Mission area

For operational purposes, the Mission area was divided into Sector West, Sector Centre and Sub-Sector East.

In January 2001, Sector Centre was established by the Netherlands/Canadian Battalion (NECBATT). In February 2001, the Jordanian Battalion (JORBATT) and Kenyan Battalion (KENBATT) were deployed in Sector West and Sub-Sector East respectively. In June 2001, the Indian Battalion (INDBATT) replaced NECBATT in Sector Centre. In 2004, INDBATT also took over responsibility for Sub-Sector East.

Following the temporary relocation from Eritrea in February 2008, Sector West and Sub-Sector East were closed.

Sector West

Sector West covers almost 45,600 square kilometers from lowland plains in the West to the Ethiopian Highlands in the East. Daytime temperatures often exceed 40° Celsius from April to June, with the temperature falling as low as 10° Celsius in December. The sector normally experiences two rainy seasons; a short season from March to April and a longer one from May to August. The Sector West headquarters were in Barentu until the temporary relocation of UNMEE in February 2008. The last Sector West Commander was Col Smail Bani Amer of Jordan. He was also the Commander of Jorbatt-14, which was deployed in Sector West in August 2007.  

Sector Centre

Sector Centre covers almost 28,000 square kilometers comprising the Debub region on the Eritrean side and Tigray region on the Ethiopian side. Daytime temperatures from April to August are around 30°Celsius, dropping to freezing point in December. However, the Bada Region, lying on the eastern edge of the Danakil Depression, has one of the world’s hottest climates. Sector Centre normally experiences two rainy seasons. The headquarters of Sector Centre are in Adigrat in Ethiopia. The Commanding officer is Col Ritu Raj Raina of Indbatt-7.  

Sub Sector East

Sub Sector East covers an area of almost 48,000 square kilometers. The terrain is primarily semi-desert, consisting of plains, mountains and exposed lava rock. The Danakil Depression is to the North of the sector. Daytime temperatures can reach up to 60° Celsius in the June-August period, dropping to around 40° Celsius in December. Unlike the other sectors, Sector East experiences relatively little rainfall. Generally the area is scarcely populated, with Bure and Assab towns being the prominent population centres. The nomadic Afar tribesmen are spread over almost the whole area. The headquarters of Sub-Sector East were in Assab until the temporary relocation in February 2008. The last Commander of the Sub-Sector was Lt Col Dinesh Kumar of Indbatt-7.   

Troop contributing countries

Countries which have contributed troops to UNMEE include: Algeria, Austria, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, India, Iran, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Tunisia, Ukraine, United States, Uruguay and Zambia.