Ethiopia And Eritera In Conflict Border Demarca Tion On The Basis Of Colonial Treaties And Prospect For Permanent Peace

A relationship of comrades - in - arms between EPLF and TPLF leaders since the latter's creation,rnand fri endship and cooperation that existed between Ethiopia and Eritrea in 1991 - 1998 suddenly changedrninto armed conflict in May 1998.rnIt is on 6 May 1998 a small group of Eritrean soldiers entered a di sputed territorial zone on thernBadme plains a long t he western borders 0 f Eritrea and Tigray, the northern most regional state in thernEthiopian federation. The move was intended to mark Eritrean presence and interests in these areas, and tornsubstantiate the Eritrean position in already ongoing border negotiations between the two governments.rnThe handful of Eritrean soldiers were confronted by Tigrean militia and security police and asked to putrndown their arms and return to undisputed territories. A shoot-out between the Eritrean unit and the localrnmilitia fo llowed, resulting in a few casua lties on both sides.rnIn this study, attempts have been made to investigate and identify the causes of the conflict.rnWhether the colonial "treaties" which have been made the basis for the Decision of EEBC are tenable andrnwhether border demarcation on the basis of colonial "treaties" could serve the prospects for permanentrnpeace and stability have also been explored. In this connection, the question of demarcation of borders andrnareas of normalization of relations has been discussed. The study further explored the prospects for futurernrelations between the two countries. Here, factors conducive for ·peaceful relationship, such as economicrnfactors, geopolitical factors, the historical and socio-cultural ties binding the two countries have beenrnexamined.rnThe following major points emerge from the analysis. The Ethio-Eritrean conflict of May 1998rncannot be explained by a single factor as its cause; it can only be explained by a combination of factors.rnColonial legacy, border issue, nationalism, ethnicity, etc, were considered by some people to be the mainrncauses of the conflict. Though these might have contributed to the conflict, the main cause of the conflictrnrelates to historical, political and economic issues. Despite the fact that intern ational media and Eritreanrntrace the cause of the conflict to be the border issue, it has only served as a pretext to trigger the conflict.rnAccordingly, peace efforts that focus excl usively on the border issue and demarcation using colonialrn"treaty" will not result in lasting peace. How is it possible for two formerly friendly groups, who foughtrnthe military regime in unison, to tum into deadly adversaries in a matter of weeks, wi lling to sacrifice tensrnof thousands of tlieir people on the battlefields? Why mobilize people and resources on such a scale thatrnresulted in the loss of many lives, if the reason for the war is - as it is offi cially stated - some relativelyrnmarginal square kilometers of agricultural land that could have been delimitated on the basis of colonialrn"treaty" as it was agreed later on? It is truly a senseless war if we rely on such offi cial reasoning - but mayrnthere be some hidden motives for the war that explain the intense ferocity demonstrated by the twornwarring parties? Could Colonial "Treaties" be tenable and valid basis for the dec ision of the border issue?rnDoes this h ave the capacity to bring permanent p eace? These are the questions t his thes is attempts tornanswer

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