Urgent action is necessary to prevent a new war erupting between Ethiopia and Eritrea, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad said on Wednesday.
Briefing the media at Parliament, he said this is a new area of concern for South Africa.
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan warned last week that the serious deterioration of the situation between the two countries could lead to another round of devastating hostilities.
The UN group monitoring the ceasefire reported earlier on Wednesday that the situation on the ground was tense.
The UN mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (Unmee) said restrictions on its freedom of movement were continuing in both the central and western sectors on the Eritrean side, following the ban imposed by the Asmara government on UN helicopters.
Night movement of patrols was also being curtailed, seriously limiting the mission’s ability to monitor the remaining 40% of the temporary security zone and adjacent areas.
”Basically, the UN’s position now is the situation is deteriorating and urgent action must be taken to prevent a new war between Ethiopia and Eritrea,” Pahad said. — Sapa