab neighbours. They
cut ties a week ago, accusing Qatar of backing Islamist
militants and Iran - claims Doha strongly denies.