NEWS RELEASE

Monday, June 21, 1999

ETHIOPIAN FORCES REPEL ATTACKS ON TWO FRONTS

From June 14-17, the Ethiopian defence forces effectively repulsed attacks by the Eritrean army on the main Mereb River front, putting 3,420 enemy forces out of action. In addition, the Eritrean military, consisting of one brigade, initiated another offensive on the right wing of the main Mereb River front on June 17.

The Ethiopian military also successfully repelled this attack and the Eritrean troops were forced to scatter in disarray. During the course of this military engagement, 130 Eritrean military personnel were killed, wounded or captured.

The fighting that took place from June 14-17 was a continuation of the offensive that the Eritrean army first initiated on June 9. In total, 24,450 enemy soldiers have been put out of action during the past nine days. This latest round of offensives by the Eritrean government is yet another attempt to try and recapture Badme, which the Ethiopian defence forces successfully liberated in late February.