Eritrea-Ethiopia: Understanding 20 Years of Armed Conflict

Will De Freitas

11 December 2018

The War Report article The Eritrea-Ethiopia Armed Conflict provides detailed information about the history of this conflict, the peace process and the final Algiers Agreement, the deployment of peacekeeping operations until 2008, the work and conclusions of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) and the Eritrea-Ethiopia Claims Commission (EECC), as well as recent developments.

Written by Tadesse Kebebew, Teaching Assistant at the Geneva Academy and PhD student at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, it will form part of the War Report 2018 which will be published at the beginning of 2019.

Grasping with the Dynamics and Recent Developments of A Long-Lasting Armed Conflict

This article provides the tools to understand the complex dynamics of this armed conflict that has been lasting for 20 years.

‘Following the 1998-2000 war, Eritrea and Ethiopia remained locked in a stalemate for two decades marked by sporadic skirmishes – including an attack on Eritrean military installations in 2012 and another one on Tserona in June 2016 – and Ethiopia’s military occupation of Badme’ explains Tadesse Kebebew.

The article also analyses recent developments, including the 9 July 2018 Joint Declaration of Peace and Freedom, as well as the lack of investigation or prosecution, from both sides, regarding possible war crimes.

‘Written by a scholar with extensive experience in the region, this article summarizes not only the historical and legal dimensions of the conflict and the different views of the parties but also contentious issue like missing prisoners of war’ adds Dr Annyssa Bellal, editor of the War Report.

The Military Occupation of Eritrea by Ethiopia in the Rule of Law in Armed Conflict Conflicts Online Portal

The Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts (RULAC) online portal provides a legal analysis of the military occupation of Eritrea by Ethiopia, including an overview of the situation, its classification as a military occupation and applicable law.