A model for future conflict resolution?
For the first time in decades, Ethiopia and neighbouring state Eritrea are at peace.
Eritrea’s Information Minister Yemane Meskel tweeted, “the state of war that existed between the two countries has come to an end…a new era of peace and friendship has been ushered. Both countries will work to promote close co-operation in political, economic, social, cultural and security areas.”
The breakthrough moment comes just months after the election of the new Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. It marks a turning point in regional conflict, as well as painting a picture of possible peace for the rest of the international community.
Having reconciled their 20-year confrontation will have an impact not only on the two states themselves, but on the stability of the horn of Africa region including Somalia. They have traditionally had to take sides throughout the protracted conflict.
It will also create a significant impact throughout the rest of the continent of Africa, as well as presenting a strong model for attainable possibilities in conflict resolution for the rest of the world.
Background of the war
Prior to this historic peace, Eritrea and Ethiopia had been unable to settle on peace for nearly 20 years. The main theatre of war took place between 1998 and 2000, from which the number of casualties has never been precisely counted, but according to Crisis Group data, figures range between 75,000 and 100,000 deaths on both sides.
By the year 2000, there were 1,152,989 Eritrean refugees as a result of the war, including 1,100,000 internally displaced people. Ninety-seven per cent of these refugees sought asylum in Sudan.
In the years preceding the 1998-2000 conflict, Eritrea had been fighting to gain independence from Ethiopia since 1961 when a long war of independence was fought against the backdrop of the Cold War.
Refugees
The result of this ongoing and entrenched regional conflict has seen thousands of Eritreans flee on a monthly basis. In 2016, it was estimated that 5,000 Eritreans fled each month and were the single largest group to arrive in Italy. UNHCR estimates that almost 40,000 Eritreans arrived in Italy in 2015, making up 25% of all arrivals in Italy.
However, despite their arrival in Italy, most used Italy solely as a gateway to other countries, with only 1.3% of Eritreans arriving in Italy actually making an application for asylum there. Most Eritreans – 36% – made asylum applications in Germany the preceding year.
In the UK, 2.7% of all asylum applications were made by Eritreans, a total of 34,470 applications. In contrast to the rest of Europe, the UK government started reducing its recognition rate to Eritrean refugees in 2015, as the government alleged the human rights situation in Eritrea to be improving. Shockingly, this was revealed to be an attempt by the UK Home Office to underplay the seriousness of the Eritrean human rights situation in order to reduce asylum seeker numbers.
Despite these attempts to whitewash the human rights abuses in Eritrea, elevated migration numbers and reports from the international community had clearly demonstrated the situation in Eritrea to have only continued to worsen.
Eritrea’s appalling human rights record
In 2018, there are still ongoing violations of human rights in Eritrea including forced labour, insufficient refugee rights and repression of speech and religion.
Eritrea has the most heavily censored press in the world, topping North Korea on a list of the countries most repressive to journalists in 2015. In 2001, the government banned private press. Following this ban, only 3 reporters representing foreign news agencies (AFP, Reuters and Al Jazeera) were allowed to operate in the country. Since this ban was implemented, a number of journalists have been imprisoned without trial.
With at least 23 journalists imprisoned, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) named Eritrea,
‘Africa’s worst jailer of journalists’
Operating under a system of national military conscription, each Eritrean is obligated to serve at the age of 18. Despite this minimum age in Eritrean law, children were subjected to military training within the Eritrean school system. The prescribed service is due to last 18 months however many serve for as long as up to 10 years and some indefinitely.
Reports of conscripts being subject to torture and abuse are many, with several being shot dead by guards in an attempt to escape in April this year. After some pressure from the EU, Eritrea’s president Isaias Afewerki stated that he would increase pay for conscripts, but to date there is no evidence that this has taken place.
The government of Eritrea only recognises four main religions – Sunni Islam and the Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Evangelical (Lutheran) and restricts the practices of others. These restrictions include the raiding of church halls and meeting rooms, and the detention of those found worshipping there. This is in direct violation of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Ethopia’s human rights record – on the up?
Many are now speculating whether or not this newfound peace will help improve Eritrea’s human rights record. When compared with Eritrea, Ethiopia does have a more respectable face on the international stage. However, it has also been subject to some questionable human rights issues in recent years.
Despite having considerably less censorship when compared to Eritrea, the statistics on Ethiopia’s press freedom are still high. Since 2010, 85 journalists have fled Ethiopia into exile, with at least 6 journalists thought to have left in 2017 with a choice between exile or self-censorship. The government still restricts some social media apps and websites with content that is considered to challenge the government narrative.
In 2017, Ethiopia spent most of the year until August in a state of emergency after a year of protests led by the people. Security forces responded to the protests with excessive and lethal force, killing over 1,000 protestors. Other protestors were detained in what were called ‘rehabilitation’ camps, short-term detention centres that often involved forced physical exercise. During this declared state of emergency, military forces detained over 21,000 people in rehabilitation camps, in which some detainees reported cases of torture, indoctrination of government policies and trial on politically motivated charges.
A bright new future in the Horn of Africa
The historic reconciliation emphasises the strength of Ethiopia’s new prime minister Abiy Ahmed. In just a few months in power, he has freed political prisoners, sacked officials accused of abuses, lifted press restrictions, and began to liberalise the economy. Furthermore, his reconciliation with the un-elected President Isaias of Eritrea, a man who has been repressing Eritrean freedoms for 25 years, proves ground-breaking.
The impact of this resolution could indeed be far-reaching if Isaias follows the lead of Abiy Ahmed. A more stable region could mean a more stable world. With increased stability at home, Eritreans may be discouraged from making the perilous crossing over the Mediterranean, especially as they face increased hostilities and delays in processing once arriving in Europe.
Moreover, the end of hostilities in the region act as a model for diplomacy and a beacon of hope for the rest of the world.