The first peace observers arrived that month and peacekeeping troops are to begin deployment in January. Land travel west, south and southeast of Barentu is dangerous and should be avoided. In late January, near the town of Antore in western Eritrea, two people were killed and two wounded when a pickup truck detonated a land mine. The December and January incidents appear to have involved freshly laid mines. Americans traveling in this area despite the obvious dangers are strongly advised to check with local authorities before embarking on their journey, and particularly to avoid travel at night.
Mines remain throughout the country.
U.S. citizens should avoid traveling at night and on unpaved and secondary roads. They should avoid walking alone and hiking in riverbeds or areas that local government officials do not certify as safe. Although Eritrea and Sudan have recently re-established diplomatic relations, overland travel between these two countries is dangerous and strongly discouraged. The Eritrean-Sudanese border remains tense. There are reports that EIS insurgents have laid new land mines and EIS attacks have occurred in these areas.