The African Union is sending its security commissioner to Eritrea to help resolve its border dispute with Djibouti following the withdrawal of Qatari peacekeepers from the area, AU Commission chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat said yesterday.
“I’ve sent a mission to Djibouti and now have made the decision to send the (AU) commissioner for peace and security to Asmara,” Mahamat said at an AU summit in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
The AU wants to decrease tensions after Djibouti accused Eritrea of occupying disputed land on the frontier.
Qatari peacekeepers had previously withdrawn after Eritrea cut off diplomatic ties with Doha.
The mountainous border region between Eritrea and Djibouti has long been a sticking point between the two countries, with conflict flaring up in 2008.
Qatar negotiated a peace deal in 2010 and Qatari troops had been stationed in the border region ever since.
![Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf addresses the closing session of the 29th African Union summit in Addis Ababa yesterday. Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf addresses the closing session of the 29th African Union summit in Addis Ababa yesterday.](https://www.gulf-times.com/uploads/imported_images/Upload/Slider/72017423845867876489.jpg)
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf addresses the closing session of the 29th African Union summit in Addis Ababa yesterday.