Source: Wikipedia / Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrea President Isaias Afewerki sign the Joint Declaration of Peace and Friendship between the two Horn of Africa nations on 9 July 2018 in the Eritrean capital city Asmara.

By Gary Raynaldo   DIPLOMATIC TIMES

The President of Eritrea Isaias Afewerki, and the Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed, signed a historic joint Declaration of Peace and Friendship July 9, 2018 ending the 20-year conflict between their two states. The United Nations Security Council  this month lifted a range of international sanctions imposed against Eritrea nearly a decade ago.  UN Secretary General  António Guterres said at the time of the historic peace agreement:

“We feel a wind blowing in the direction of peace,”

UN Secretary General  António Guterres

As part of the agreement, Ethiopia pushed for the Security Council to lift the sanctions, which concerned arms embargoes, travel bans, asset freezes and targeted sanctions focusing on certain groups and individuals.  The Eritrean Permanent Representative to the UN, Amanuel Giorgio, lauded the lifting of the sanctions as marking the end of a difficult period for Eritrea and the region: “On this historic day I am humbled to congratulate the people of Eritrea, who have endured persistent existent pressure…Eritrea as a nation is committed to work with all its neighbours. The peace agreement between Eritrea and Ethiopia, and the tripartite agreement between Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia, mark the beginning of a new dawn,” he said, adding that “it is the time to redouble efforts and work closely with neighbours to build a region at peace with itself.”

Meanwhile, Taye Atske Selassie Made, Permanent Representative of Ethiopia  to the UN, stated:

“We are supporting this resolution today at a time when a major and historic development is unfolding in the Horn of Africa”, he said. “The breakthrough arising from the rapprochement between Ethiopia and Eritrea is already producing unprecedented and far-reaching positive consequences and is significantly changing the political landscape of the Horn of Africa and beyond.”  

The summit between Eritrean President Afewerki and Ethiopian Prime Minister Ahmed in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, on July 9 marked the first time that the neighbors’ heads of state have met in nearly two decades. Two weeks later, Ethiopia appointed an ambassador to Eritrea for the first time in 20 years. Eritrean President Afwerki then reopened his country’s embassy in Ethiopia.  Next, Ethiopian Airlines flights resumed commercial services to link Asmara and Addis Ababa  after two decades. Once a province of Ethiopia, Eritrea voted to leave in 1993 after a bloody, decades-long independence struggle. Ethiopia and Eritrea expelled each others’ envoys at the start of a 1998-2000 border war that killed nearly 1000,000 people. Relations remained frozen after Ethiopia declined to accept a 2002 United Nations-backed border demarcation, leading to years of conflict between the two countries.

What Is Next For Ethiopia And Eritrea Now That  Relations Have Been Restored?

“It is not entirely clear what it means right now. Events have unfolded at breakneck speed, and it appears that many of the details have yet to be determined. What the leaders of both Eritrea and Ethiopia have jointly stated is that a full normalization of relations will occur, and in the short term that will involve opening the border, giving Ethiopia access to the ports, reopening the embassies that have been shuttered since 1998, and resuming flights between the capitals. People will apparently be able to cross the border at will—and no mention has been made of any tariffs on goods,”   Bronwyn Bruton, director of programs and studies and deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center.