Djiboutian forces then came under fire from Eritrean forces demanding the return of the deserters.[1] Djibouti called up soldiers and police who had retired since 2004 in response to the fighting. Eritrea dismissed accounts from Djibouti as "anti-Eritrean". A statement from Eritrea's Foreign Ministry said it would not "get involved in an invitation of squabbles and acts of hostility" and claimed Djibouti was trying to drag Eritrea into its "concocted animosity".[16] According to French Colonel Ducret, French soldiers in Djibouti provided logistical and medical assistance to the Djibouti army as well as providing them with intelligence.[17] Clashes between the two forces reportedly continued for several days before Djibouti's military announced on June 13 that fighting had subsided,[4] but on the same day, President Guelleh, was quoted by the BBC as saying that his country was at war with Eritrea.[5]