Phone home but pay the bill, UN mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea tells peacekeepers

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea has so far been able to recover only $14,000 out of $364,000 in fraudulent telephone calls by contingent troops and civilian personnel, despite efforts to recover the money from the various countries’ Permanent Missions at UN Headquarters in New York.

The UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) said in a press release today the abuse was mainly due to the use of stolen PIN codes officially issued to senior personnel allowing them to phone home, with the charges deducted from wages at the end of each month.

“The recovery of the full amount is an ongoing process, in which UNMEE’s Communications, Finance and Administration sections are working in close collaboration with UN Headquarters,” the Mission said.

Established in 2000 after a cessation of hostilities accord ended a bitter two-year border war between the two Horn of Africa countries, UNMEE currently consists of 3,335 military personnel and 212 civilians from 40 countries.