Reuters
10:29 a.m. Jun 24, 1998 Eastern
By Matthew Bigg
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (Reuters) - Ethiopia and Eritrea exchanged a brief round of heavy artillery fire early Wednesday along their common border, the Ethiopian government said.
The fighting took place around the front at Zalambessa and is the first upsurge in the undeclared war in almost two weeks.
``At around 6 a.m. (0300 GMT) this morning (Wednesday) they started firing heavy artillery,'' Ethiopian government spokeswoman Selome Tadesse told reporters.
``We responded with heavy artillery. It was very brief,'' she said, giving no further details.
It was unclear whether the fighting signaled the start of a more prolonged exchange. There was no immediate word from the Eritrean government.
A border dispute between the former Horn of Africa allies degenerated into violent conflict on May 6. Hundreds have died in the conflict being fought on three fronts at Badme, Zalambessa and south of the Eritrean port of Assab.
There have been no significant reports of fighting since Eritrea bombed the northern town of Adigrat on June 11 and Ethiopia reported fighting at Burre on the Assab front, also the same day.
Ethiopia now has tens of thousands of troops along the 625-mile border, most well trained in infantry fighting, diplomats say.
It also has tank capacity and an aging, but well-maintained, air force that lacks trained pilots, one diplomat told Reuters. Nevertheless, Eritrea is at least as well-equipped to fight a ground war, he added.
Ethiopia is also able to mobilize Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF) militia who fought a long war with other rebel groups to defeat Marxist dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam in May 1991. The TPLF now dominates the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) government.
In military terms both sides benefit greatly from long experiences of guerrilla campaigns against Mengistu.
Both sides have used the lull to mobilize more troops and conduct training exercises, while pursuing mediation.
A mediation effort by the Organization of African Unity (OAU) broke down last Friday after Eritrean President Isayas Afewerki rejected a plan sponsored by the United States and Rwanda.
Eritrea refused to accept a clause in the four-point plan which called on it to withdraw to territory it held before May 6 and allow Ethiopia to administer the disputed area until the matter was investigated.
No new mediation effort was in the pipeline, one senior Western diplomat told Reuters. But the diplomat added there were at least four scenarios in the short term.
These included sporadic skirmishes, an attempt by Ethiopia simply to regain the small slice of territory it lost around Badme, an Eritrean push into Tigray and a protracted war in which both sides would attempt ``to wear each other down,'' the diplomat said.
Ethiopia this week reinforced its air defenses, stationing anti-aircraft guns at the main airport in the capital, witnesses said.
Both sides have accepted a moratorium on air strikes brokered by the United States, although Eritrea has accused Ethiopia of violating the agreement by blocking commercial flights into its capital Asmara.
Diplomats say Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has at least as much to gain from seeking OAU and United Nations support for his position than from fighting to regain territory.