Djibouti's foreign minister has accused neighbouring Eritrea of occupying a disputed territory along their border shortly after Qatar peacekeepers left the location this week.

Mahamoud Ali Youssouf said on Friday that Djibouti's military was "on alert" and that it has lodged complaints to the United Nations and the African Union.

"Qatari peacekeepers withdrew on June 12 and 13. On the same day, there were Eritrean military movements on the mountain," Ali Youssouf told the Reuters news agency.

"They are now in full control of Dumeira Mountain and Dumeira Island. This is in breach of the UN Security Council resolution," he added, referring to areas that the neighbours dispute.

Authorities in Eritrea were not immediately available for comment.

Qatar announced that it was pulling its contingent out on June 14, days after the two East African countries sided with Saudi Arabia and its allies in a major diplomatic standoff with Doha.

Qatar's foreign ministry did not give a reason for the move.

On June 5, a Saudi-led bloc of countries announced they were cutting ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting "terrorists" - allegations Doha strongly denies.

READ MORE: Djibouti alleges Eritrean incursion

Djibouti, a close Western ally, hosts French and US military bases and is the main route to the sea for Eritrea's arch foe and Washington's top regional ally, Ethiopia.

Eritrea has fractious ties with the West, which had previously accused it of backing Somali and other regional armed groups. Asmara denies the charges.

According to Abdullahi Boru Halakh, a Horn of Africa analyst, the territorial dispute at the border "has always been there, but for the past years Qatari forces that had been deployed there had kept peace".

Speaking from the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, he argued that Eritrea is trying to take advantage of the Gulf crisis.

"Eritrea is in the cold and under UN sanctions," he told Al Jazeera.

"They also have a territorial dispute with Ethiopia which has been simmering for years. The UN ruled in favour of Eritrea, but the ruling has not been enforced. Eritrea now sees this as an opportunity to come back from the cold and maybe get aid from the UN which it desperately needs."

Clashes broke out between the Horn of Africa countries in June, 2008, after Djibouti accused Eritrea of moving troops across the border, raising fears the spat could engulf the entire region.

The dispute triggered several days of fighting that killed a dozen Djiboutian troops and wounded dozens.

Eritrea had initially denied making any incursions, accusing Djibouti of launching unprovoked attacks.

The UN Security Council then requested both sides withdraw from the area, before the neighbours accepted a Qatari request to mediate and deploy peacekeepers.</s>ADDIS ABABA, June 16 (Reuters) - Djibouti accused neighbouring Eritrea on Friday of occupying disputed territory along their border after Qatar withdrew its peacekeepers.

Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf said Djibouti's military were "on alert" and that it has lodged complaints to the U.N. and the African Union.

Qatar announced that it was pulling its contingent out on June 14, days after the two East African countries sided with Saudi Arabia and its allies in their standoff with Qatar.

Doha's foreign ministry did not give a reason for the move but it comes as Doha faces a diplomatic crisis with some of its Arab neighbours. They cut ties a week ago, accusing Qatar of backing Islamist militgnts and Iran, something Doha strongly denies.

"Qatari peacekeepers withdrew on June 12 and 13. On the same day, there were Eritrean military movements on the mountain," Ali Youssouf told Reuters.

"They are now in full control of Dumeira Mountain and Dumeira Island. This is in breach of the UN Security Council resolution," he added, referring to areas that the neighbours dispute.

Authorities in Asmara were not immediately available for comment.

Djibouti, a close Western ally, hosts French and U.S. military bases and is the main route to the sea for Eritrea's arch foe and Washington's top regional ally, Ethiopia.

Eritrea has fractious ties with the West, which had previously accused it of backing Somali and other regional insurgents. Asmara denies the charges.

Clashes broke out between the Horn of Africa countries in June, 2008, after Djibouti accused Asmara of moving troops across the border, raising fears the spat could engulf the entire region.

The dispute triggered several days of fighting that killed a dozen Djiboutian troops and wounded dozens. Eritrea had initially denied making any incursions, accusing Djibouti of launching unprovoked attacks.

The U.N. Security Council then requested both sides withdraw from the area, before the neighbours accepted a Qatari request to mediate and deploy peacekeepers.</s>ADDIS ABABA: Djibouti accused neighbouring Eritrea on Friday of occupying disputed territory along their border after Qatar withdrew its peacekeepers.

Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf said Djibouti's military were "on alert" and that it had lodged complaints with the United Nations and the African Union.

The United Nations Security Council is due to discuss the situation behind closed doors on Monday, diplomats said.

Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the African Union Commission, later posted on Twitter: "I told Djibouti's Ambassador Idris Farah the AUC will send a delegation to Djibouti border to monitor developments, work with all parties."

