A UNITED NATIONS special envoy on Wednesday pleaded with Ethiopia and Eritrea to end their “senseless” war, saying new fighting would lead to carnage on the battlefield and exacerbate a famine in both countries. Richard Holbrooke, the US ambassador to the UN who is heading a seven-member team from the world body’s Security Council, said he believed a diplomatic solution could be found but warned of grave consequences if fighting resumed. “The differences between the two sides are real but they are small and they can be resolved by diplomatic means,” Holbrooke told reporters in Addis Ababa. “The alternative is a senseless war which will kill tens of thousands of people, and hundreds of thousands will die of famine because of the diversion of resources to the war effort,” he said. “None of this is necessary.” The UN estimates around eight million Ethiopians are threatened by famine this year as a result of a prolonged drought, while war and drought have left around 850000 Eritreans needing food aid.