Eritrea & Ethiopia– An Historic Peace Breakthrough Heralding a New Era of Peace & Security in the Horn & the Gulf Public Lecture - RL Vol. XII No CCXCVII - MMXVIII

Nothing pains some people more than having to think.

The shape of the world today does not permit us the luxury of Soft-

Mindedness. Nations, societies or civilizations that continues to produce Soft-Minded

Humans, purchase their own spiritual death. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Eritrea & Ethiopia–

An Historic Peace Breakthrough Heralding a New Era of Peace & Security in the Horn & the Gulf

Public Lecture - RL Vol. XII No CCXCVII - MMXVIII

Costantinos Berhutesfa Costantinos, PhD

Professor of Public Policy & Sustainable Institutional Reforms

https://addisababa.academia.edu/CostyCostantinos

Abstract

As the fulminating war against the junta in Ethiopia was nearly over in 1991, the opening salvo of the Transitional Period Charter of Ethiopia recognised the self-determination of the Eritrean People that secured the Eritrean referendum and independence. Following the disagreement between the two nations, hundreds of thousands have died in the Ethio-Eritrean War. Thousands have died in politically motivated clashes and trying to leave both countries. Conflicts often serve as vital stimulus for affirmative and constructive change; they can and do cause major societal destabilisation. Hence, the necessity for a multidisciplinary approach and variety of collaborative strategies that seek to bring Eritrea & Ethiopia to agree on processes, strategies, structures and systems to narrow their differences to manageable roundtable discussions. Now that the two historically and culturally originated nations sharing nationhood for over 3000 year since the Axumite kingdom have decided to make peace, the knowledge gap of the study augurs on how to move form containment to détente and resolve the border, citizenship, economic and social issues in the current peace initiative.

Hence, the research questions to be addresses are the demarcation, according to the Algiers Agreement, what happens if the line runs through communities? What happens if the people in the border (Ethiopia and Eritrea) prefer the citizenship status quo they have now when they are told to belong to a different nation after the demarcation? How are their citizens going to participate in the peace processes? What alternative conflict management tools are going to be used if the two sides are to create lasting peace? The trajectories of conflict management point to issues of citizenship and the rules of the game, socio-economic axes of convergence, civil societies articulation of their vulnerability, entrepreneurship and shrinking natural resources base. Moreover, it addresses alternative conflict management, leadership requisites for peace, and concludes by protocols for analysis of conflicts and ensuring the continuity of a three thousand years common narrative and project the two nations into the 21^st century. Looking at the camaraderie of the Abiy and Esayas, it could suggests itself, and seems within reach, only to elude and appears readily practicable only to resist realisation.

Key words: Alternative Conflict Management – ACM, Economy, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Peace, Society,  

“The Eritrean people have today got the Chance to Express their true Love and emotion for Ethiopians,” Isaias “Love is greater than weapons. Love can win hearts, and we have seen a great deal of it here in Asmera today” - Abiy

Read here or https://www.academia.edu/37026907/Eritrea_and_Ethiopia_-_An_historic_peace_breakthrough_heralding_a_new_era_-_RL_Vol._XII_No_CCXCVII_-_MMXVIII