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REUTERS SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, June 29 (Reuters) - The African Union condemned Eritrea on Sunday for taking military action against Djibouti near a strategic Red Sea shipping route and told Asmara to withdraw its forces, AU officials said.
Djibouti accused neighbour Eritrea earlier this month of moving troops across the border, sparking clashes which killed a dozen soldiers. Eritrea refused to accept an AU investigation team which visited Djibouti and it denies the accusation. "The Peace and Security Council (PSC) strongly condemns Eritrea for its military action against Djibouti and requests it to pull out from the occupied Djiboutian territory," a senior AU official told Reuters. He was reading decisions from the AU body responsible for threats to security on the continent which met on Sunday in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh ahead of an AU summit. The Eritrean delegation boycotted the meeting, PSC Commissioner Ramtane Lamamra said. The U.N. Security Council has also called for a U.N. fact-finding mission to visit both countries. France has one of its largest overseas military bases in Djibouti. The United States also has a military base there. Djibouti has said the situation on the border was calm, but that French warships would arrive off its coast soon. Paris signed a mutual defence pact with Djibouti after the Red Sea state's independence in 1977. |