Qatar said it was pulling its contingent out on June 14, days after the two East African countries sided with Saudi Arabia and its allies in their standoff with Qatar.

Doha's foreign ministry did not give a reason for the move but it comes as Doha faces a diplomatic crisis with some of its Arab neighbours. They cut ties a week ago, accusing Qatar of backing Islamist militants and Iran, something Doha strongly denies.

"Qatari peacekeepers withdrew on June 12 and 13. On the same day, there were Eritrean military movements on the mountain," Ali Youssouf told Reuters.

"They are now in full control of Dumeira Mountain and Dumeira Island. This is in breach of the UN Security Council resolution," he added, referring to areas that the neighbours dispute.

Authorities in Asmara were not immediately available for comment.

Djibouti, a close Western ally, hosts French and U.S. military bases and is the main route to the sea for Eritrea's arch foe and Washington's top regional ally, Ethiopia.

Eritrea has fractious ties with the West, which had previously accused it of backing Somali and other regional insurgents. Asmara denies the charges.

Clashes broke out between the Horn of Africa countries in June 2008 after Djibouti accused Asmara of moving troops across the border, raising fears the spat could engulf the region.

The dispute triggered several days of fighting in which a dozen Djiboutian troops died and dozens were wounded. Eritrea had initially denied making any incursions, accusing Djibouti of launching unprovoked attacks.

The U.N. Security Council requested both sides withdraw, before the neighbours accepted a Qatari request to mediate and deploy peacekeepers.</s>ADDIS ABABA, June 17 (Reuters) - The African Union urged Djibouti and Eritrea to remain calm and exercise restraint on Saturday after Djibouti accused its neighbour of occupying disputed territory along their border following the withdrawal of Qatari peacekeepers.

On Friday, Djibouti's Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf said Eritrean troops had seized Dumeira Mountain and Dumeira Island, areas the neighbours contest, and his country's military was on alert.

Authorities in the Eritrean capital Asmara were not available for comment.

Qatari peacekeepers were previously deployed along the frontier. Doha announced on June 14 that it had pulled its contingent out, days after the East African countries sided with Saudi Arabia and its allies in their standoff with Qatar.

In a statement, the African Union Commission's Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat appealed for calm.

"The AU Commission, in close consultations with the authorities in Djibouti and Eritrea, is in the process of deploying a fact-finding mission to the Djibouti-Eritrea border," he said.

The United Nations Security Council is due to discuss the situation behind closed doors on Monday, according to diplomats.

Clashes broke out between the Horn of Africa countries in June 2008 after Djibouti accused Asmara of moving troops across the border, raising fears the spat could engulf the region.

The dispute triggered several days of fighting in which a dozen Djiboutian troops died and dozens were wounded. Eritrea had initially denied making any incursions, accusing Djibouti of launching unprovoked attacks.

At the time, the U.N. Security Council requested both sides withdraw, before the neighbours accepted a Qatari request to mediate and deploy peacekeepers.

Qatar has not given reasons for its withdrawal, but it comes amid a diplomatic crisis with some of its Arab neighbours. They cut ties a week ago, accusing Qatar of backing Islamist militants and Iran - claims Doha strongly denies. (Reporting by Aaron Maasho; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)</s>The African Union on Saturday urged "restraint" as tensions intensified between Djibouti and Eritrea over a disputed border territory after the withdrawal of Qatari peacekeepers from a buffer zone.

Djibouti has accused Eritrea of occupying territory following the departure of the Qatari troops, threatening the revival of a long-standing, sometimes violent dispute.

AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat called for "calm, restraint" and said the body would send a "fact-finding mission to the Djibouti-Eritrea border."

The Qatari pullout comes as the Gulf emirate is locked in a bitter dispute with Saudi Arabia and its allies over alleged ties to Islamist extremists, a charge it denies.

Both Djibouti and Eritrea have good relations with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and have taken their side in the Gulf row.

Djibouti Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf on Thursday accused Eritrea of "moving its forces" into the Doumeira region where Qatari peacekeepers had been stationed since 2010 as a buffer between the two nations' armies.

"Djibouti is a peaceful country and we have prioritised diplomatic solutions, but if Eritrea insists in seeking military solutions, Djibouti is ready for that," Youssouf said in a press conference broadcast on local television.

Eritrea has not yet responded to the allegations.

Djibouti is a strategic ally of world powers, hosting French and US military bases with a Chinese one under construction, while Eritrea is widely regarded as a pariah state.

Djibouti's large port is also a conduit for imports to and exports from Ethiopia, Eritrea's bitter enemy.

