GRi Feature

GRi Feature International 19 - 12 - 2000

Ethiopia-Eritrea conflict: Making Algiers peace accord work

Dakar (Senegal) 19 December 2000

The latest Algiers peace accord signed by Ethiopia and Eritrea, could not have come at a better time to the war-wary citizens of the two countries after a bloody two-year border conflict that claimed thousands of lives and displaced more than one million people.

It is obvious the two drought-prone neighbours, which once formed the Ethiopian empire of Aksum, and part of the Ethiopian federation until 1952, virtually gained nothing, but lost so much in an avoidable conflict that only compounded their economic woes.

If the effects of the renewed border hostilities in 1998 left a heavy toll on Ethiopia's estimated 60 million people, better known to the outside World for the devastating drought- related disasters of the 1970s and 1980s, its relatively smaller neighbour with less than four million population did not fare any better.

For almost 32 years, Eritrea had struggled for self- determination until it won independence 24 May 1993, only for the much costlier border hostilities to erupt in 1998.

The border war could not have been more embarrassing for Africa, particularly the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) which has its Headquarters in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital.

To complicate matters, the two feuding neighbours at one stage ignored well-meaning efforts by the OAU to end the conflict and instead, pinned their hopes on external facilitators.

This was partly because Asmara could not trust the impartiality of the OAU, but in the end, the continental organisation played a critical role along with the US, through its envoy Anthony Lake, and the United Nations, in brokering the peace.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the immediate past chairman of the OAU, deserves special mention for the pivotal role he played in bringing the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and the Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki to the negotiating table.

Perhaps, having exhausted their countries' firepower on the battle fields, it soon dawned on the two leaders that peace can only be achieved at the negotiating table.

A cessation of hostilities agreement was first signed by Zenawi and Afwerki in Algiers in June, paving the way for the 12 December Comprehensive agreement also signed in the Algerian capital.

To underscore its importance, the signing of the latest Algiers accord was witnessed by World leaders including Bouteflika, President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, the UN

Secretary General Kofi Annan, his OAU counterpart Salim Ahmed Salim and the US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, among others.

The accord stipulates the setting up of Commissions to demarcate the two countries' common border, monitor the exchange of prisoners, return of displaced people and entertain compensation claims for war damages by citizens on both sides.

While Ethiopia is expected to move back from positions that were not under its administration before the 1998 war, Eritrea is to withdraw from Ethiopia's new positions.

Some 4,200 UN peacekeepers and observers or UNMEE are to monitor the cease-fire.

No timetable has been set for the peace plan and delineation of the border, but Annan has indicated that the UN mission may not be stationed in the Horn of Africa for long.

The Algiers accord has been globally hailed, with the OAU chairman President Gnassingbe Eyadema of Togo expressing the hope that it would "serve as an example to other parts of the continent where there is conflict" and boost Africa's capacity to

manage, prevent conflicts and maintain peace.

Obasanjo called on other conflict-ridden African States, like Sierra Leone, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, to emulate the Ethiopia-Eritrea example.

"This peace agreement is in the immediate and long-term interest of the two countries, the region and the continent as a whole and shows the commitment of the two leaders and their countries to create stability and in the interest of their people," declared South African President Thabo Mbeki in a statement from Pretoria.

Salim called the signing of the peace agreement a "memorable" event not only for the two countries but the entire continent.

But Annan struck a pertinent cord, when he said that a cessation of fighting is not enough and that the two nations must learn to live with one another.

"It is not enough to silence the guns. As we embrace peace, build trust and work for reconciliation, we must remember that words can inflame or soothe," he said. "We need the best possible atmosphere for implementation of this agreement."

While Afwerki noted that his country and Ethiopia "are not condemned but, rather blessed to live as neighbours," Zenawi said the peace agreement paves the way for the two countries "to wage the real war against poverty."

But beyond the lofty declarations and the euphoria of a dignified State function, observers warn that the true test of the commitment of both parties lies in the successful implementation of the accord.

This is because experience has shown that winning a peace is much more difficult than winning a war.

The international community too, has a duty to ensure continued diplomatic, logistic and financial support to the peace process until an enduring peace returns to the two countries

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