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Ethiopia and Eritrea resumed Wednesday their commercial flights for the first time in two decades, marking the last phase of a peace process between former enemies.
He sang and applauded onboard flight 312 of Ethiopian Airlines. in Asmara, the Eritrean capital, after an hour and a half flight from Addis Ababa
The flight is the last sign of a surprise thaw between neighboring countries that began there just six weeks old
. "I have no idea," said Izana Abraham, an Eritrean born in Addis Ababa, a fact that saw him deported from his homeland during a bloody two-year war between 1998 and 2000. "It's the history of manufacturing."
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Izana, 33, was going to visit her father. The two had been separated since his deportation until their last meeting in Dubai last year
The airline wrote on Twitter shortly after takeoff that "the bird of peace to fly to Asmara. "
The general manager of the airline, Tewolde GebreMariam, said at a ceremony inaugurating the historic flight
An overwhelming demand saw the African aviation giant operate two flights within less than 15 minutes one of the other.
"The fact that we take two flights at a time shows the eagerness of people," Tewolde said.
An AFP journalist aboard the second flight said that champagne was served to passengers of all classes. selfies during the flight.
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Smiling flight attendants also distributed roses to passengers
Ethiopian Airlines, one of the African airlines the fastest growing, said Flight back between Addis Ababa and Asmara
"With the demand we are seeing, I think we will increase the frequency to twice a day, three times a day and even more, "said Tewolde.
The opening of Eritrean airspace to Ethiopian Airlines would also mean more efficient routes to the Middle East.
Among the passengers of the first flight was former Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, whose sudden resignation in February was the first step in a series of "I knew that one day it would happen" , said Hailemariam about peace with Eritrea
Hailemariam was successful in April Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, 42, former army officer and minister, described by analysts as an "extremely hurry man".
After announcing the liberalization of parts of the Ethiopian economy and the release of imprisoned dissidents, Abiy last month declared his intention to make peace with Eritrea after two decades of frozen relations.
Eritrea was once part of Ethiopia and included all of its coastline on the Red Sea until it voted for independence in 1993 after decades of bloody conflicts. A dispute over the demarcation of the common border sparked a brutal conflict that lasted between 1998 and 2000, leaving 80,000 people dead before moving towards a cold war.
Abiy stunned the observers by announcing that he would finally accept a demarcation of the border with the support of the United Nations. However, he has not yet announced the withdrawal of the troops.
He then made a historic visit to Eritrea, during which he declared, with President Isaias Afwerki, the official end of the war. Afwerki paid a state visit to Ethiopia a few days later.
Ethiopians who have strong cultural ties with Eritreans and who have been cut off from friends and family on the other side for many years have welcomed this emotionally charged meeting. On Monday, Afwerki reopened the Eritrean embassy in Addis Ababa
The rapprochement is expected to give an economic boost to both nations, offering to Ethiopia's booming – which is currently channeling its trade via Djiboutian ports – access to Eritrean shores.
Amnesty International said the new peace should be a catalyst for change in Eritrea, one of the most isolated nations in the world.
Since the end of the war, Isaias has used the threat of Ethiopian aggression to justify repressive policies, including an indefinite national service program that the UN equated with slavery .
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