The peace agreement signed Monday between Ethiopia and Eritrea in Asmara has brought joy and gratitude among the people of the two countries. The text notably states that “the war that existed between the two countries has come to an end… a new era of peace and friendship is beginning.”
“My father died during the war between these two countries. He sacrificed his life for peace. I wish he were here today to see that. Dr. Abiy taught us what love really means, I would have been happy if he was alive and saw that,” Ethiopian university student, Selamawit Difiraw said.
This is the case, for example, of Eritrean migrants living in Tel Aviv, Israel, who are not convinced that life will improve in their country of origin because of the dictatorship that they believe still prevails there.
“I am not satisfied with this peace agreement. Why? Why? If you say why? because this peace agreement does not include the Eritrean people. This peace agreement was concluded between the Eritrean dictator and the Ethiopian government. If it does not concern the Eritrean people, we will not accept it and we will not go back because the dictator is still there. So our problem in Eritrea is not because of the border, our problem is because of the dictatorship," an Eritrean migrant based in Israel said.
According to the United Nations, Eritrea has implemented a radical policy at its borders to prevent people from fleeing.
The bilateral agreement with Ethiopia announces, among other things, the re-establishment of diplomatic ties and the implementation of the international agreement on respect for the border.
Ethiopians-Eritreans Peace Initiative
