Qatari troops leave border area
Nation mediated Eritrea-djibouti dispute in east Africa in 2010
DOHA, Qatar — Qatar said Wednesday it has pulled all of its troops from the border of Djibouti and Eritrea, east African nations that have a long-running territorial dispute which Doha had helped mediate.
Qatar offered no explanation for the move, though it comes amid a diplomatic dispute with other Arab nations that have cut diplomatic ties and now are trying to isolate Qatar from the rest of the world.
While the dispute hasn’t escalated to a military confrontation, Qatar’s military is dwarfed by neighboring Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two of its biggest opponents in the crisis.
The 450 Qatari troops controlled a mountainous border crossing between Eritrea and Djibouti, said Nasredin Ali, a spokesman for Eritrea’s biggest armed group. Eritrean forces moved in after the troops departed, Ali said.
Eritrea’s top diplomat to the African Union, Araya Desta, told The Associated Press the move came after Eritrea cut diplomatic ties to Qatar, but Desta said his country wanted no confrontation.
“We don’t want to take any of Djibouti’s land,” Araya said. “The last time we had some skirmishes. It was unnecessary.”
Doha mediated the conflict between the two countries in 2010. Gulf nations have stationed troops in both African countries, using that as a jumping-off point for the ongoing Saudi-led war in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and severed ties with Doha last week. Qatar denies the allegations, but its ties to Iran and embrace of various Islamist groups have put the country under intense scrutiny.
U.N. Secretary-general Antonio Guterres spoke to Kuwait’s Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Alkhalid Al-sabah on Wednesday and expressed “full support for Kuwait’s efforts to de-escalate tensions and to promote effective dialogue” to resolve the crisis, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
Saudi Arabia on Wednesday blocked access to Qatar’s state TV website in the latest move by the kingdom to isolate the tiny Gulf country. The kingdom said the website was blocked because it violates the rules of the Ministry of Culture and Information.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain have also barred new subscriptions and imports of satellite decoders for the Qatari-owned bein Media Group, which includes sports and movie channels.
The three countries, along with Egypt, have already blocked access to Qatar’s Al Jazeera Arabic news channel and its affiliate websites. Saudi Arabia has also revoked Al Jazeera’s operating license.