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Persistent Challenges to Entirely Normalize Ethio-Eritrean Diplomatic Relations

Received: 11 November 2021    Accepted: 27 November 2021    Published: 11 December 2021
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Abstract

After Eritrea became officially independent from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993, the diplomatic relationship between Ethiopia and Eritrea was mainly a friendly and gentle one. Nevertheless, such harmonized honey moon relation was hampered by the 1998-2000 war and followed by ‘no peace no war scenario’ until 2018 rapprochement. Despite, to cover this study the researcher employed qualitative methodology. In so doing, purposive and snow ball sampling method was employed with exploratory design to collect the data. However, the rapprochement changed the gear of threat to the countries relationship and determined the ‘no peace no war scenario’ to ‘yes peace no war scenario’ road map. Yet, there is challenge which emanated from internal and external factors to abort the re-established relation which come with relief and prospect to both Ethiopia and Eritrea as well region of the Horn in whole. If the rapprochement is not carefully handled, there may be dynamic radical shift from the previous ‘no peace no war frying pan to fire of another devastating war’ in the volatile region of Horn (in Amharic ‘keditu wode matu!’) That is why the whole process has to be approached carefully, with due conscientiousness to compensate for and repair the political, economic, diplomatic and social fault-lines that exist at overall ends.

Published in International and Public Affairs (Volume 5, Issue 2)
DOI 10.11648/j.ipa.20210502.16
Page(s) 92-103
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Persistent Challenge, Diplomatic Relations, Cordial Relation, Rapprochement, Yes Peace No War, Keditu Wode Matu

References
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[2] Kalewongel, M. G. (2008). Ethiopia and Eritrea: The Quest for Peace and Normalizations (Master's thesis, Universitetet i Tromsø).
[3] Abebe, T. Kahsay. (2007). "Ethiopia's Sovereign Right of Access to the Sea under International Law”. LLM Theses and Essays. Paper 81.
[4] FDRE, (2002). Foreign Affairs and National Security Policy and Strategy. Ministry of Information Press & Audiovisual Department. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
[5] Mosley, Jason. (2014). Eritrea and Ethiopia: Beyond the Impasse. The Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatam House.
[6] Berhe, Yonas. B. (Not dated). ‘No peace No war’ situation between Ethiopia and Eritrea: Perspectives of Eritrean and Ethiopian students and local people, Adigrat Town, Ethiopia. International Institute of Social studies. Netherland, Hague. PP. 44.
[7] CBC News, (Jul, 08, 2018). Leaders of Ethiopia, Eritrea restore diplomatic relations after 20-year standoff. Retrieved from http://www.cbcsnews.com/news/.
[8] Wu, C. & Yang, F. Chin. Polit. Sci. Rev. (2016) 1: 645.
[9] Kidane, Mangisteab (1994), “Ethio-Eritrean Cooperation in National Rehabilitation and Development” in Ethiopia and Eritrea: from conflict to cooperation, Amare Tekle (ed) Red sea press.
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[11] CDRC DIGEST, INSIGHT DISCOURSE ACTION. FEBRUARY 2019 VOL. 4 NO. 2.
[12] ICG Report 269 /Africa 21 February 2019 https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/horn-africa/ethsiopia/269-managing-ethiopias-unsettled-transition accessed at 17 April 2019 Library of Congress_Federal Research Division. (2005). Country Profile: Eritrea.
[13] Redie Bereketeab. (2019). The Ethiopia-Eritrea Rapprochement: African Solutions to African Problems? The Nordic Africa Institute, Uppsala, Sweden.
[14] Kidist, Mulugeta. (2011), “The Ethiopian-Eritrean War of 1998–2000: An analysis of its causes, course, impacts and prospects” in Regional Security in the Post-Cold War Horn of Africa, ed. Roba Sharamo and Berouk Mesfin, Relief Web report, Institute for Security Studies.
[15] Kinfe Abraham (2004), Ethio- Eritrean History and the Ethio- Eritrean War: Liberation Struggle, Statehood and Bilateral Political, Economic, Social and Diplomatic Relations, London: The Ethiopian International Institute for Peace and Development and HADAD International.
[16] Kidanu Atinafu. (2014). ‘‘Ethio-Eritrean Relations since 1991: Experience for Sudan and South Sudan's Relations’’, Unpublished MA Thesis, Addis Ababa University.
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[18] The Reporter News. https://www.thereporterethiopia.com/commentary/revisiting-foreign-policy-ethiopia. Accessed at May 10, 2019.
[19] Plaut, Martin. (2018). Eritrea and Ethiopia have made peace. How it happened and what next. The conversation academic rigour journalist flair. [Online]. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/eritrea-and-ethiopia-have-made-peace-how-it-happened-and-what-next-99683 accessed at 12 February 2019.
[20] International Crisis Group (2005) “Ethiopia and Eritrea: Preventing War”, Africa Report N°101–22 December 2005.
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[22] https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/eritrea accessed at 13 February 2019.
[23] Eri-Platform, July 07, 2018. www.eri-platform.org.
[24] Semungus H. Gebrehiwot. (2018). Opinion: The Ethio-Eritrea Rapprochement: A Model for Regional Reconciliation? Retrieved from http://addisstandard.com/opinion-the-ethio-eritrea-rapprochement-a-model-for-regional-reconciliation/ accessed at 12 February 2019.
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Tamirat Dela Wotango. (2021). Persistent Challenges to Entirely Normalize Ethio-Eritrean Diplomatic Relations. International and Public Affairs, 5(2), 92-103. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ipa.20210502.16

