Eight years ago, the Ethiopian government agreed to the decision of an international boundary commission in The Hague on the ownership of the little border town of Badme, also claimed by Eritrea. But two years later when the commission decided Badme should belong to Eritrea, Addis Ababa went back on its commitment.
This is not merely a question of geography. In 1998, after Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia, tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians died in a vicious war between the two countries. For what? The population of Badme in 2005 was just 1,583. Two other small disputed areas, Tsorona-Zalambessa and Bure, have maybe 12,000 people in them. There is no suspicion these locations would be crucial in defining rights to mineral or oil wealth - because there is no evidence such riches exist. This is purely a question of national pride and a dispute between two prickly neighbors.
The Eritreans want the UN to persuade the Ethiopians to honor their original agreement to respect the decision of the international boundary commission. Clearly Addis Ababa would have rejected out of hand any protests from Eritrea had Ethiopia been awarded Badme. However, to advance their case, the Eritreans have cut off fuel supplies to the UN peacekeeping force and monitors who currently patrol the disputed border region. The UN has been forced to relocate their troops and officials largely to Asmara.
This move heightens tensions with Ethiopia and brings the distinct possibility fighting could once again break out. If the Eritreans are calculating they might be able to seize Badme, because the Ethiopian Army is currently deeply involved in Somalia, it is a highly dangerous tactic.
Who in the final analysis will win from yet another conflict between these two countries? The gravediggers.
Thousands more could die in a war over a tiny town. What is so disappointing about the Eritrean government's belligerent tactics is that it has far more important jobs to do. The country gained its independence after a 32-year rebellion against Ethiopia. It is in grievous need of development. The economy is backward and survives largely on international aid and repatriated earnings from Eritreans working abroad. Possessing Badme or the other territory in dispute is not going to make the country a cent richer. Indeed, fighting for them is going to make it a great deal poorer.
A population that on average has to live on little more than four dollars a day does not need to be spending on bullets and shells in some vain little war. At the moment the single-party administration of President Isaias Afewerki occupies the moral high ground, rather than Badme itself. If it plunges the region into yet further violence, it will sacrifice much international good will, as well as its own chances of building for Eritreans a modest, but stable prosperity. The all-important UN troops and monitors should be refueled and returned to the border immediately.
