June 6: Eritrea recaptures Tessenei as Ethiopian troops withdraw. No news from Assab front except a statement from Ethiopia about repulsing Eritrean attacks.

AUDIO: Eritrean deserters describe horror of central front -- BBC, June 6, 2000. Group of fifty Eritrean deserters interviewed at Adigrat

June 5: News of peace plan expected from Algiers. Eritrea says shelling intense on Bure front monday morning. Eritrea released a statement today that indicates it will reject a ceasefire and the new peace terms at Algiers. Eritrea says it will continue the war unless Ethiopia withdraws "unconditionally." Thus it seems there is little chance of a ceasefire in the near future. In fact, Ethiopia reported a clash in western Eritrea. Meanwhile Eritrea has rounded up thousands of Ethiopian civilians in Eritrea and put them in a camp without shelter. Journalists who went to the site were prevented from talking to the people.

Confused reports from Assab: A late BBC radio bulletin from Asmara says Assab is "now cut off from the surrounding area" while diplomats in Addis say fighting is going on only 6 miles (10km) from Assab. Whose troops are these? According to Eritrea, the frontline was at 71 km then 56 km then 37km and then back to 56km after an Ethiopian division was supposedly "decimated" on Saturday. If the reports of fighting near Assab are true, then it could be that the Afar liberation forces have taken matters into their hands.

June 3-4: One-day battle on Bure front is over - Eritrea claims repulsed attack on Assab while Ethiopia says it crushed Eritrean provocation. BBC correspondent visits 1,500 Eritrean POWs at makeshift camp in northern Ethiopia: 280 of the POWs are wounded.

On June 2 Ethiopia reported an Eritrean attack on the Bure front as well as the Senafe front. An Ethiopian foreign ministry statement issued today noted that while Ethiopia had offered Eritrea a ceasefire, Eritrea had rejected this and had launched provocative attacks on several fronts; a "needless prolongation of the conflict." Ethiopia has said that it would deal decisively with Eritrean forces that engaged in attacks on Ethiopian positions.

Analysis: Eritrean Economy in Dire Straits IMF statistical appendix released on May 11, 2000, paints a grim picture.

The Bure Frontline:The Eritrean foreign ministry said on June 3 that the frontline was 37 km west of Assab. However, on May 30, reporters were taken to a rearbase 14km from the new frontlines and 42km from Assab. The Eritrean commander stated that the frontlines were at Deba Sima and were 56 km from Assab. Why is Eritrea now saying the front is only 37 km from Assab? It should be noted that the Italo-Ethiopian treaty of 1908 (never implemented) said the border should run 60 km from the coastline. The old frontlines at Burie were 71 km from Assab and clearly in Ethiopian territory by any measure.

More Eritrean soldiers vote with their feet for a ceasefire: AFP was present when the disarmed 113 soldiers were being vaccinated against meningitis Friday before being led to join another 70 military men who arrived earlier in the northern part of the camp, allocated for servicemen only.

Eritrean army private Aklilo Ayoub (26) said he was part of army Unit 18, which comprised about 3,000 soldiers at Setait locality on the western front.

Many in the unit were killed but others, like him, managed to withdraw, Ayoub told AFP, adding that he then made his way across the border into Qulsa camp. -- More civilian, miliary Eritrean refugees cross into Sudan - AFP, June 3

June 1-2: Ceasefire declaration was expected. But in a surprising development Eritrea has refused Ethiopia's offer. Ethiopia says it will hold onto Shelalo and Senafe until internationally-guaranteed agreement is signed. But Eritrea said it won't ceasefire until Ethiopian troops leave Eritrea.