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Addis Ababa. Nobody saw it coming, but a lasting peace agreement may have finally been reached for Ethiopia and its long-time fighting partner, Eritrea. The two countries, which share a common culture, language and history, have been in disagreement for years.
The conflict reached a climax in May 1998 when the two countries waged war on the border town of Badme. Both wanted him on their side of the border. A peace agreement – the Algiers Peace Agreement – was signed by both parties after two years, but neither side has respected it for the next 16 years.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel. The new Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has promised to fully comply with the agreement. This means that he is ready to put an end to hostilities between the two countries and to pave the way for peace.
Ahmed also promised to accept the outcome of a decision of the 2002 Border Commission, which awarded disputed territories, including the town of Badme. Eritrea
For its part, the country's president, Isaias Afewerki, recently announced that he was ready to talk peace with Ethiopia. An Eritrean delegation has since landed in Ethiopia for discussions. And the welcoming ceremony of the three-member Eritrean delegation indicated how much Ethiopia wanted to end the status quo of animosity.
In accepting the olive branch of Ahmed, Afewerki has shown himself ready to engage in a conflict resolution process. The most serious interstate conflict in the contemporary history of the Horn of Africa.
Soon after its announcement, the anti-Ethiopian rebels of Eritrea (known as Ginbot Seven) declared themselves ready to end the armed struggle against Ethiopia. resolution process succeeds, it will be the signal of new hope for the whole region. A lasting peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea will provide much-needed stability in the Horn of Africa where competing global political dynamics are often at stake.
The Ethiopian military regime, led by Colonel Mengistu Hailemariam was overthrown in 1991. The Tigray People's Liberation Front and the Eritrean People's Liberation Front joined forces to defeat Mengistu and played a major role in systemic change in Ethiopia
. victory, the Eritrean People's Liberation Front is actively pursuing its long-standing aspiration. Eritrea then officially seceded in 1993. Meanwhile, the Tigray People's Liberation Front led the formation of a four-party coalition known as the Revolutionary Democratic Front of the Ethiopian People, which ruled Ethiopia ever since.
Promising honeymoon period in the transition years after Mengistu's ousting. Ethiopia has used the Red Sea port of Eritrea for its import-export trade. The government of Eritrea continued to use the Ethiopian currency, the Birr. But it did not take long before the regime in Ethiopia began to question the Eritrean regime on a range of its fiscal and political policies.
Relations began to worsen and quickly deteriorated to the point of war that erupted in May 1998. Their common border had never been delineated as Eritrea. claimed and invaded Badme. The invasion turned into a real conflict that claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides
. It was disastrous for both parties. Meles Zenawi, then prime minister of Ethiopia, and President Afewerki oversaw the destruction of two struggling economies. They have also created a humanitarian crisis in the region. Both countries have engaged in regional proxy wars, particularly in Somalia. Both countries have hosted anti-regime rebel forces from the other side.
Former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, who led from 2012 to early 2018, was unable to engage significantly with Eritrea for various reasons, including a guardian resistance among political elites and lack of response from Eritrea. This impasse led to a stalemate between the two countries which became "no war and no peace".
But the new Ethiopian Prime Minister shows a stronger resolution by promising to enforce the Algiers Peace Agreement and accepting the decision of the Boundary Commission. Delimitation of the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Fortunately for Abiy, Afewerki responded positively.
Economic Stability in the Horn
The conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea has had a destabilizing influence on the Horn. One of the points of disagreement was the military presence of Ethiopia in Somalia. Backed by the West, the country's army supports the Somali government to fight al-Shabaab. Eritrea criticized the intervention for stating that Ethiopia's presence in Somalia is doing more harm than good.
For its part, Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of supporting terrorists. Over the years, this proxy war between the two countries has had the potential to trigger a regional conflict
The conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea has also spread to neighboring Djibouti. Djibouti, which is one of Ethiopia's leading economic allies, has waged a war with Eritrea over a disputed border at Dumeira Mountain and Dumeira Island. , claimed by both countries
. and has long been recognized as part of Djibouti.
In the end, the prospect of a peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea should have a calming effect on the Horn. If stability is achieved, Ethiopia – a country with a population estimated at more than 100 million – could realize its potential as a regional economic and military power.
First published in Conversation Africa
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