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Eritrea: A close look Ethiopia: A close look

February 23, 1999
Web posted at: 4:08 a.m. EST (0908 GMT)

ASMARA, Eritrea (Reuters) -- Eritrea said Ethiopian troops launched a major ground offensive in the contested Badme area on Tuesday morning in what appeared to be the first significant infantry attack for more than two weeks in their border war.

"Ethiopia has launched a large-scale offensive (at the Badme front)," Eritrean presidential advisor Yermane Gebremesekel told Reuters. "The ground attack started at 4:30 a.m. (0130 GMT) this morning."

Selome Tadesse, Ethiopia's government spokeswoman, denied Eritrea's claim that Ethiopia had launched an offensive, but said fighting was going on the Badme front. She said she had no other details immediately available.

Fighting between the Horn of Africa neighbors resumed on February 6 in the Badme area after an eight-month lull and subsequently spread to two other fronts.

After three days of infantry battles, the fighting subsided, only to erupt again this week.

Tuesday's Ethiopian attack was preceded by intensive shelling and bombing of Eritrean positions on all three fronts on Monday. The infantry advance was backed by tanks, heavy artillery and air power, Gebremeskel said.

"It seems to be on a bigger scale than February 6," he told Reuters.

U.S. criticizes Ethiopia

The United States criticized Ethiopia on Monday for using its air force in the fighting with Eritrea and urged it to resume a moratorium on air raids, brokered by the United States after fighting last year.

Ethiopia has used both warplanes and military helicopters in the latest three weeks of the border war. The Ethiopian air force attacked Eritrean targets again on Monday, Taddesse said.

U.S. State Department spokesman James Foley said: "The United States government deeply regrets the use of air power by Ethiopia in the current conflict, in particular against economic targets and near civilian population centers."

"We urge the government of ... Ethiopia to resume the moratorium immediately. We also urge the Eritrean authorities to continue to uphold their commitment to the terms of the moratorium," he added in a statement.

Former U.S. National Security Adviser Anthony Lake, at the request of President Bill Clinton, has tried without success to mediate a settlement of the dispute.

Reuterscontributed to this report.

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