Barentu
| Barentu | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
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| Coordinates | 15 ° 7 ' N , 37 ° 36' E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | Eritrea | ||
| Gash-Barka | |||
| ISO 3166-2 | ER-GB | ||
| height | 1011 m | ||
| Residents | 21,000 (2005) | ||
Barentu ( Arabic بارنتو) is the capital of the province of Gash-Barka in Eritrea with 21,000 inhabitants (as of 2005). Barentu is located in the arid western lowlands 30 km from the Ethiopian border and is the (market) center of the Kunama ethnic group .
Barentu has been the eparchy (bishop's seat) of the Uniate Orthodox Church since 1995 .
During the Eritrea-Ethiopia War 2000, Ethiopian troops occupied the city on May 20, 2000. Large parts of Barentu were devastated during the fighting. As a result of the conflict, there are several UN offices in Barentu; On the one hand, the UN Refugee Commission (UNHCR) maintains an office, on the other hand, the command of the western sector of the military observers of the UNMEE mission is stationed there.
