Qatar withdraws troops from Djibouti, Eritrea border

Qatar has withdrawn troops deployed on the border between Djibouti and Eritrea, two northeastern African countries fighting over border territory, amid a diplomatic crisis between Doha and the neighbouring Gulf countries.

"The state of Qatar informed the government of Djibouti that it has withdrawn all its troops deployed on the border line in Djiboutian territory," Efe news quoted a source from the Qatari Foreign Ministry telling Qatar News Agency.

On June 5, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt broke diplomatic relations with Qatar and implemented a series of economic reprisals after claiming that Doha funded terrorist groups.

Several other countries followed suit.

Qatar was the country that brokered a peace agreement signed in 2010 between Djibouti and Eritrea in an attempt to resolve the decades-old border conflict and since then the Arab country has deployed units there to maintain stability.

Despite the withdrawal, the source said Qatar would remain "an impartial diplomatic mediator" in resolving "crises and disputes between brotherly and friendly countries", and would continue to be a "major player" in the international community.

--IANS

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