Ethiopian, Eritrean Troops Clash on Border, Horn Affairs Says

By William Davison 

Ethiopian and Eritrean troops clashed at several border locations on Sunday, local website Horn Affairs said, citing sources it didn’t identify. Ethiopia’s government said it had no reports of incidents.

Fighting involving heavy artillery began around 5 a.m. and continued until at least early afternoon, the Addis Ababa-based website said.

The incident could be an effort by the Eritrean government to distract attention from a June 8 United Nations report that said its leaders committed crimes against humanity, Getachew Reda, Ethiopia’s communications minister, said by phone from Frankfurt.

Eritrea’s Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment made on Twitter Inc. Eritrea, a former province of its neighbor, fought a two-year war with Ethiopia that formally ended in 2000, although its government has maintained war-time controls such as requiring national service and suspended enactment of a constitution.