Flags, flowers greet enemies become friends: Ethiopia and Eritrea

Pbadenger Senait Tesfaye had not seen her grandmother Abrehet for more than two decades. Abrehet, she said, was deported to Eritrea alongside tens of thousands of Ethiopian residents of Eritrean origin at the start of the conflict.

"We could not wait to see her all these years," she said as she cradled her three-month-old son, Naby. "He will now be able to spend more time with her than I have ever done as a child. Words can not express the joy we feel in the family."

The two 90-minute flights were the icing on the cake of a peace effort by new Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, whose three-month mandate has transformed politics in his country – the most populous of Africa after Nigeria – and the East African Region on his head. [19659002] With the 41-year-old former intelligence officer at the helm, the EPRDF coalition put an end to the state of emergency, released political prisoners, re-established telephone links, and announced plans to open the economy – including foreigners Ethiopian Airlines

The airline – which operates the largest fleet in Africa – saves millions of dollars Tewolde told Reuters that the use of 39 Eritrean airspace instead of em It was a good year to take a route back to some destinations in the Middle East, he said

. Surafel Demissie, an Ethiopian priest whose parents died as a child, had never been to Eritrea – his mother's homeland – nor met with family members.

to gather us. Today, God has dismantled the wall, "he said.

Abiy's predecessor as prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, told Reuters on board one of the flights that He felt "the joy of the heart"

The long-time president of Eritrea arrived in Ethiopia for his first visit in 22 years on Saturday amidst a dramatic diplomatic thaw between his rivals once relentless. "srcset =" https://static.ffx.io/images/$width_768%2C$height_433/t_crop_auto/t_sharpen%2Cq_auto%2Cf_auto/c034e1a2ecd84e69adeb866102f6bb9d9096d73c "itemprop =" image "/>

Since coming to power in April, Abiy proposed last month to make peace with Eritrea 20 years after the conflict that has left about 80,000 dead, including many were mown down by machine-gun fire in the trench warfare of the First World War. 19659002] Fighting full-fledged in 2000, troops have clashed since then, depriving Ethiopia of access to Red Sea ports and leaving Eritrea to rely on a long military conscription to repel the threat of its giant neighbor

. Men are fleeing every month, many make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean in search of a better life in Europe.

Acknowledging that the conflict placed an unsustainable economic burden on both sides, Abiy has since visited Asmara and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki reopened his country's embbady in Addis Ababa on Monday.

Countries banned their citizens from visiting during the conflict and foreigners who wanted to travel from one country to another had to connect via a third country.

dear, "said an Eritrean businesswoman based in Kenya

Reuters