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Eritrea: Gov’t denies Djibouti war claim Fri. May 09, 2008 08:50 am.- By Bonny Apunyu. - (SomaliNet) Eritrea has denied that it has any problems with Djibouti, which accuses it of amassing troops on their border. Djibouti, earlier this week, appealed to the UN Security Council to intervene in order to prevent a conflict over the border village of Doumeira. Djibouti alleged Eritrea had published new maps showing Doumeira as Eritrean territory. However, Eritrea's ambassador to the European Union, Grirma Asmerom, said he knew nothing about the letter. Since Eritrea gained independence in 1993, the country has been involved in two serious conflicts over territory with its neighbours. BBC Somali Service editor Yusuf Garaad Omar says Djibouti's interpretation of events is alarming. He said Doumeira is a small border village of little strategic importance home to ethnic Afar people. "The sudden growth of troops calls for real intervention by the international community because we see it as a real threat," Djibouti's ambassador to the UN Roble Olhaye told the BBC's Network Africa programme. "We wanted to urge the Security Council to take all necessary measures to prevent any kind of conflagration because the prospect of a real war is there." But Mr Asmerom said he was bemused by such accusations. "There is no such problem with Djibouti; we have never had a problem with Djibouti," he said. In 1995, Eritrea clashed with Yemen over the Hanish islands in the Red Sea - one of the world's major shipping lanes. Three years later, Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a two-year war over the border town of Badme, in which tens of thousands of people died. Djibouti and Eritrea clashed twice over their mutual border in the 1990s and nearly went to war. Both US and France have military bases in Djibouti. -BBC News Category: East Africa Latest Headlines Latest News Somalia: WFP welcomes Canada naval escort in Somali... E. Africa: Kenya security alerts Tanzanian coun... WB to pump huge money to infrastructure project... Olympics: Somali delegation expects Olympics to brin... Kenya, Tz mark 10th anniversary of deadly bombi... Somalia: Well-known Somali aid worker killed south... Al Qaida North Africa wing claims responsibility for... Egypt: Police discovers 20 underground tunnels near ... Somalia: Canadian navy to escort WFP ships carrying... Premier League: 'I will stay at United'-Cristiano Ro... More News...