UN chief welcomes meeting between leaders of Djibouti and Eritrea

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The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has welcomed the meeting between the Presidents of Djibouti and Eritrea, held on Monday in Saudi Arabia, as “yet another step in the consolidation of recent peace and security gains in the Horn of Africa region”.

Mr. Guterres said in a statement from his Spokesperson that he hopes the encounter in Jeddah between President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh of Djibouti, and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, will “initiate a process to settle all pending issues between the two countries and lead to greater peace, stability and development in the region”, and expressed appreciation to the leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its efforts in facilitating this dialogue.

The simmering conflict between the two countries started over 10 years ago and stems from a border dispute over the status of Dumeira Mountain and Dumeira Island, off the coast of both Djibouti and Eritrea, which have been claimed by both nations.

The meeting in Jeddah follows a request made in July by Djibouti’s ambassador to the UN, Mohamed Siad Doualeh, for help in settling the dispute with Eritrea.

On Sunday, the UN chief applauded another major step for peace in the region with the signing of the peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which ended decades of hostilities over a disputed border area.