Hiiraan Online

DJIBOUTI (HOL) – The Eritrean government has handed over four Djiboutian prisoners of war who were captured during the 2008 border war to the Qatari government, in the culmination of years negotiations between the two neighboring countries that signed a ceasefire agreement which ended the conflict.

The development comes after the Djiboutian government had also handed over 267 Eritrean POWs in 2014 after negotiations by human rights campaigners.

President Ismail Guelleh and other top government officials received the released soldiers upon their arrival at the airport on Friday, with the jubilant soldiers bowed down to the tarmac with joy for regaining freedom after more than eight years in prison.

Mohamed Ali Yusuf, Djibouti’s foreign minister said that 22 Djiboutian soldiers were captured during the war, with 13 of them still remain in the hands, with two others escaped from a jail in Eritrea.

The release of the Djiboutian soldiers by Eritrea is seen as a goodwill gesture which officials say could help bringing the two sides to table., thanks to a mediation by the Qatari government which despite campaigns by rights groups found itself virtually alone in
interceding on their behalf.

The Qatari-led ongoing efforts aim to convince the two sides to exchange all remaining POWs to each other.

The Djiboutian–Eritrean border conflict started after the Djiboutian government reported that Eritrean armed forces had penetrated into Djiboutian territory and dug trenches on both sides of the border, leading to armed clashes by the two armed forces in the border area, with France provided logistical, medical and intelligence support to Djibouti, but did not participate in direct combat.