March 05, 2006 - An Austrian civilian member of the UN mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) was shot and wounded by an Ethiopian soldier Saturday while jogging in Addis Ababa, diplomats said.

The man was hit by a bullet in the thigh while exercising near an Ethiopian military base and taken to the government military hospital in the capital, where "he is in good condition," Austrian Ambassador Brigitte Ottinger said.

The morning shooting took place in the Old Airport district to the south-west of Addis Ababa, she added, saying that the first incident of its kind appeared to have been an accident.

The UNMEE forces, civilian and military, were deployed in the neighbouring Horn of Africa countries after a border war between May 1998 and May 2000 that claimed scores of thousands of lives.

Another diplomatic source, who asked not to be named, said "there was no warning sign in the area saying (the Austrian) was not allowed to be there" and that Ethiopian authorities had subsequently arrested the soldier involved.

Ethiopian officials could not be reached to comment on the incident. - Sapa-AFP