Soldiers Needing Medical Attention Suffer Most

Being a UN peacekeeping troop is tough under any circumstances, but along the border between Eritrea and Ethiopia, that job as been made a whole lot tougher. Eritrean government officials have banned the use of helicopters along that tense frontier, putting the lives of peacekeepers in danger, according to UN officials.

"This is a place where infrastructure is nonexistent, so we rely on helicopters for the safety and security of our people," Undersecretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guehenno told a news conference, as quoted by UPI. "Now we can't."

UN peacekeepers have patrolled the border in helicopters, vehicles and on foot since the fighting between Eritrea and Ethiopia ended in 2000. Because of the unilateral helicopter ban, UN forces are now consolidating their operations along the 600-mile frontier, shutting down 18 of the 40 outposts there. That makes it tougher to verify claims that Eritrea is now stationing troops in the demilitarized zone.

It's also putting lives in danger. Three peacekeepers were hurt in a vehicle accident on Monday. The UN asked for -- and was denied -- permission to evacuate them by helicopter. Eritrean officials refused to respond to the request, forcing the UN to drive the injured troops for eight hours before they reached a hospital.

"They are in good condition in the Jordanian hospital in Asmara, so things are okay," Guehenno said. "But they could have been not okay."

There seems to be little hope that the helicopter ban will be lifted -- and an even smaller chance that the UN will defy the order to keep its helos on the ground. "The mission, to do its job," Guehenno said, "has to have the consent of the parties."

FMI: www.un.org