ASMARA - The United Nations said Thursday it is investigating the shooting death of an Eritrean on the tense border between Ethiopia and Eritrea last week, the third incident along the frontier reported in April.
"One person was killed and an investigation followed immediately after that," said Musi Khumalo, a spokesman for the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE).
Khumalo and UNMEE chief of staff Colonel Samuel Nandwa told reporters that the shooting had been reported to UNMEE by Eritrean militia who said one of their number had been killed when they were fired on by uniformed men.
They told UNMEE "some people crossed from the Ethiopian side and shot," Nandwa said, adding that the militia had said the men who opened fire were "wearing green fatigues."
The UN investigation was still going on but Khumalo noted that Ethiopia "has at this point denied any involvement."
The shooting comes amid heightened tensions between the rival neighbors who fought a 1998-2000 war over the disputed border.
In early April, three Ethiopians were found dead after shooting incidents on the border in which Eritrean militia said they had fired on people illegally coming into Eritrea.
Later in the month, UNMEE reported the discovery of four newly laid mines in Ethiopia, near the Eritrean border, three of which exploded injuring four Ethiopians.
Khumalo said all three were still being probed but added that "preliminary reports indicate that these incidents could possibly be related to cattle rustling attempts."
And, he stressed that the general situation in the mission area remains militarily stable."
The two countries signed a peace deal ending the two-year war in 2000 in which they pledged to respect a border demarcation decided by an independent commission.
Ethiopia initially rejected the April 2002 ruling but then in November said it accepted the commission's verdict in principle but wanted "adjustments."
Eritrea, meanwhile, insists it will only accept full implementation of the commission ruling and three years later, demarcation has still not begun to the growing concern of the international community.
Last month, the UN envoy for Ethiopia and Eritrea warned that the world must "act fast" to defuse the growing tension or face the risk of a new border war.
05/05/2005 14:27 GMT