What is the issue?
- Ethiopia and Eritrea have recently announced the end of the deadly “20-year war” between them, which killed over 80,000 people.
- The future looks bright, with both countries announcing the resumption of trade, diplomatic, and travel ties between them.
What is the history of the conflict?
- Eritrea broke from its federation with Ethiopia in April 1993.
- It became an independent country located strategically at the mouth of the Red Sea on the Horn of Africa, bordering crucial shipping lanes.
- War - In 1999, war broke out between the two countries over the control of Badme, a border town of no apparent significance.
- Massive displacements of population followed, families were torn apart, and the local trading economy was utterly destroyed.
- Detente - In 2000, “Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities” was signed, and later a Boundary Commission was established to settle the dispute.
- The Commission gave its ruling in 2002, awarding Badme to Eritrea, but Ethiopia demanded certain pre-conditions to accept the ruling.
- In this backdrop, Badme continued to remain under Ethiopian control and there was an effective stalemate with intermittent border classes.
- Peace - Ethiopia’s ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) had recently indicated its desire to end hostilities with Eritrea.
- From then on, things have moved rapidly and Ethiopia has also announced that it would fully comply with the peace agreement of 2000.
What is the likely impact of peace?
- Ethiopia is landlocked, and through the years of the war with Eritrea, it has been dependent heavily on Djibouti for access to the sea.
- The current peace deal will likely give Ethiopia access to Eritrean ports, which will help in counter balancing the dependence on Djibouti.
- For Eritrea too, peace is likely to work to its benefit, as it can divert scarce resources away from the military to other productive avenues.
- Notably, the government of President Afwerki in Eritrea has also come under international pressure for its authoritarian streak and violent means.
- Accepting peace would ease international pressure and also solve the 2015-16 refugee crisis that was precipitated due to Eritrean regime’s oppressive ways.
Source: Indian Express
