David Gough in Nairobi
On Wednesday the Ethiopian prime minister declared his country’s two-year border war with Eritrea over, saying that Ethiopia had recaptured all the disputed land which Eritrea occupied by force in May 1998.
Meles Zenawi was quoted on Ethiopian state television as saying: “The war against Eritrea has been accomplished in victory.”
His announcement came after two days of peace talks between the two sides in Algeria, during which an accord for implementing a peace deal agreed more than a year ago was finally struck.
But an Eritrean government representative, Yermane Gebremeskel, said: “They cannot say the war is over when they still occupy Eritrean territory,” referring to the thousands of square kilometres of southern Eritrea that Ethiopia has occupied since launching a massive offensive on May 12.
Eritrea says that Ethiopia must withdraw all its forces to their pre-May 1998 positions before Eritrea will consider the war over.
But despite Eritrean reluctance to confirm an end to the war, Ethiopia is in the military ascendancy and if it is prepared to withdraw its forces from undisputed Eritrean territory then Eritrea is unlikely to reignite the conflict.
Ethiopia and its former ally, Eritrea, came to blows in May 1998 when Eritrea invaded parts of northern Ethiopia.
Two years of offensive and counter- offensive followed in which hundreds died for every metre of territory gained. But last month’s offensive changed that as Ethiopian troops broke through the lines and advanced rapidly into western and southern Eritrea.
The peace deal calls for both sides to withdraw to pre-war positions and for an independent commission to delineate their common border.
A United Nations World Food Programme representative said if farmers did not plant their crops as soon as possible the harvest would fail, leaving millions in need of food aid.
Ethiopia’s declaration is a clear sign that Eritrea is offering little resistance to Ethiopia’s demands at the negotiating table.
According to Western diplomats, Eritrea had little will to fight once Ethiopian troops broke through its lines. After Ethiopian diplomats in Algeria had assuaged Eritrean fears that Ethiopia wished to conquer the entire country, Eritrea would have seen little sense in continuing a war of attrition, they said.
The popular Eritrean government will sell the deal to their people as a victory, they predicted.