20 years after, Ethiopian, Eritrean families reunite, as border war ends

Atwine Allen, East Africa

After two decades of border war, the Ethiopia's Governing Coalition has announced it will fully accept and implement the peace deal that ended its war with Eritrea.

The Coalition on Tuesday revealed that it will accept the outcome of 13 April 2002, Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission on the "final and binding" ruling, which awarded disputed territories, including the town of Badme, to Eritrea.

This decision will end a dispute between brothers, which started on May 6, 1998, - tagged "Africa's deadliest border war- and ended in 2000, but peaceful deal was not honoured by the two countries.

It was sparked by a battle for control of the border town of Badme - a humble, dusty market town with no apparent value.

Record shows that about tens of thousands of people were killed in two years of fighting.

The two sides have remained on a war footing as Ethiopia had, until now, refused to accept the ruling of the border commission, which was set up as part of a peace deal.

As a result, Ethiopia had refused to withdraw its troops out of the disputed areas - leading Eritrea to accuse Ethiopia of forcefully occupying its territory.

The ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) on Facebook said, "The Eritrean government should take the same stand without any prerequisite and accept our call to bring back the long-lost peace of the two brother nations as it was before."

Eritrea had refused to hold any talks with Ethiopia until it agreed unconditionally to the border commission's findings.

Ethiopia's new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had promised to make peace with the country's northern neighbour after taking power earlier this year.

With this promise being fulfilled, the Ethiopian PM is likely to be honoured with Noble peace prize, as he will be the first PM to settle an age-long dispute between two warring brothers.

The agreement of the Coalition to implement the peace deal, could also be linked to the  support for peace talks between Ethiopia and Eritrea, made by Donald Yamamoto,  US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, who paid Eritrea and Ethiopia visit in April 2018.

Through this deal, the Ethiopia had asserted its economic power as the leader in the horn of Africa. It is expected to withdraw its military from the border and foster economic growth.

This peaceful deal is also a sigh of relief to Europe as Eritreans make up one of the largest groups attempting to cross the Mediterranean sea to Europe.

This is because,  many of those who don't want to enlist in the army which was a compulsory national service, always flee.