UN says Eritrea releases its detained staffer

NAIROBI, Oct 5 (Reuters) Eritrea has released a UN staff member who was arrested in August, accused of smuggling people to neighbouring Ethiopia, the United Nations said.

Eritrea said last month it had caught the UN peacekeeper, Redis Sinenbo from the Democratic Republic of Congo, as he tried to cross into Ethiopia with eight Eritreans.

''The Eritrean authorities released and handed over to UNMEE, the United Nations Volunteer staff member who had been detained since August 28 2006,'' the UN peacekeeping mission (UNMEE) said in a statement late yesterday.

''The staff member appears to be in good spirits and is currently undergoing a medical evaluation,'' UNMEE said, adding that it was working with the government to conclude the investigation of the case.

Eritrea said in August it had arrested several other UN staff for alleged people smuggling and earlier last month it expelled five UN security personnel on spying charges.

Long suspicious that Western countries favour its neighbour Ethiopia, Eritrea has criticised the United Nations for failing to enforce the ruling of an independent border commission at the end of a 1998-2000 war that killed some 70,000 people.

The commission awarded the flashpoint town of Badme to Eritrea, but Ethiopia has refused to comply with that.

The United Nations runs a peacekeeping mission monitoring Eritrea and Ethiopia's border and has various aid operations in Eritrea.

Last year, Asmara expelled Western UN peacekeepers and slapped a ban on the mission's helicopter flights.

Eritrea says the United States is using its leverage in the United Nations to influence the border issue. Ethiopia is the main US ally for counter-terrorism operations in the region.

REUTERS PB BST1602