The peace agreement reinforces the historic peace agreement between the former enemies of the Horn of Africa after two decades of enmity. After a coffee ceremony at isaias` private residence,[27] the two leaders signed a five-point Joint Declaration on Peace and Friendship, declaring that „the state of war between Ethiopia and Eritrea is over; a new era of peace and friendship has begun. [28] In the joint statement, the two countries agreed to resume diplomatic relations and transport, trade and communication ties, implement the EEBC`s border judgment, and ensure peace and cooperation in the region. [29] 2 Agreement between the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Government of the State of Eritrea, Eth.-Eri., December 12, 2000, 2138 UNTS 94, UN Document. S/2000/1183 [`the Algiers Agreement`]. This agreement was a follow-up to the Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities between the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Government of the State of Eritrea, Eth.-Eri., 18 June 2000, 2138 UNTS 86. The Prime Minister is honoured to have made peace with Eritrea after decades of tension and conflict. Selam Tadesse Demissie, a researcher at the South African Institute for Security Studies, said via a messaging app that the fruits of the peace deal are still pending, in part due to the Ethiopian government`s inability to quell longstanding suspicions about its northern neighbor in the Tigray region. From 1998 to 2000, Eritrea and Ethiopia waged a border war that claimed the lives of an estimated 80,000 people before a prolonged stalemate over the next two decades. Plaut added that one of the main drivers of the peace deal was a large untapped deposit of potassium chloride, which contains potassium that crosses the border and is currently being developed by Danakali, an Australian mining company. Ethiopia and Eritrea signed an agreement at a summit in Saudi Arabia that reinforces a historic peace deal between the two former enemies in the Horn of Africa, officials said. The two leaders signed a joint statement on July 9 formally ending the border dispute between the two countries, restoring full diplomatic relations and agreeing to open their borders to people, goods and services.

[1] [2] The joint statement also considered closing all chapters on the war between Eritrea and Ethiopia (1998-2000) and the border conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia (2000-2018) with sporadic clashes. [3] (1) The state of war between Ethiopia and Eritrea has ended. A new era of peace and friendship has begun. The so-called Jeddah Agreement was the culmination of the peace initiatives that began on June 8, 2018, with the historic embrace between the two leaders in Asmara. It was followed by the signing of a joint declaration in Asmara on 9 July, the Jeddah Agreement and the resumption of diplomatic and trade relations on 18 September. Stigant: The Horn of Africa is undergoing a tectonic transition. But things are far from settled. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has welcomed Eritrea`s increased regional engagement – including through the Ethiopia-Somalia-Eritrea Joint Declaration – but has yet to bring Eritrea back as a regular and active participant in the regional organization after a 12-year absence. An agreement on a new IGAD presidency could be reached in the coming months (Ethiopia has held this position for more than a decade) – but the delay shows how sensitive regional policy remains. Since the July 2018 peace agreement, thousands of people have flocked across the widely open border, reuniting with their families and doing cross-border business for the first time in two decades. Embassies have been reopened and formal diplomatic relations have been restored.

Commercial flights between the two capitals have resumed. Ethiopian merchant ships began docking in the Eritrean port, a crucial step for the Ethiopian Interior, which had conducted almost all of its foreign trade through Djiboutian ports since Eritrea`s independence. Even telephone lines between the two countries have been restored. They had already been cut off because of the ongoing conflict and Eritrean society completely closed and repressive. After a bitter war that lasted 20 years (from 1998 to 2018) and in which up to 100,000 people were killed, the agreement allowed the resumption of air services, the reopening of telephone lines, the cessation of military hostilities and the reunification of families. Neither government commented on the status of the peace agreement. Since 1998, no Head of State or Government representative has visited either side. Telephone lines have been disconnected, disrupting communication between the two countries. (5) The two countries will work together to ensure peace, development and cooperation in the region. Two land border crossings between Ethiopia and Eritrea were reopened last Tuesday for the first time in 20 years, crowning a swift reconciliation between the once bitter enemies.

