Remembering Eritrea-Ethiopia Border War: Africa's Unfinished Conflict
May. 06, 2018, 12:00 pm
By BBC
Ethiopian soldiers after taking control of the Eritrean town of Barentu in May 2000. AGENCIES
Two decades have passed since two of Africa's poorest countries began the continent's deadliest border war.
The conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia left tens of thousands dead or injured in the space of just two years.
But despite a peace deal signed in December 2000, the two sides remain on a war footing - their massive armies still facing off.
So what happened 20 years ago to spark Africa's unfinished war - and what hope is there that it might finally come to an end?
The war began on 6 May, 1998, sparked by a battle for control of the border town of Badme - a humble, dusty market town with no apparent value.
It had neither oil nor diamonds, but it did not matter: both Eritrea and Ethiopia wanted it on their side of the border. At the time, the war was described as "two bald men fighting over a comb".
As the war spread, so did the massive displacement of communities.
"This war destroyed families on both sides," recalls Kasahun Woldegiorgis, who comes from the Ethiopian town of Adigrat, close to the border.
"We are intermarried across the border and we cannot attend each other's weddings or funerals," says Asgedom Tewelde, who comes from Zalambesa, a town once divided in two by the border.
"There was a family from a village called Serha on the Eritrean side of the border and their daughter married someone on the Ethiopian side. Later, after the war, she died, but her family could only see the funeral procession from a hilltop across the border."
It was not just family ties: the economic impact on the border trading communities was significant too.
"The active commercial activities that we used to see before the war no longer take place," says Kiflom Gebremedhin, from a border village on the Eritrean side.
The war ended in June 2000, but it was another six months until a peace agreement was signed, establishing the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission.
It was meant to settle the dispute over Badme once and for all. But its "final and binding" ruling 18 months later, awarding Badme to Eritrea, was not accepted by Ethiopia without the preconditions of further negotiations with Eritrea. Eritrea, in turn, refuses to talk to its former ally until the ruling is adhered to.
With neither side budging from their respective positions, peace between them remains elusive.
By BBC
Ethiopian soldiers after taking control of the Eritrean town of Barentu in May 2000. AGENCIES
Two decades have passed since two of Africa's poorest countries began the continent's deadliest border war.
The conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia left tens of thousands dead or injured in the space of just two years.
But despite a peace deal signed in December 2000, the two sides remain on a war footing - their massive armies still facing off.
So what happened 20 years ago to spark Africa's unfinished war - and what hope is there that it might finally come to an end?
The war began on 6 May, 1998, sparked by a battle for control of the border town of Badme - a humble, dusty market town with no apparent value.
It had neither oil nor diamonds, but it did not matter: both Eritrea and Ethiopia wanted it on their side of the border. At the time, the war was described as "two bald men fighting over a comb".
As the war spread, so did the massive displacement of communities.
"This war destroyed families on both sides," recalls Kasahun Woldegiorgis, who comes from the Ethiopian town of Adigrat, close to the border.
"We are intermarried across the border and we cannot attend each other's weddings or funerals," says Asgedom Tewelde, who comes from Zalambesa, a town once divided in two by the border.
"There was a family from a village called Serha on the Eritrean side of the border and their daughter married someone on the Ethiopian side. Later, after the war, she died, but her family could only see the funeral procession from a hilltop across the border."
It was not just family ties: the economic impact on the border trading communities was significant too.
"The active commercial activities that we used to see before the war no longer take place," says Kiflom Gebremedhin, from a border village on the Eritrean side.
The war ended in June 2000, but it was another six months until a peace agreement was signed, establishing the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission.
It was meant to settle the dispute over Badme once and for all. But its "final and binding" ruling 18 months later, awarding Badme to Eritrea, was not accepted by Ethiopia without the preconditions of further negotiations with Eritrea. Eritrea, in turn, refuses to talk to its former ally until the ruling is adhered to.
With neither side budging from their respective positions, peace between them remains elusive.
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