ROSALIND RUSSELL, Asmara | Tuesday 11.30am.
ERITREA claims it has recaptured its western town of Tesseney from Ethiopian forces after a day-long battle which sent hundreds of refugees scurrying across the Sudanese border.
The Foreign Ministry said one Ethiopian division and two brigades had been ”totally routed” in Monday’s fighting, which continued well past nightfall.
A two-year-old border war between the Horn of Africa neighbours was reignited last month by a massive Ethiopian offensive in which its army advanced deep into western Eritrea.
Ethiopia last week said it would withdraw from the region, having fulfilled its military objectives, but while it pulled out of the key town of Barentu, it continued to occupy a string of towns close to the Sudanese border.
Barentu was left looted and vandalised by retreating Ethiopian soldiers, and Eritrea has accused the Ethiopian army of destroying homes and property across the fertile region.
”Ethiopia’s sinister design is aimed at delaying and preventing the early return of the population so as to disrupt agricultural production during the critical months of June when the rains are due,” the ministry’s statement said.
The United Nations estimates that as many as 750000 Eritreans have been displaced by the fighting, creating a humanitarian crisis in a country already stricken by drought.
More than 50000 have fled into Sudan and the United Nations refugee agency said 600 more had crossed the border on Monday to escape the fighting. –Reuters
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