ERITREA & ETHIOPIA

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Source: The Conversation

Context

Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki has warned Ethiopia against starting a new war amid escalating tensions in the Horn of Africa.

Historical Background:

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Source: Al Jazeera

• Eritrea achieved independence from Ethiopia in 1993.
• Tens of thousands were slain during a battle between the two countries that lasted from 1998 to 2000.
• PM Abiy Ahmed and President Afwerki reached a peace pact in 2018.

Current issue:

• Ethiopia (a landlocked country) has resumed its demand for access to a seaport.
• Eritrea sees these demands as a possible danger and a political diversion.

Tigray Conflict (2020–2022):

• Eritrean army backed Tigrayan rebels against the Ethiopian government.
• Estimated 6 lakh deaths (African Union).
• Despite a peace pact, the Eritrean military continues in Tigray.

About the Horn of Africa:

• It is Africa's furthest point east.
• It consists of the following countries: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia.
• The Somali peninsula is located in the Horn of Africa.
• It includes varied places such as the Ethiopian Plateau's highlands, the Ogaden desert, and the Eritrean and Somali coasts, as well as the Amhara, Tigray, Oromo, and Somali peoples.
• Its coastline is bounded by the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Indian Ocean, and it has long been in communication with the Arabian Peninsula and southwestern Asia.

Source: The Hindu