The Involvement of the UN in the Management of the 1998–2000 Crisis and the Role of the UN Mission, in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE)

The United Nations’ interest in the situation on the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea started only in June 1998, one month after fighting broke out, when the UN Security Council (UNSC) adopted its first Resolution 1177(1998) related to the ongoing conflict. This unusually late interest was later compensated by numerous Resolutions and acts adopted by the various UN bodies. At the request of the two States, the Security Council decided to deploy a peacekeeping operation which stayed on the ground from 2000 to 2008. The life of this mission has been extremely challenging for multiple reasons and the lack of cooperation of the two States was unprecedented. Compared to other international field operations deployed by the United Nations, the mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea presented unique features that made this mission a rather ‘special’ case. This chapter aims to analyse the activities carried out by the UN and to evaluate their impact in order to contribute to shedding some light on this unique operation.