Prevent another disaster: Ethiopia must respect the rule of law
From the point of justice the views of the Eritrean people need consideration, but from the point of our Strategic Interests in the region, this country ( Eritrea ) must be linked with our allay Ethiopia - John Foster Dulles, Secretary of State , USA , 1950. |
As a result of the above USA position, the Eritrean people endured 50 years of political nightmare, including 30 years of armed struggle against a type of colonialism (Ethiopian) of the worst kind.
On 13 April 2002 , the Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission (EEBC) delivered its final and binding verdict delimiting the border of the two countries. Within hours, the Ethiopian Government boasted of its victory on the battlefield as well as the courts; and called on the international community to apply pressure on Eritrea to accept the verdict so that demarcation could start without delay.
Almost three years on, demarcation has not taken place. On 19 September 2003, the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi wrote a stunning letter to UN Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Anan, rejecting the final and binding ruling passed by internationally renowned judges, 50% of whom was selected by Meles himself. After finding out that the dusty town of Badme was awarded to Eritrea , he characterized the work of the Commission as "illegal, unjust and irresponsible."
There lies the root cause of the Ethio-Eritrean conflict and other intractable myriad of problems in the Horn of Africa. The Ethiopian leaders mentality of a bully; a destructive mind with little respect for human dignity or life; a mentality that prioritizes the acquisition of arms to that of food; and now trying to be above the law and get away with it by hiding behind the cloak of 'dialogue' to change a final and binding border ruling delivered by an International Court.
Phase of harassment and expulsion: 1992-1997: By 24 May 1991 , the Eritrean people of 4 million achieved their objective of driving out of the country the occupying forces of Ethiopia (population 68 million). Independence was confirmed when 99.8% of Eritreans voted YES in a referendum held in 1993.
The Ethiopians, however, would not rest. In 1992-93 , Tigrayan authorities in Northern Ethiopia started a series of "unilateral demarcations" inside Eritrean territory. Eritrean farmers in the area were penalized and their property confiscated for "illegal entry". The systematic harassment, destruction of property and expulsion of Eritrean farmers continued for several years and by 1997 the newly acquired land in the Badme (West) area and Adi Murug in the East were put under Ethiopian military control.
Several joint high-level meetings ended up in failure as the Ethiopian side insisted that the purpose of such meetings was for the Eritrean side to accept the line as demarcated by the Tigrayans. Eritrea's President Isaias Afeworki wrote two hand written letters to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia on 16 and 25 August 1997, expressing his concern over the disputes in the border areas and urged him "to personally take prudent action so that the measure taken by Ethiopia will not trigger unnecessary conflict", but to no avail.
New Map of Tirgai Region: The 17 October 1997 issue of "Weyin" magazine printed the new map of the Tigrai Kelil (Region), which was much more enlarged with the inclusion of large expanses of land carved out of Eritrea and two Ethiopian provinces (Begemider and Wollo). The new map was printed by the Ethiopian Mapping Authority and also appeared in the new Ethiopian currency.
Despite Eritrea 's efforts to contain and resolve the problem, Ethiopia continued to bring under its occupation the Eritrean territories that it had incorporated into its map. The old colonial borders of Eritrea had been changed through 'unilateral demarcation' by the expansionist actions of the Tigrai authorities. All the elements of a border conflict were, thus, put in place.
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