South Sudan offers to mediate between Ethiopia and Eritrea over border row
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By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
August 17, 2011 (ADDIS ABABA) – The newly independent Republic of
South Sudan has called on Ethiopia and Eritrea to resume peace talks
to end their long-standing border dispute.
PNG - 185 kb
Refugees from Eritrea waiting to be screened by the Ethiopian
authorities in Endabaguna town, Wednesday, July 27, 2011 (AP)
Between 1998 and 2000 Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a bitter war over
the disputed border town of Badme, which killed at least 70,000
people. Fighting ended in 2000 when the two sides signed the Algiers
peace agreement by which the dispute was referred for international
arbitration.
But despite the UN founded Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission
finding that Badme belonged to Eritrea, Ethiopia has refused to remove
its troops from the area. Ethiopia often accuses Eritrea, which
seceded from its larger neighbour in 1993, of attempts to destablise
the region. Most recently it alleged that Eritrea intended to attack
an African Union summit in Addis Ababa.
The offer of mediation is one of South Sudan’s first articulations of
its foreign policy since it separated from Sudan on July 9 as part of
a 2005 peace deal.
“I appeal to both leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea to find a peaceful
and lasting solution to the existing differences” South Sudan’s
president Salva Kiir Mayardit said in a press statement on his two day
official visit to neighbouring Ethiopia and the African Union (AU).
The South Sudanese leader whose country has cordial relations with
both Ethiopia and Eritrea underscored the need to resume diplomatic
efforts to bring both countries to the negotiating table.
Kiir pledged to bring the two sides together for talks to find out a
peaceful settlement soon his country has established itself on a
firmer footing.
“As soon as we have set our priorities in order and rolling, I will
shuttle between Addis Ababa and Asmara until the two sisterly
countries are brought back to normal relations”, he said noting the
two countries contribution during South Sudan’s struggle for
independence.
“I personally take this as a moral duty because it is disturbing to us
seeing both countries bleeding again while both of them also paid the
ultimate sacrifice in order for the people of South Sudan to be free
today” Kiir added.
The Ethiopian government recently threatened that it would attempt to
bring about regime change in Eritrea stirring fears of return to full
scale war. Speaking to parliament in April, Ethiopian Prime Minister
Meles Zenawi said that his government would not be forced to change
its policy from “passive defiance” to directly help Eritrean people
topple the regime.
Zenawi said Eritrea is sending terrorists and is supporting and
training homegrown “destructive forces” in a plot to “turn Addis Ababa
into Baghdad”.
Eritrea rejects the allegations. The two neighbours routinely trade
tough rhetoric since the border war ended over a decade ago.
(ST)
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