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Eritrean President Issaias Afeworki began a historic visit to Ethiopia on Saturday to cement the normalization between the two neighbors of the Horn of Africa who ended a twenty-year war just a few days ago.
The Eritrean head of state was greeted with honors, military guard, traditional dances and red carpet, by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed upon his arrival in Addis Ababa for a three-day official visit, found an AFP journalist
"Welcome home, President Issaias !!" wrote Abiy's chief of staff, Fitsum Arega, on Twitter, to the head of a country once formed the same nation with Ethiopia
Ethiopians were mbaded along the road to the airport, dressed in white shawls and waving palms, while the streets were decorated with flags of both countries, banners and photos of the two leaders.
This unprecedented trip comes just five days after Mr. Abiy himself left Eritrea after a visit to Asmara came to materialize a peace initiative launched by the new head of the reformist government. Addis Ababa, who came to power last April
From 1998 to 2000, Ethiopia and Eritrea engaged in a conventional war, with tanks and trenches, which killed some 80,000 people, including because of a disagreement over their common border
Ethiopia's refusal to implement a 2002 decision of a UN-backed border commission then fueled a long animosity between the two countries. 19659002] But last month, Mr. Abiy announced Ethiopia's willingness to implement a peace agreement signed in Algiers in 2000 with Eritrea, and two years later the conclusions of the international independent commission. on the demarcation of the frontier.
Announcing Friday the visit of President Issaias in Addis Ababa, Eritrean Minister of Information Yemane Gebremeskel said it "was intended to cement / reinforce the process of peace and cooperation undertaken. by the two leaders. "
– Changes in Eritrea? –
Monday, on the occasion of the first meeting in 20 years of the leaders of the enemy brothers of the Horn of Africa, they had ended two decades of state of war by signing a "joint declaration of peace and cooperation. "
Telephone calls were reinstated as early as Sunday and air links should resume Wednesday.
According to the radio-television close to the Ethiopian power Fana, Mr. Issaias must badist during his visit to the reopening of the Eritrean embbady in Addis Ababa and visit an industrial park.
Formerly the maritime facade of the Ethiopia with the ports of Mbadawa and Assab, Eritrea declared independence in 1993 after driving Ethiopian troops out of its territory in 1991 after three decades of war.
Eritrean Independence deprived Ethiopia of access to the sea and forced it to rely almost exclusively on Djibouti for its maritime trade.
Access to Eritrean ports by Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous country, is expected to boost the economy of both states while threatening the hegemony of Djibouti.
Freedom of movement on the part of and on the other side of the border must allow the reunion of two peoples, linked by a common history, language and ethnicity, and separated families for more than 20 years.
On Saturday, Amnesty International wanted peace to be also a catalyst for change in Eritrea, where thousands of people "languish in detention for simply expressing their opinion."
"The end of hostilities with Ethiopia is a moment of joy for Eritreans but it must be followed tangible reforms that make a real difference in people's daily lives and put an end to decades of repression, "the deputy director of the NGO for the region, Sei, said in a statement. f Magango
He added that Eritrea was the country in Africa that imprisoned the most journalists and that the last independent media was closed there ninety years ago.
Amnesty also called at the end of the unlimited military service, which was justified in Asmara by the state of war with Ethiopia. The measure caused the emigration of hundreds of thousands of young Eritreans.
AFP
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