Ethiopia launches today a large scale offensive; territorial disputes

Ethiopian launched today a large scale offensive on the Alitiena-Mereb front. The attack started at 5:30 a.m. this morning, an Eritrean statement said. "Fierce fighting was still continuing throughout the entire front at press time. Ethiopian assaults throughout the day were repulsed, with the Ethiopian army suffering huge losses."

Yesterday, Eritrea said "Ethiopian forces attacked Eritrean positions in Burie, 70 kilometers southwest of Assab .. deploying about one brigade. "

Today, Ethiopia said "Heavy fighting has started very early this morning at the Zalambessa-Egala front."

Ethiopia asserted in a statement that the town of Zalambessa is indisputably Ethiopian saying "After launching a full-scale invasion of Ethiopia in the Badme area on 12 May 1998, the Eritrean army attacked and invaded other Ethiopian territories, including the Zalambessa and Irob constituencies, which include the town of Zalambessa, as well as numerous kebeles (districts). Eritrean troops proceeded to occupy parts of Ethiopian territory that the Issaias regime had never even claimed ... Over one year after the invasion, on 1 October 1999, the Eritrean government tried to argue, for the very first time, that Zalambessa was sovereign Eritrean territory."

Ethiopia accused Eritrea of trying to destroy Zalambessa to destroy evidence of the Ethiopian town." Ethiopia added that it does not contest "vast areas of western Eritrea, such as Barentu, which is incontestably Eritrean territory."