Wüstenschiff

Ethiopia and Eritrea have traded blame over fresh clashes in a disputed border region that triggered a bloody war in 1998-2000 and killed thousands of civilians. Ethiopia said the situation was calm around the border town of Zalambessa on Monday, and government spokesman Getachew Reda alleged that Eritrean soldiers had been "promptly repulsed" by Ethiopian troops. A resident in the Ethiopian town of Zalambessa, across the border from Tsorona, told Reuters news agency by telephone that he had heard the sound of shelling on Sunday and into Monday morning. Eritrea disputed this account, saying Ethiopia started the fight.