Meadna Editorial

12 June, 2006

The border problem between Eritrea and Ethiopia has been a cause of a major instability in the Horn of Africa. Four years have elapsed since the announcement of the final and binding ruling by the Eritrean-Ethiopian Border Commission (EEBC) and no progress has been made as the Ethiopian regime continues to reject the decision with the encouragement of the United States government.

After many years of attempts to undermine the final and binding ruling indirectly through the United Nations, the United States government is now openly brining other fictional issues that contradict the international ruling. The US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Donald Yamamoto is finally talking about what he calls “bigger problems” namely “the normalization of relations” and “thirty towns and villages that will be divided.”

The United States government is dangerously complicating the problem by mixing up the demarcation of the border according to final and binding ruling with other issues. There is no bigger problem than Ethiopia’s refusal to abide by the ruling. If the Ethiopian regime were made to accept the ruling and allow demarcation take place, the other issues such as the normalisation of relations would have naturally followed. As for the so-called division of towns and villages, which is being used to undermine the legally resolved matter, it is merely a deliberate misinformation that has been fabricated by the Ethiopian regime and the United States. For years the Ethiopia regime has been engaged in establishing new illegal settlements in the border area in order to create a fictional division of villages and communities. In fact the Security Council discussed the illegal settlement and forwarded a memorandum to the Ethiopian regime demanding it to stop the new settlements in 2003. In addition this issue is addressed in the Algiers Agreement.

The irony is while the United States claims to be the champion of democracy and human rights in the world; it is punishing the people of the Horn Africa by supporting a regime that has continued to remain in power by force and obstructing the pathway to peace in the region. When the regime stole the Ethiopian people’s vote in the election, they went into the streets to demonstrate and were met with the regime’s bullets. Ethiopian people’s petitions and protests to the United States and its allies fell on deaf ears. Is it any wonder the Ethiopian people feel betrayed by the United States as it continues supporting the brutal regime financially and politically?

Similarly, the Eritrean people now see history repeating itself. The thirty years of war and the immense sufferings it caused, was the direct result of the major role that the United States played when the fate of Eritrean people was decided against their wish and for its own interest more than half a century ago. At that time the U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles said: “From the point of view of justice, the opinion of the Eritrean people must receive consideration. Nevertheless, the strategic interests of the United States in the Red Sea Basin and world peace make it necessary that the country be linked with our ally Ethiopia.” To make matters worst the United States continued to support the Ethiopian regimes military and financially prolonging the struggle and suffering of the Eritrean people and the region as whole.

Once again the United States is committing another historic blunder against the people of the region, as its policies and attitudes are in conflict with the international agreement and the realities of all the struggles and aspirations of the people of the region. Sadly the United Nations has also failed to live up to its obligation by not enforcing the final and binding ruling, instead it has allowed itself to be used and manipulated by the United States.

Now is the time for the United States to reverse its position and work for the one and only solution to the border problem that is the immediate implementation of the final and binding ruling without any preconditions.