A publication of :Ethiopia S :Eritrea RPCVs, - an affiliate of the National Peace Corps Association The HE Winter 2000/2001 - Number 22 The New Peace Treaty by Hayward Allen (Ha rar 62-64 ) peace: n. a state of quiet or tranquility; absence invade what he called "Italy 's breadbasket. " After of civil disturbance or agitation; freedom from or the Italian military were removed from both cessation of war or hostilities; a state of friendli­ countries after World War II, there was the amal­ ness; calmness of mind . .. gamation of Eritrea and Ethiopia under Haile Selassie's aegis. treaty: n. an agreement formally concluded and Inside ratifi ed between different states; negotiation, the The Eritrean struggle for independence is dated Sum mit 4 act of treating for the adjustment of differences . .. from the day the Eritrean Parliament voted for AIDS 6 reintegration with Ethiopia in 1962 , a few weeks On June 18, 2000, the foreign ministers of Ethiopia after the first Peace Corps Volunteers arrived in Miscellany 8 and Eritrea pledged to agree to a peace accord country. Some twenty years later the Eritreans between the two nations. On December 12 , the Travel 10 threw their lot in with the revolution against the prime minister of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopian military dictator Mengistu who was Peace Corps 12 Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi, and the president of overthrown in 1991. In recognition of Eritrea's Eritrea, Isaias Afwerki , signed another paper in The 4oth 14 contribution to the revolution, its position of Algiers in which they agreed to end the war strength in its own territory, and the reality that Personal 16 between the two nations that had begun in May, the new fragile Ethiopian regime was too weak to 1998 . Among the witnesses for the signing were UN Books 18 put down any further Eritrean resistance, the Secretary-General Kofi Annan and US Secretary of Ethiopians held a referendum in Eritrea in 1993 in 2000 re union 21 State Madeleine Albright. which some 953 of the Eritreans voted for inde­ pendence and a new country was born. Buna 22 Some history The edi tor 24 The most recent war is only one of the conflicts The agreement Contacts 26 within the region in the past 500 years and longer. Under the "Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities Ethiopia/ Abyssinia fought with the Sudan over Between the Government of the Federal Democratic what is now Eritrea for centuries. In the 19th Republic of Ethiopia and the Government of the century, there were armed fights by Egypt, France, State of Eritrea," as articulated by the Organization and Italy over the territory with ports on the Red of African Unity , and "in accordance with the Sea. The border between the two has been under principles enshrined in the charters of the OAU and scrutiny and fire, beginning in the first decade of the Un ited Nations," another bitter war between the 20 th century, then the battle for the Horn of the two nations was formally ended. pto > Afr ica began in Eritrea as Mussolini crossed to The new Peace Treaty Continued from page 1 The language of the treaty is relatively simple and many lives and wealth." Cecchini also spoke with brevity its scope of persuasiveness. Paraphrased, the Ethiopian ambassador to the U. S., who was "a the two countries agreed to stop all air and land bit more confidant about the accord." attacks, begin "demining activities," and "the San Francisco Chroni cle writer Lewis Dolinsky notes return of civilian administration and return of that there were three Peace Corps "alumni " present population as well as delimitation and demarca­ for the Algerian signing ceremony: "For three tion of their common border." private U.S. citizens in attendance - Chic The key element in the treaty provides the activa­ Dambach, John Garamendi [Metu 66-68] and tion of policies to "contribute to the reduction of Michael Mccaskey [Fiche 65-67] - this was the true tension and to the establishment of a climate of end of the war, a moment they had prayed for and calm and confidence, as well as to create condi­ worked for as friends of both sides. Former Peace tions conducive to a comprehensive and lasting Corps Volunteers talking to leaders who had settlement" that has dealt with the border between studied under Peace Corps teachers, they had Eritrea and Ethiopia. offered proposals, nudged whoever was recalci­ trant, and asserted privately and publicly that the The keyword of the document is "redeployment. " terms , available in June 1999, when they visited The defining point is : "Ethiopia commits itself not both countries, would be the terms whenever the to move its troops beyond the positions it adminis­ fight ing stopped. They were right." tered before 6 May 1998 ... " Eritrea agrees to "remain at a distance of 25 km (artillery range) According to Cecchini, the terms of the 1999 from positions to which Ethiopian forces shall proposal were not the terms of the 2000 peace redeploy . This zone of separation shall be accord. He believes that, unfortunately, referred to .. as 'the temporary security zone. "' Garamendi's presentations to the Eritreans were (It should be noted that the 25 km limit was first misconstrued to mean that the us had the Ethiopi­ proposed by EE.E RPCVs .) ans on board in the peace process and would forestall them from further military action, but the Overseeing the resolution of the six-hundred-mile actual situation was that Eth iop ia us ed the period border war is a Peacekeeping Mission created by from the Garamendi visit in May 1999 to May 2000 the United Nations, under the direction of the OAU . to prepare a brutal attack in June of that year that UN cartographers will eventually determine the totally destroyed the Eritrean fo rces. Most expected line that separates the two nations. The number of the Ethiopians to march right through to Asmara UN peacekeepers is as yet undefined, but it is and toss out the Eritrean government. Cecchini estimated that more than 4,000 will be sent to believes they did not do this as the Ethiopians had oversee the treaty's enforcement. According to the repeatedly made assurances to him that they had Washington Post, Richard C. Holbrooke, the then­ no intention of reclaiming Er itrea. "The Ethiopians Ambassador to the United Nations, believes that do not want to go back to a protracted liberation half that number would be sufficient. struggle with the Eritreans " said Cecchini. Leo Cecchini (Asmara 62-64) has led EE.E RPCVs President Clinton was quoted at the time, saying Peace Initiative Team in an ongoing campaign for "Th is is a breakthrough which can and should end the peaceful cessation of the war. Cecchini spoke the tragic conflict in the Ho rn of Africa . It can and with Eritrean Ambassador to the U.N. Haile should permit these two countries to realize their Menkarios shortly after the treaty signing. UN potential in peace, instead of squandering it in peacekeepers from Canada, Denmark, the Nether­ war. lands, and Italy had already arrived. Cecchini noted that the ambassador "is glad the long agony It is difficult to find how many lives were lost and is over and believes this settlement will work. His how much money was spent on what was called only reservation is that some in Ethiopia may argue "Africa 's Forgotten War. " One UN dateline notes what has the country gained after the loss of so "tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians" had 2 THE HERALD died. At one time, it was estimated that one million According to the 1949 Geneva Conventions - part Eritreans were forced to flee the war. of the Ethiopia-Eritrea treaty - all prisoners of war and detainees will be released. The Red Cross has The Washington Post reported, "The war had determined that there are about 2,600 POWs in involved some of the most high-tech military Ethiopia and 1,000 in Eritrea. The Tribune remarks weaponry ever used in sub-Saharan Africa, that the ending of "the spat between the two Horn straining the treasuries of the impoverished Horn of Africa nations" has also freed 1414 Ethiopian of Africa neighbors at a time they are facing a civilians from Eritrea. deadly drought." "Tens of thousands of Ethiopian troops Saturday Even if there were a way of adding up the mon­ [December 30] received a hero's welcome on return etary costs of the two-year battle, it will be years to their respective hometowns upon demobiliza­ before external humanitarian and economic aid tion, following the end of the bloody border will meet the needs of the two nations. Cecchini conflict with Eritrea, " reported the PanAfrican reports that he has seen accounts that various News Agency in Addis. Celebrating towns included countries would provide at least US$400 million in Addis, Ambo, Ghimbi, Bahr Dar and Jimma. aid once the accord was ratified. He notes that Eventually, more than 150,000 troops will go home. there is no defined timeline, but "!assume this is for several years ." Visafric News reports from Asmara that Eritrean business investors are being encouraged by John Rude, (Tessenei , Adi Ugri 62-64), has his own Yemane Gebreab, advisor to Eritrean President opinion, "There's one fact that can't be Isaias Afwerki, to "actively participate in the denied ... although we have to treat it with revitalization of their nation's economy." He delicacy. Both nations were coerced into signing praised the contributions of Eritreans living the treaty by the threat of withdrawing aid. This outside the country for their support "during its threat had more weight in Ethiopia, and will critical crisis" which "boosted the spirit of the probably lead to more resentment and possible nation's defense forces as well as the population at unraveling of the treaty." large." Speaking to an Eritrean group in Oakland, CA , he stressed that people "should not assume Attempts at healing begin that Ethiopia 's leaders have exhausted their des ire On December 18 , three air corridors opened for war .