Annan writes to Eritrean President Afwerki seeking end to ban on UN helicopters

Secretary-General Kofi Annan has written to Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, calling on him to lift Eritrea's ban on helicopter flights by the United Nations peacekeeping mission over its sector of the troubled frontier with Ethiopia.

"It is critical that these restrictions be lifted, irrespective of political issues and considerations," spokesman Stephane Dujarric told the daily briefing, quoting from the letter, which also expressed growing concern over restrictions placed on humanitarian operations in Eritrea, where food insecurity remains of paramount concern.

Mr. Annan said the ban severely inhibited the UN mission in carrying out its mandate as requested by Eritrea and Ethiopia and authorized by the Security Council. For the past five years the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) has been monitoring the Temporary Security Zone along the frontier, where the two countries fought a two-year border war.

The Secretary-General also expressed concern over the negative implications for the security of the UN peacekeepers and their operations, and reminded President Isaias that freedom of movement is a fundamental principle of peacekeeping.

Any decisions to undermine the effectiveness of the UNMEE and the cease-fire arrangements on the ground will not advance the peace process, which is already stalemated, he said.

Earlier this week, Under-Secretary-General Jean-Marie Guéhenno of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations cited three adverse consequences of the ban. Firstly, due to the border terrain, the UN relies heavily on helicopters for its surveillance, and has vacated nearly half its posts because of the ban.

Secondly, the ban has impeded emergency missions. Mr. Guéhenno cited Eritrea's denial of a request earlier in the week to fly out by helicopter three Kenyan peacekeepers injured in a road accident, who had to be transported over land all the way to Asmara, the Eritrean capital.

Finally it halted de-mining in the Temporary Security Zone – "something that has been of great benefit to the Eritrean people," he said – because mine clearance requires the ability to evacuate workers quickly to hospital by helicopter.

Also today, UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Margareta Wahlström briefed the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Eritrea, where 2.3 million people face a crisis. She said food insecurity and widespread poor nutritional status among women and children remains the paramount humanitarian concern in the Horn of African country.

Eritrea is one of few countries in the world where 60 per cent of the entire population is dependent on international relief assistance for survival, she added.