Ethiopia, Eritrea resume war
Battles were resumed on Monday morning between the Ethiopian and Eritrean forces at Asab's front.
The spokesman for the Eritrea's presidency said that fierce land battles in which artillery take part are taking place and prevent access to this coastal city of Asab.
Eritrea had accused Ethiopia that it on Sunday evening launched a comprehensive attack on Asab while Addis Ababa, for its part accused Asmara of provoking its forces and therefore caused the eruption of fighting.
On Sunday Eritrea announced it had inflicted heavy losses in the Ethiopian army and that it killed or wounded more than 3700 soldiers and seized a large amount of weapons while Asmara stresses that Addis Ababa forces were dispersed and pushed backward to 57 kilometers to the Southern west of the port which is situated on the red sea.
Today, Eritrea said "The Eritrean town of Tessenei was liberated on Monday at 9:20 p.m. after a day long battle in which the Ethiopian army in the area, consisting of one division and two brigades, was totally routed. The battle started in the morning when the Ethiopian army which captured Tessenei ten days ago--while the Ethiopian government falsely claimed on the same day that it has 'completed its withdrawals from western Eritrea'-began to fan out to loot and destroy satellite towns and villages in the area."
Meantime, Ethiopia's prime minister Meleis Zenwai said that the Ethiopian forces will not withdraw from the Eritrean territories it had occupied unless it is replaced by international forces and not the Eritrean forces.
In a statement to the Ethiopian official TV on Sunday, Zenawi said he wants to deploy an international peace force before the Ethiopian force will leave the Eritrean positions it ( Ethiopia) controls.
He added if the Organization of African Unity and the UN do not have the money and the human force to establish such a peace force, " our army will stay in its place until the Organization of African Unity and the UN be able to establish such a force.
Zenawi added, concerning Ethiopia, the war which had started two years ago has ended, but he reiterated that the Ethiopian army will defend itself if it will be attacked by the Eritrean forces.
Ethiopia has seized vast areas from Eritrea when it launched a large attack on May 12 with an open objective of restoring back the Ethiopian territories, Eritrea occupied since the beginning of their borders war in May 1998.
Since that time, Ethiopia withdrew from most of the occupied territories but stayed in certain areas under the pretext that this is necessary to prevent Eritrea's striking of its territories.
Eritrea is persistent that the war will not end unless the Ethiopian forces will withdraw from all its territories.
The Ethiopian TV talked about a violent exchange of artillery fire at Bouri's eastern front on Sunday evening following limited confrontations between the two countries on foot troopers, while fighting continued at the eastern front despite the statement made by Zenawi on Wednesday that the war has ended.