The State Department says a U.S. mediator has canceled her trip to Eritrea because the Horn of Africa nation blocked her visit.
Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer said last week she would travel to Eritrea and neighboring Ethiopia to help the countries resolve a border dispute.
State Department spokeswoman Julie Reside said Ms. Frazer will still travel to Ethiopia and will visit the disputed border from the Ethiopian side. She had been expected to arrive in Addis Ababa Wednesday.
The long-running border dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia has heated up in recent months, with troop movements spotted on both sides of the border.
Eritrea has repeatedly refused dialogue on the border issue in recent years, faulting the international community for not doing enough to make Ethiopia accept a borderline drawn by an independent panel.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.