The AU said it was "ready to assist Djibouti and Eritrea to normalise their relations and promote good neighbourliness within the framework of relevant AU instruments."</s>African Union says it will send a 'fact-finding mission' to the countries as tensions between the neighbours mount.

The African Union (AU) has urged Djibouti and Eritrea to show "restraint" as tensions over a disputed border territory intensified and threatened to revive a longstanding and at times violent dispute.

Djibouti on Friday accused Eritrean soldiers of occupying territory in the contested Doumeira region following the departure of Qatari peacekeepers from the location earlier this week.

Doumeira is situated northeast of Djibouti and east of Eritrea near the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a strategic waterway at the foot of the Red Sea through which nearly four million barrels of oil are shipped daily to Europe, the United States and Asia.

Moussa Faki Mahamat, AU commission chairperson, said on Saturday that the union would send a "fact-finding mission to the Djibouti-Eritrea border".

The AU is "ready to assist Djibouti and Eritrea to normalise their relations and promote good neighbourliness within the framework of relevant AU instruments," he said.

Qatar announced that it was pulling its contingent out on June 14, days after the two East African countries sided with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and their allies in a major diplomatic standoff with Doha.

Qatar's foreign ministry did not give a reason for the move.

Djibouti's Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssef said on Friday that his country's army was "on alert" and accused Eritrea of "moving its forces" into the Doumeira region where Qatari peacekeepers had been stationed since 2010 as a buffer between the two nations' armies.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Eritrea did not address the allegations directly, saying it would not respond to "news - factual and speculative - churned out in the last few days".

"The government of Eritrea will make its views known when it obtains full information of the entire episode," said the statement issued by the information ministry in Asmara.

Djibouti, a close Western ally, has repeatedly clashed with Eritrea over the disputed territory, raising fears that the spat could engulf the entire region.

Clashes broke out between the Horn of Africa countries in June, 2008, which triggered several days of fighting that killed a dozen Djiboutian troops.

Eritrea had initially denied making any incursions, accusing Djibouti of launching unprovoked attacks.

The UN Security Council then requested both sides withdraw from the area, before the neighbours accepted a Qatari request to mediate and deploy peacekeepers.</s>ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Eritrea's government says Qatar has not yet explained why it withdrew 450 peacekeeping troops from the East African nation's contested border area with Djibouti.

Djibouti has accused Eritrean troops of occupying the Dumeira mountain area shortly after Qatar's peacekeepers left earlier this week. Qatar, which is caught up in its own diplomatic clash with other Arab nations, had mediated a territorial dispute between Djibouti and Eritrea.

In a statement sent Saturday to The Associated Press, Eritrea's information ministry says Eritrea has not received any explanation from Qatar on its "hasty" withdrawal, which it said occurred "against the backdrop of a turbulent climate."

Eritrea's top diplomat to the African Union, Araia Desta, says the country has not cut ties with Qatar.

