Author Kahsay Abraha talks about the recently restarted Ethiopia and Eritrea peace talks

Tigrai Online, July 2, 2018

Author Kahsay Abraha talks about the recently restarted Ethiopia and Eritrea peace talks to normalize their relationship

TOL Comment

Author Kahsay Abraha talks about the recently restarted Ethiopia and Eritrea peace talks to normalize their relationship in an interview he gave to SBS radio recently. He said without the direct participation of the local people there would not be any long term peace. Governments can sign peace in their capitals for five days or even five years, but if the people on both sides of the border are not directly involved, it might create a fifty years of conflict.

On the Ethiopian side any peace deal should be one hundred percent approved by the people of Tigrai and Afar. The same goes on the Eritrean side, anything short of that is going to be a public joke and it will be dropped like hot potato. Even though the Ethiopian federal states cannot decide their own international border, the federal government would not keep them in the dark. The Tigrai and Afar states will have an absolute right to be part of whatever discussions between Eritrea and Ethiopia in every step of the way. Only the formalities will be signed by both heads of states after all talks are done.

The people of Tigrai will not make the same mistake as the in the 1900s when Menlik sold their land to Italy. This time around Tigrai will be watching like a hawk and we will make sure what is ours remains in our hands. We will not let our enemies decide our fate. If that does not sit well with those in Addis Ababa or anywhere else in Ethiopia, tough luck that is the only way. The above comment is from TOL not from Kahsay Abraha.

Advertisement