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Foreign Donors to Support Ethiopia and Eritrea After Long-time Rivals End a Two-Decade War and Hinder Efforts to Improve Life millions of people. On Monday, Ahunna Eziakonwa, UN chief in Ethiopia, said the moves being made by East Africa's two neighbors to normalize ties in recent weeks had "sown seeds of hope ".
The two poor countries will have to remove landmines and rebuild infrastructure, especially along their border, where the conflict was concentrated.
They will also need to stimulate their economies and create jobs for young people.
"I hope that the international community will come forward to support these two countries, it is very important – not only for these two nations, but for regional peace and security," Eziakonwa said. Thomson Reuters. In an interview,
"It is strategically sensible – not only from the humanitarian point of view, but also from the point of view of security – to rally behind this peace initiative and invest in a process of consolidation. of peace. "
Triggered by a border dispute in 1998, the conflict killed more than 80,000 people. At least 350,000 people on both sides of the border have been uprooted and forced to flee.
Meager resources to reduce poverty and improve basic services such as health and education were diverted to finance the conflict.
Reward for Peace
The two nations signed a peace agreement in 2000 – but Ethiopia refused to implement it. Abiy Ahmed, who became the Ethiopian Prime Minister in April, agreed to implement the agreement, and there has been a rapid thaw in relations since the declaration of war on July 9.
Ahmed and Eritrean President Isias Afewerki visited each other's capitals to be greeted by thousands of jubilant crowds. Embassies have reopened, telephone lines between the two countries have been re-established and flights have resumed.
But other obstacles await us. Millions of dollars will be needed to support Ethiopia and Eritrea, among the world's 47 least developed countries. According to Eziakonwa, thousands of landmines have been removed along the 1,000-kilometer border and roads have been rebuilt.
Thousands of young people in both countries are expected to be demobilized and there will be an urgent need to provide them with jobs, she said.
"One of the biggest challenges is how to engage youth in both countries in paid employment and we need partners such as the international community and the private sector to rally behind this. new opportunity, "said Eziakonwa." Obviously, you do not want a lot of idle youth, they must see the dividends of peace and this will largely be born when we see the types of investments that integrate them into the world. economy. "
Eziakonwa said To this day, neither Addis Ababa nor Asmara had requested international assistance, but the UN was ready to assist in areas ranging from mine clearance to Promoting Social Cohesion and Reconciliation.
"It's a local initiative – the leaders involved – and it's very rare," said Eziakonwa. "We need to reward these gestures and show them as an example of what can be accomplished. "
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