'Ethiopia's Tragic War with Eritrea'

AMBASSADOR BERHANE GEBRE-CHRISTOS

April 18, 1999

'The war that broke out between my country and Eritrea is often described as senseless and tragic. I agree.This war is a tragedy on many levels. It is a tragedy because of the thousands of lives lost and families displaced in both countries. It is a tragedy because of resources diverted to war that would have better been spent on improving the quality of life for our people. It is a tragedy because, instead of building our economies, we are destroying each other's livelihood. It is a tragedy because it is a war that could have been avoided. It could have been avoided if Eritrea was willing to negotiate our border dispute 10 months ago. It could have been avoided if the United Nations and the United States were clear and unequivocal about condemning the use of force to determine borders in Africa. There is also an ironic component to the tragedy of this war. The current government in Ethiopia strongly supported Eritrea's independence. The issue is not about claiming an inch of Eritrea's land; we worked to ensure they would have a separate state.

Why then would we have any ambitions for their territory?

The issue is that the use of force and aggression cannot be employed to decide borders and to displace hundreds of thousands of people. For nine months we worked with the United States, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and the United Nations to resolve and defuse the tensions with Eritrea which has occupied our territory since May 1998. Each proposal that was negotiated, we accepted. Each proposal that was negotiated, Eritrea rejected. When Eritrea launched a new attack in early February, we had no choice but to defend our people.

This war continues, despite our military gain that removed Eritrea from Badme, a major area under occupation by Eritrea. After its defeat, Eritrea finally stated it had accepted the OAU proposal. Yet, again, tragically these words appear to be devoid of a genuine commitment to the peace process and principles of the OAU. Eritrea still occupies other areas of Ethiopia and has not redeployed their forces as stipulated in the OAU proposal.

What then can be done to bring peace to our two countries?

The OAU proposal states Eritrea must agree to withdraw from territories it occupied in May 1998, which after a lengthy fact-finding mission, the OAU determined had been under Ethiopian administration. After this withdrawal, the region would be demilitarised to prevent further conflict. Finally, independent third parties would be engaged to resolve the border issue.The problem is that although Eritrea was forced to retreat from the area of Badme, it still occupies other Ethiopian territories. Despite its statement that it accepts the OAU proposal, Eritrea still refuses to withdraw. The United States and the United Nations must take the requisite steps to ensure that this withdrawal occurs. Without that pressure, the war will continue. The international community did not take these steps 10 months ago, and it only led to further aggression and bloodshed.

The international community must declare in no uncertain terms that aggression cannot be rewarded, that the principles of international law cannot be flouted, and that Eritrea must withdraw unconditionally from the remaining territories that were administered by Ethiopia before Eritrean occupation. Then demilitarisation and negotiations to demarcate the borders can occur. The ultimate tragedy would be continued silence and passivity in the face of this solution.'