Susan Stigant and Payton Knopf discuss what prompted Ethiopia and Eritrea to sign their recent peace agreement, how it can improve economic and humanitarian conditions in both countries, and the strategic and regional implications this has for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki signed on 9 September. July 2018 in Asmara, Eritrea, a historic agreement that ended more than two decades of hostilities and open wars. The Joint Declaration of Peace and Friendship (Joint Declaration) marks a fundamental change for the Horn of Africa, as reconciliation can change the economic and political dynamics of the region. The Joint Statement is the result of several important developments that took place over a few weeks, from June to early July 2018. Ethiopia announced its adoption of the original Algiers Agreement of 12 December 2000, which had never been implemented, and its willingness to comply with the 2002 decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia International Boundary Commission of 2002, which granted Eritrea disputed territories, including the border town of Badme. Previously, Ethiopia had rejected the verdict and requested a new verdict. Ethiopia had also previously insisted that relations must be restored before a territorial solution.

President Afwerki agreed to negotiate after years of declaring that Ethiopia must first withdraw its troops from the controversial city of Badme. A few weeks before the signing of the Joint Declaration, Eritrean Foreign Minister Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, marking the first bilateral meeting between the two since the beginning of the war. Stigant: The end of the „no war, no peace” period between Ethiopia and Eritrea remains a historic milestone. Stories of families reunited after decades highlight the profound personal costs of conflict and the immediate possibilities for peace. Last year, however, people expected peace to lead to further and lasting improvements. And in some cases, progress has now been halted or even reversed. For example, Eritrea has again closed the border crossing between countries. To this day, peace has remained largely at the elitist, political – and even personalized – level between Abiy and Isaias. Individual relationships are important for building peace, but insufficient – and even risky if these relationships are acidic – to maintain peace and avoid a return to conflict in the medium term. There must be predictable and agreed ways to resolve disputes as they arise. Many Eritreans hope that peace with Ethiopia will lead to the end of one-party rule in their country.

Ethiopia and Eritrea ended two decades of tensions in 2018 and signed a peace agreement. The Joint Declaration states that the state of war between the two countries has ended; whereas they will strive to forge close political, economic, social, cultural and security cooperation that promotes the needs of their populations; that trade, diplomacy and communication between the two be resumed; the implementation of the 2002 Borders Decision; and that the two countries will work together for regional peace. Footnote 4 These various agreements are fundamental steps towards full reconciliation. With the peace pact, Ethiopia`s landlocked country can now use the Red Sea ports of Assab in southern Eritrea and Massawa in the north tax-free. Ethiopia currently spends more than $1.5 billion a year on the use of Djibouti`s ports. Eritrean industry, on the other hand, will have access to Ethiopia`s 100 million consumers (the second largest in Africa). The peace agreement and the official end of the conflict were a surprising development after decades of open hostility and have the potential to influence greater stability in the Horn of Africa. Hostilities between Ethiopia and Eritrea had already hit Djibouti, one of Ethiopia`s main economic allies. This alliance had led to persistent tensions between Eritrea and Djibouti since 2008, and the two states had been at odds over their own disputed border on the Dumiera Mountains on the Red Sea, which had been occupied by Eritrean troops. Just a few months after the agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea, on 11 September 2018, Eritrea and Djibouti signed an agreement that ended their border dispute. Footnote 12 Ethiopia`s military involvement in Somalia`s fight against al-Shabaab was also a source of the dispute and was seen by Eritrea as destabilizing, but is now likely to be received more positively.

Eritrea has been under a UN arms embargo since 2009 for allegedly supporting Somali militants. Relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia in relation to Somalia could also improve. The Joint Declaration represents an important step towards ending the conflict in the region. Stigant: We know that peace agreements are more successful and are more likely to last when they are inclusive. This means that groups that have complaints, conflicts or disputes must be part of the negotiations and accept the results. .