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    ACS Style

    Tamirat Dela Wotango. Persistent Challenges to Entirely Normalize Ethio-Eritrean Diplomatic Relations. Int. Public Aff. 2021, 5(2), 92-103. doi: 10.11648/j.ipa.20210502.16

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    AMA Style

    Tamirat Dela Wotango. Persistent Challenges to Entirely Normalize Ethio-Eritrean Diplomatic Relations. Int Public Aff. 2021;5(2):92-103. doi: 10.11648/j.ipa.20210502.16

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ipa.20210502.16,
      author = {Tamirat Dela Wotango},
      title = {Persistent Challenges to Entirely Normalize Ethio-Eritrean Diplomatic Relations},
      journal = {International and Public Affairs},
      volume = {5},
      number = {2},
      pages = {92-103},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ipa.20210502.16},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ipa.20210502.16},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ipa.20210502.16},
      abstract = {After Eritrea became officially independent from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993, the diplomatic relationship between Ethiopia and Eritrea was mainly a friendly and gentle one. Nevertheless, such harmonized honey moon relation was hampered by the 1998-2000 war and followed by ‘no peace no war scenario’ until 2018 rapprochement. Despite, to cover this study the researcher employed qualitative methodology. In so doing, purposive and snow ball sampling method was employed with exploratory design to collect the data. However, the rapprochement changed the gear of threat to the countries relationship and determined the ‘no peace no war scenario’ to ‘yes peace no war scenario’ road map. Yet, there is challenge which emanated from internal and external factors to abort the re-established relation which come with relief and prospect to both Ethiopia and Eritrea as well region of the Horn in whole. If the rapprochement is not carefully handled, there may be dynamic radical shift from the previous ‘no peace no war frying pan to fire of another devastating war’ in the volatile region of Horn (in Amharic ‘keditu wode matu!’) That is why the whole process has to be approached carefully, with due conscientiousness to compensate for and repair the political, economic, diplomatic and social fault-lines that exist at overall ends.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

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    AB  - After Eritrea became officially independent from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993, the diplomatic relationship between Ethiopia and Eritrea was mainly a friendly and gentle one. Nevertheless, such harmonized honey moon relation was hampered by the 1998-2000 war and followed by ‘no peace no war scenario’ until 2018 rapprochement. Despite, to cover this study the researcher employed qualitative methodology. In so doing, purposive and snow ball sampling method was employed with exploratory design to collect the data. However, the rapprochement changed the gear of threat to the countries relationship and determined the ‘no peace no war scenario’ to ‘yes peace no war scenario’ road map. Yet, there is challenge which emanated from internal and external factors to abort the re-established relation which come with relief and prospect to both Ethiopia and Eritrea as well region of the Horn in whole. If the rapprochement is not carefully handled, there may be dynamic radical shift from the previous ‘no peace no war frying pan to fire of another devastating war’ in the volatile region of Horn (in Amharic ‘keditu wode matu!’) That is why the whole process has to be approached carefully, with due conscientiousness to compensate for and repair the political, economic, diplomatic and social fault-lines that exist at overall ends.
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Author Information
  • Department of Civics and Ethical Studies, College of Social Science and Humanities, Wolaita Sodo University, Wolaita Sodo, Ethiopia

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