Eritrea says Ethiopia attacked near Red Sea port

From Reporter Carol Pineau

June 3, 2000
Web posted at: 8:07 p.m. EDT (0007 GMT)

ASMARA, Eritrea (CNN) -- Ethiopian troops launched an attack Saturday morning on a new front in the country's battle with Eritrea, Eritrean government sources told CNN.

The attack took place at 3:30 a.m. (8:30 p.m. EDT Friday) on the Assab front, a Red Sea port deep in Eritrea and at least 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the region disputed by the two countries, the sources said.

The attack came as the countries participated in "proximity" talks in Algeria to resolve the conflict.

According to a spokesman for Eritrea's president, the first battle lasted seven hours and ended with the Eritrean army repulsing an Ethiopian army division.

VIDEO CNN's Catherine Bond observes the growth of what once was a small dispute into all-out fighting between Ethiopia and Eritrea. (June 3) QuickTime Play Real 28K 80K Reporter Carol Pineau looks at the attacks that are causing many Eritreans to flee their homes. QuickTime Play Real 28K 80K    MESSAGE BOARD   Horn of Africa

Later, Ethiopia attacked with a second division and fighting continued most of the day.

Eritrean army officials said they had not counted Ethiopian casualties, but expected they would be high. Eritrea does not release the number of its troops or casualties.

Meanwhile, more information has emerged about what the Ethiopian government called a "voluntary evacuation" of the city of Barentu last Sunday.

Ethiopia apparently ordered its troops out of the city, saying its objectives had been accomplished and it was acting according to the directives of the peace process.

But Eritrean officials say the Ethiopians were pushed out, under pressure from Eritrean troops.

This reporter saw the dead bodies of an advance team from the Ethiopian army. Eritrean commanders said the Ethiopian army had been chased off a nearby mountain and into the valley, after which the Eritreans shelled the area by the river.

Eritrean officials said there were about 700 corpses in the river, and at least 2,500 people were killed in the attack.

Ethiopians withdrew from the city, but not before they looted it, Eritrean townspeople said. They said Ethiopian civilians, some of them women, arrived in 300 trucks to take all they could from the city.

Eritrean townspeople said they were not staying inside the city because they fear land mines and further attacks.

Ethiopia seeks 'international guarantees' before withdrawal from Eritrea
June 1, 2000
Ethiopia bombs Eritrean capital as peace talks open
May 29, 2000
Eritrea leaves prized border town in ruins for Ethiopia
May 26, 2000
Eritrea announces withdrawal in Horn of Africa war
May 25, 2000
Ethiopian, Eritrean armies in crucial border fight
May 23, 2000

Government of Eritrea
Eritrean Network Information Center
Welcome To Ethiopia Online
United Front of Ethiopians - Ethiopian National Congress

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.