Djibouti border dispute could jeopardize peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea

According to Aggrey Mutambo

The decision of Ethiopia and Eritrea to abandon the war roads for peace and restore diplomatic and economic ties has made l & # 39; unanimously.

Kenya, for example, argued that it meant less region and "one step closer to lasting peace and stability" in the Horn of Africa.

Even the United Nations Security Council has declared: "This represents a historic and significant development with positive consequences for the Horn of Africa."

But the growing rapprochement between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and President Isaias Afwerki seems to have irritated Djibouti, another neighbor of Eritrea

OPEN LETTER

Last week, the Djiboutian ambbadador to the UN, Siad Doualeh, wrote a letter open to the UN Security Council for mediation in their border dispute with Eritrea

Mr. Doualeh sought a judicial settlement that would be legally binding on both parties.

Relationships between Djibouti and Eritrea are perennial, from the colonial era when the first was under French administration while the second under the Italians.

They quarreled over the property summer of the area called Ras Doumeira since the 1900s. They clashed in 2008, resulting in several deaths. The UN Security Council has imposed sanctions on Eritrea for an arms embargo against Asmara who financed troublemakers in the Horn

QATAR MEDIATION

In 2010, Qatar agreed to act as mediator

Both parties appeared to be on offer and this calmed the problem.

It was until last year in June when Doha withdrew its troops, following a blockade imposed on Qatar through it. Meanwhile, neighbors such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have accused Qatar of financing terrorists, a charge it rejected

[BORDER DECISION]

How does this affect the Ethiopia-Eritrea agreement? First of all, the border dispute is causing Djibouti and Eritrea to fight over an area that their colonial masters initially agreed to demilitarize.

This could occupy the spirit of Asmara while in reality they should put in the Eritrean academician Berhe Habte-Giorgis claims that the keystone of the Addis Agreement -Asmara will be implementing the border dispute between the two countries, which, according to him, provoked all the animosity.

"The key factor in the relations between the two countries is the implementation of the border decision.As simple as it may seem, the management of the TPLF refused to authorize the demarcation of the border despite its approval before and after the decision, "he said on Friday. when the war began in 1998.

Professor Berhe says that the refusal to accept the border decision of the 2000 Algiers Agreement opened windows for Eritrea is "coated" with dirt, insulating internationally.

"He was the key monkey in the peace process.He began by rejecting the decision of the Border Commission to the UN Security Council, imposed sanctions on charges forged by all. allegedly supporting Al-Shabab, and continued to use false accusations. "

ASMARA PENALTIES

Djiboutian diplomacy deplored Ethiopia's position as a non-state member. Permanent Council of the UN Security Council for the lifting of sanctions against Asmara.

Renewed last November, the UNSC imposed restrictions on Asmara until November 2018.

The Council partially lifted an arms embargo and exempted humanitarian relief for Eritrea . this month, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters in Addis Ababa that he hoped the sanctions regime would be lifted soon.

"The sanctions were motivated by a number of events It took place, but my belief is that these events will no longer exist, they will naturally become obsolete," said Antonio Guterres.

If the sanctions are lifted, admits the Djibouti Minister of Foreign Affairs Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, there could be

In a memoir addressed to his envoys, Youssouf declared that Eritrea had not yet abandoned his warlike behavior towards the neighbors and that Addis could make a mistake to accept him quickly in the lap. In fact, Djibouti had gained the most when Ethiopia and Eritrea fought each other and that 95% of all Ethiopian import transactions went through its ports while in the meantime it was the most important. Asmara was closing the sea route for Addis Ababa.

Ethiopia renews its interest in importing by Eritrea, which could in the near future negate Djiboutian affairs.

Meanwhile, Eritrea is still considered a failure and is at the end of the World Press Freedom Index published by Rep orters without borders