The statement said Eritrean forces suffered heavy losses.

The Eritrean and Tigrean forces invaded the Afar regions of both countries in 1996.

The fighting began on Tuesday with an Ethiopian ground offensive aimed at recapturing land occupied by Eritrean forces last May.

Eritrean forces evacuated Barentu and fighting continued in Maidema.

Djiboutian forces then came under fire from Eritrean forces demanding the return of the deserters.

The border area is a militarized zone where the possibility of armed conflict between Ethiopian and Eritrean forces continues to exist.

Certain that the treaties made the land theirs, Eritrean forces marched into the Badme region in May 1998.

A United Nations convoy with food enough to feed 30,000 people for a month was recently destroyed by Eritrean forces.

On the third day of the offensive, February 10, 1990, the Eritrean forces captured the Ethiopian naval base near the town.

To achieve this the Eritrean forces used their nascent naval forces (mostly small gunboats) to attack from by sea during an artillery barrage.