Eritrea has said it wants no confrontation with Djibouti.</s>It is said that Eritrea and Djibouti sided with Saudi Arabia(like most Arab/muslim countries in the region) against Qatar, reason Qatar decided to withdraw all its peacekeeping troops from the disputed region between both countries.Doha cancels mediation mission on the Djibouti-Eritrea border, ending years of peacekeeping efforts under a 2010 agreement signed in QatarQatar sent hundreds of soldiers to the Djibouti-Eritrea border area in 2010 (Reuters)Wednesday 14 June 2017 09:55 UTCLast update:Wednesday 14 June 2017 11:38 UTCredditwhatsapp googleplus 811Topics:Tags:Qatar has withdrawn its troops from the Djibouti-Eritrea border, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday, after years of mediating in a territorial dispute between the two African states."The state of Qatar informed the government of Djibouti that it has withdrawn all its troops deployed on the border line in Djiboutian territory," a ministry statement said.The decision by Qatar to withdraw its troops comes as the Gulf kingdom is locked in a bitter dispute with Saudi Arabia and its allies over its alleged ties to "terrorist" groups and close relationship with Iran. Doha denies all claims.Qatar informed the government of Djibouti that it has withdrawn all its troopsBoth Djibouti and Eritrea have good relations with Qatar's leading opponents Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and have taken their side in the Gulf split.Djibouti downgraded ties with Qatar last week, saying it was acting in "solidarity with the international coalition combating terrorism and extremist violence, as well as with the Gulf and Arab countries".Eritrea's Information Ministry said on Monday the decision by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt to sever ties was a move "in the right direction".Djibouti also cut ties with Iran, Saudi's regional rival, over the January 2016 storming of the Saudi embassy in Tehran by crowds incensed by Riyadh's execution of the Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr The Qatari ministry statement said the kingdom had been an "impartial diplomatic mediator" in the dispute between Djibouti and Eritrea since 2010, which ended two years of border clashes.The statement said it would "continue to be a major player in the international community".Fighting over the un-demarcated area in the Red Sea, known as Doumeira, killed 35 people and left dozens of others wounded.The leaders of Eritrea and Djibouti signed a pact in Doha in 2010, under the auspices of Qatar's then-emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, to pursue a negotiated settlement.Reports in 2010 stated that Qatar had sent an estimated 700 soldiers to the border to oversee the agreement. A UN monitoring group says there were 200 stationed on the border at the last count.Qatar has also played the role of mediator in other African conflicts.It brokered a peace deal between the Khartoum government and rebels in the Red Sea coast region of Sudan, which borders Eritrea. It has tried to do the same in the conflict in Sudan's western region of Darfur.But is the second time that Qatari troops have come home since the rift among Gulf states began. A Qatari contingent stationed in Saudi Arabia as part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen returned last week.The forces had been stationed in the south of the kingdom to reinforce Saudi defences against Houthi attacks.Saudi Arabia was in January reported to be finalising a deal to build a military base in Djibouti , according to Djibouti’s foreign minister, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf."We’re going to sign a military co-operation agreement soon in Riyadh," Youssouf said in an interview with the Financial Times "I cannot give you the details because this is military stuff and is classified. But you will see when it will happen."The African state, which lies on the strategic Horn of Africa, already hosts a US base for 4,000 soldiers and French military facilities.China is also constructing its own base.It's surprising to see the long arm reach and influence Saudi Arabia has over muslim and even some non Muslim countries in the region. Even countries I would have never imagined are toeing the Saudi line. This is into, since I never expected even Eritrea to side with KSA.</s>Djibouti has lodged a formal complaint with the African Union after accusing soldiers from neighboring Eritrea of occupying a contested mountainous area after Qatari peacekeepers left the region this week, an official said.

The moves threatened to renew a territorial dispute between the two East African nations that Qatar, now caught up in a diplomatic clash with other Arab nations, has helped to mediate.

"The Eritrean troops occupied the Dumeira Mountain immediately after Qatar's peacekeepers left," Djibouti's ambassador to Ethiopia, Mohammed Idriss Farah, told The Associated Press. "Sometimes the Eritrean troops go to the top of the mountain and return on the other side. What makes this one different is that they moved in right after the peacekeepers left."

The ambassador said his government was waiting for military confirmation on whether Eritrean forces still controlled the contested area.

A spokesman for the African Union, Ebba Kalondo, confirmed that Djibouti had officially lodged a complaint to the AU Commission.

Qatar said Wednesday it had pulled all of its troops from the Djibouti-Eritrea border. That came after Eritrea expressed support for the Saudi-led move to isolate Qatar amid a diplomatic dispute.

Qatar has helped to mediate a long-running territorial dispute between the two countries. Eritrea in the past has clashed with both Djibouti and Ethiopia over borders.

Eritrean officials could not be reached immediately for comment. Eritrea's top diplomat to the African Union on Wednesday said the country wants to solve the problem with Djibouti peacefully.

A spokesman for Eritrea's biggest armed opposition group, Nasredin Ali, told the AP that Eritrea sent two battalions of troops to control the contested area.

"The Eritreans are now gathering forces at the base of the Dumeira Mountain," Ali said in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. "They have met no resistance from Djibouti's forces."</s>Qatar withdrew its peacekeeping force from the border of Djibouti and Eritrea on Wednesday, a response to both nations backing Saudi Arabia’s recent blockade of Qatar. It didn’t take long for their absence to be felt in the area, with a border dispute breaking out almost immediately.

Djibouti is now accusing Eritrean forces of having occupied a contested area along the border, and have lodged a formal complaint with both the UN Security Council and the African Union, and placed their military “on alert” related to the alleged incursion.

The two nations have repeatedly had disputes in the Ras Doumeira region, which has on occasion led to military conflict. The most recent such clash over the boundary was in 2008, and left over 100 people killed. Internationally Djibouti has tended to be supported in this dispute.

Another war in the region clearly doesn’t benefit anybody, and while there’s talk of the African Union getting involved to try to mediate the dispute again, it seems like the whole mess could’ve been avoided if they hadn’t ended up chasing the Qatari forces out of the region.
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Djiboutian foreign minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf accuses Eritrea of occupying the disputed Doumeira Islands and Ras Doumeira peninsula after Qatari peacekeepers withdrew from the area.