UN warns of new war in Horn of Africa

By Andrew England, Financial Times

NAIROBI, April 8, 2005 — International failure to break the border stalemate between Ethiopia and Eritrea could lead to a renewal of conflict, a senior UN official warned yesterday.

The brutal 2½-year war ended with a December 2000 peace agreement under which the parties agreed to abide by the ruling of an independent boundary commission.

After initially accepting the peace deal, Ethiopia rejected the commission’s April 2002 findings and prevented the physical demarcation of the border.

Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, head of the UN mission, said: “I’m urging the international community to wake up to the reality that, if the stalemate continues, we are going to run into problems.”

Since December, Ethiopia has deployed up to seven army divisions within 25km-45km of a UN-monitored buffer zone along the 1,000km border and ignored Security Council requests that they be withdrawn.

Eritrea retains a conscript army of about 350,000, or a 10th of its population. Both impoverished countries spent about $1m a day on the war, which cost tens of thousands of lives.

Observers agree that, while Eritrea holds the moral high ground, Ethiopia has far better relations with the west. It is strategically important and hosts the African Union. Meles Zenawi, prime minister, is courted by the international community and was appointed by Tony Blair, UK prime minister, to the Commission for Africa. Last year Britain tripled aid to Ethiopia.

Mr Legwaila said: “There are two risks that the international community runs. One is turn this into a Cyprus thing and the other is eventually to decide to leave the countries to their own devices.”