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"This place is definitely Ethiopian," said Haise Woldu, a 76-year-old farmer, pointing to a church with a brick facade encased in Engal, topped by a mountain range shredded
. border between Ethiopia and Eritrea, whose exact boundary has been the subject of debate for more than a century and the cause of a deadly war between the two nations that s & rsquo; Was over last week.
An unprecedented peace process Ethiopia's promise to abide by the 2002 United Nations border decision, which states that Engal is in fact Eritrean, means that the Iraqi ethnic minority from Hasty, spread throughout the region, could be rented in two, some are in Eritrea while others remain in Ethiopia.
"This decision will divide the population," said Daniel Hagos, a Catholic priest in Alitena, an Irob town 10km north-east of Engal.
"If the brothers are divided, it will be a problem, I do not think peace will come."
Other leaders of the Irob community, who speak Kushitic Saho language, want peace but warn that the change of status They warned that the transfer of land in the rugged Irob region towards the Eritrea would also force visitors from Irob regions in Ethiopia to cross Eritrea.
Over the past 150 years, Eritrea has pbaded through the Ottomans, Egyptians, Italians, Britons and Ethiopians who annexed it in 1952 after a brief period of autonomy .
The small nation of the Red Sea – which included the whole Ethiopian coast – fought a bloody independence war before after a referendum in 1993.
The resulting border does not Was never properly defined, leading to a conflict that sparked conflict and degenerated into a total war that claimed the lives of 80,000 people between 1998 and the signing of a peace agreement. 000.
Eritrea captured the areas of Irob at the beginning of the conflict and occupied the territory for most of the duration of hostilities.
The region is one of the few centers in Ethiopia. Catholicism, introduced in the 19th century by the Italian saint Justin de Jacobis
It is sprinkled with Catholic and Orthodox churches perched on cliffs and hills
Rejection by Ethiopia of the same year. a UN decision on the border demarcation relations with Asmara in stalemate, prompting Eritrea to seal its borders.
The stalemate seemed to go on indefinitely until Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office in April, announcing an aggressive reform program – and astonishing observers agreeing to abide by
] Large crowds traveled to Asmara to welcome Abiy and Addis Ababa to greet Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki.
But in Irob district, accessible by a narrow dirt road dotted with military checkpoints, residents protested against the announcement of Abiy.
The irobs jealously guard their rights and fear the return of the Eritreans who abused them during the occupation. Niguse Hagos, District Administrator
"This decision will disintegrate the inhabitants of Irob," he warned, adding that the land ruled by the United Nations by Eritrea houses one-third of the 33 000 inhabitants of the district.
No land seems to have changed hands yet and an AFP correspondent saw Ethiopian tanks deployed in the region with their barrels facing Eritrea.
Some Irob hope that peace between neighbors could improve their situation.
The nearby town of Senafe, an Eritrean market, would become accessible and could boost trade in the impoverished region.
Other locals hope that warm relationships will help them learn what happened to the 96 Irob who disappeared during the occupation of Eritrea.
"Since the news, we have all stuck on television," said Abrahet Niguse, a trader whose husband was taken by Eritrean troops for giving food to Ethiopian soldiers.
"If the two countries make peace, maybe my husband will come back."
Eritrea, once it claimed land granted by the UN, eased his calls in recent weeks.
During his visit to Addis Ababa last week, Isaias hugged and joked with Abiy – but did not mention the problem. According to Mammo Muchie, a professor at the Tshwane University of Technology in South Africa, the connection between the two men could make the exact demarcation of the new border irrelevant
"The border should be secondary now. important, "he said.
" (Bor ders) will always create problems. "
Many Irob people aspire to the time before the war when they could cross between their now artificially divided valleys." We want peace, "said Girmay Abraha, a pilot born in the area." But we believe that it should not come by giving land. "
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