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Africa: East
BBC: New snag in Horn border dispute
2003-10-11
EFL
An international commission based in The Hague subsequently decided the border town of Badme, which sparked off the war, should go to Eritrea. The two countries waged a bitter war between 1998 and 2000 over the issue - a conflict which cost around 100,000 lives.
100,000 lives for the town of Badme. I demand that the international commission rename the town: Stupidme.
Marking the border was supposed to begin this month but a serious dispute has now broken out over how this should take place. Maps have been drawn up, contractors appointed. Everything is ready for the first concrete pillars to be put into place. But objections from Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, expressed in a letter to the United Nations Security Council, have stalled the process.
Use the concrete to manufacture 100,000 mini headstones to wing at the head of the Ethiopian Pime Minister.
Posted by:Super Hose

#3  Chuck,
Part of the article pointed out that the US is a signatory of the curent peace process. In your opinion would US egagement be beneficial or a distraction to the process?

No matter how messed up these regimes are, at least there are regimes. The will need to be some stability in the area to leverage off of.

Somalia can not be left like it is.
Posted by: Super Hose   2003-10-11 10:47:47 PM  

#2  You have to look back at the origins of the current Ethiopean government. It is a revolutionary one, one that would not be in power if not for the people currently governing Eritrea. The revolution was born in the sands of Eritrea and swept into Addis Ababba. It replaced one of the two or three most inept and wacked out regimes ever in human history. All the while millions of Ethiops were starving from the drought, and famine, and such. The guys who got Addis Ababba got nothing, hell, they probably owe. That and the shame of Eritrea becoming independant, thus cutting off the trade... Well, it made them desprite enough to be willing to spend tens of thousands of lives over a few square miles of true hell. Cause there ain't nothing but sand and heat and nothing else there.
Posted by: Chuck   2003-10-11 9:06:34 PM  

#1  It's not as simple as all that. Ethiopia did nearly all its trade through Eritrea before independance. It continued, after, though reduced. When the two governments got around to acting like governments, Eritrea decided to "jack" the trade, for spite and to make some money. Ethiopia feels that they shouldn't have to pay extra to ship through their own territory. And, of course, all of Eritrea is their territory. Trade and land, the true reasons for every war.
Posted by: Chuck   2003-10-11 7:02:12 PM  

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