Border between Ethiopia and Eritrea booming as peace settles

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Girmay Gerba

The reopening of the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea, its former enemies, has radically transformed the cities close to the border, writes Emmanuel Igunza, of the BBC.

The sun had just risen but the Adigrat market was already animating when I went to visit.

Dozens of makeshift stalls lined the street where a group of women traders were sifting chickpeas.

In another place, an elderly man removed the chickens from the cages and placed them outside his store.

You can buy almost everything on the market: spices, building materials, refrigerators and washing machines.

The market of this Ethiopian city, located 38 km south of the border, has been transformed since the opening of the border four months ago, following the conclusion of a peace agreement on "the state of war" between the two countries.

Many Eritreans are now crossing to see what they can buy.

"We love peace"

Mebrhit Gebrehans, a middle-aged woman with a big smile, is one of the traders whose business is booming.

She was busy opening a bag filled with fresh spices and was calling potential customers when I met her.

"What we fear is war, we love peace, when Eritreans come to this market, I greet them with a smiling face, they buy spices, honey, cereals and even biscuits. And we buy them different clothes, "she said.

"When the border reopened, we feared some shortages, but this is not the case, and everything is normal," she added.

Right at the end of the street, there was a section of shops selling plastic items, brightly colored water tanks, jerry cans and plastic sandals.

The shop owner, Haile Bisrat, said cheerfully that treating his Eritrean brethren was not just about consolidating peace. It also had a good financial sense.

"We realize a little more profit than before because the market is in a better state.

"When the border reopened for the first time, nearly 2,000 Eritreans came every week, but the numbers have dropped slightly, but it may be because they bought everything they could. wanted. "

Adigrat was full of cars and trucks with Eritrean registration numbers.

Most of the trucks we saw carried building materials such as cement and construction cables. But small cars also carried enormous quantities of goods such as mattresses, cereals and washing machines.

At the local bus station, touts were shouting the name of the Eritrean capital, Asmara, in the hope of attracting Eritrean customers.

Beyene Tewelde was one of them. He had traveled hundreds of miles to shop here.

"I came to buy what I needed, so I have shoes, containers and spices.

"Prices are very reasonable.Before reopening the border, I bought everything in Asmara.But at home, Adi Qeyih, it's better to come to Adigrat than Asmara."

The reopening of some border crossing points, including one earlier this week, is part of the peace agreement signed last July by Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed .

The agreement also saw renewed diplomatic relations and telephone links between the two countries restored after an interruption of nearly two decades.

The war, which took place at the exact location of the common border, began in May 1998 and claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people.

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This ended in 2000 with the signing of the Algiers agreement.

But peace has never been fully restored, the former Ethiopian administrations under former Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and his successor, Hailemariam Desalegn, having refused to fully implement the decision of the border commission established in under the agreement.

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But last July, Prime Minister Abiy and President Isaias Abiy agreed to end the conflict and to inaugurate what they called a "new era of peace" in which relations between the two countries and other neighboring states have developed.

Zalambessa, just south of the border, was on the front line and was badly hit by the conflict.

Reconstruction of houses

"Everything in this city has been ruined," said Kifle Kebede, 50, as he stared at the dust field in front of him.

Even now, the signs of the damage are visible. Collapsed and abandoned buildings dot the small town. Some carry traces of shells while others have bullets on the walls.

"It would not be a lie if I told you that Zalambessa really looks like a field with just piles of stones – all you can see are rocks and earth," Kifle said.

But life seems to return to normal after troop withdrawal in the last hour of the afternoon from the disputed territories.

Families like Mr. Kifle, who had fled the conflict, started to return home.

When I met him, he was busy supervising the final touches of his project to rebuild the family home, destroyed at the height of the conflict.

He felt a perfect business opportunity.

"Zalambessa is the last city before Eritrea and our Eritrean brothers come and go every day. We could do our own work at home or rent it.

"Before, renovating a house in a city where no vehicle was staying overnight was not worth the time," said Kifle enthusiastically.

Before last September, it was impossible to use the road connecting Eritrea and Ethiopia that crossed Zalambessa because it was completely closed.

Huge rocks blocked access to the border area on the road, but now a lot of Eritrean cars are driving there.

There has been a drag in recent weeks with movements that have caused confusion and uncertainty about the future of open border crossing points.

In a surprise decision, officials said those crossing the border should have prior permission from their respective countries.

Neither Ethiopia nor Eritrea has made it clear why the controls have been put in place, but they are unlikely to stifle the optimism of the border towns.