Nairobi - The United Nations force monitoring a hotly contested border between Eritrea and Ethiopia voiced concern Thursday over gunshots fired from within a safe buffer zone. The UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) said its observer team heard firing sounds in the border area Wednesday and notified the neighbouring arch-enemies about the incident, both of whom acknowledged the occurrence.
The Eritrean information ministry placed blame squarely on Ethiopia.
"UNMEE expresses concern about this firing incident between Ethiopia and Eritrea and is calling on both parties to show maximum restraint," the mission said in a statement.
The Horn of Africa countries fought a nasty 1998-2000 border war which killed some 70,000 people.
The frontier remains contested and tensions are high after a commission tasked with demarcating the border was disbanded, leaving the two to hash it out themselves.
UNMEE's mandate expires in late January.
