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Every morning these Ethiopian soldiers inspect the road which connects the town of Badme to the rest of the country. They fear commandos sent by neighboring Eritrea may have hidden land-mines. The threat is real: a few weeks ago three civilians died as their car was blown-up by an anti-tank mine.
Since the withdrawal in July of the United Nation’s Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea, the two countries' armies find themselves in a dangerous face-off. The memory of the 1998-2000 war, which caused the death of about 80,000 people, is still on everyone’s mind.
Checkpoints, roadblocks, vehicles systematically searched: the Ethiopian army is everywhere in Badme. And this despite a UN Boundary Commission's ruling that Badme belongs to Eritrea. In Badme it is still the Ethiopian flag adorning the top of official buildings.
For the local authorities there’s no question: this was and will always be Ethiopia. Tilahun Guebremedhin, President of the Badme district council says: "For all times, Badme has been Ethiopian. It has a massive significance for us Ethiopians; it is the symbol of the integrity of our country. "
"I would rather die than to see a portion of my land going to the other side.” The wounds left by the Eritrean occupation are still on everyone’s minds. Many lost a relative or a friend during the surprise attack led by the troops of Asmara in 1998. Many here are afraid of another war, yet they openly back up their army.
Mamite Guebresarkan, a farmer says: "Of course I'm worried. They conduct frequent infiltration missions here. But whatever happens we will remain here, it is our land, our country. Victorious or not we'll live and die here.”
Negussa Guebreselassie, farmer and member of an Ethiopian militia, says: “We always expect the war to start again. During the war my wife was shot by Eritrean soldiers. She suffered a lot and it was very difficult to have her treated.”
By the time the UN local mission ended its operation here more than six months ago, it no longer had the means to keep up with its peacekeeping initiative: the Eritrean authorities were doing all they could to hinder its action. And despite what it had declared, Ethiopia was refusing to acknowledge the new borders. Despite the fact that ten thousand residents before the war now only number 4,000, Badme has resigned itself to endure another war.
Letay Kidane, a shopkeeper, says: "It's good if the border problem is solved through a peaceful dialogue. Otherwise, I myself will support and help our soldiers up to the frontline.”
People are psychologically gearing up for war. An entire division of the Ethiopian Army has taken position in a nearby fortified hill… Only a few kilometers away, the Eritrean Army is waiting.
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Comments (33)
French Provateur
Beside the UN leaving, I really don't see anything in the article that shows the War is on its way.
I see opinion of the local people who had suffered from the meaningless war. I think the France 24 is becoming a provocateur?
On the other hand, I always wonder why the Horn of Africa is fully of wars i.e. Somalia, Djibouti, Darfur, etc?
Is there a genetic defects that leads these people to solve every problem with gun?
Look at Ethiopia one bad leader after another?
Look at Eritrea, its first leader is completely incompetent?
Look at Sudan, Bashirs...
War is useless- I wish all these idiots fight over who feeds their people better , educate their people better, and develop their country better- Not how many of their people the can get killed! Starvation and malnourish is doing that already.
Where is the Nelson Mandela, Jerry Rawling of east africa?
eritrea
"Badme was Ethiopian land, Is Ethiopian land , will be Ethiopian Land."
I remember Ethiopians saying the same thing about Eritrea until the very last minute...and we all know how that turned out don't we. You still have Ethiopians refusing to admit that Eritrea is now forever separate from Ethiopia. This is sadly the very same thing, and unfortunately Ethiopians don't seem to learn from History.
What is sad is that, even if Eritrea was to backtrack, even though we it has the law on it's side, and say "ok, fine Ethiopia you can have badme"...Ethiopians would move the goalpost further and claim something else or claim that that wasn't good enough. This is just a sad attempt on the part of Ethiopians to prolong the conflict, and a petty attempt to salvage some of their "pride" and "humility" after Eritrea "walked out" on them in 1991/1993, and then again when Eritrea went to war with ethiopia in 1998, and now ended up being "awarded" badme.
ethiopia needs to respect the ruling. period
"Badme was Ethiopian land, Is Ethiopian land , will be Ethiopian Land."
I remember Ethiopians saying the same thing about Eritrea until the very last minute...and we all know how that turned out don't we. You still have Ethiopians refusing to admit that Eritrea is now forever separate from Ethiopia. This is sadly the very same thing, and unfortunately Ethiopians don't seem to learn from History.
What is sad is that, even if Eritrea was to backtrack, even though we it has the law on it's side, and say "ok, fine Ethiopia you can have badme"...Ethiopians would move the goalpost further and claim something else or claim that that wasn't good enough. This is just a sad attempt on the part of Ethiopians to prolong the conflict, and a petty attempt to salvage some of their "pride" and "humility" after Eritrea "walked out" on them in 1991/1993, and then again when Eritrea went to war with ethiopia in 1998, and now ended up being "awarded" badme.
learn from history
"Badme was Ethiopian land, Is Ethiopian land , will be Ethiopian Land."
I remember Ethiopians saying the same thing about Eritrea until the very last minute...and we all know how that turned out don't we. You still have Ethiopians refusing to admit that Eritrea is now forever separate from Ethiopia. This is sadly the very same thing, and unfortunately Ethiopians don't seem to learn from History.
What is sad is that, even if Eritrea was to backtrack, even though we it has the law on it's side, and say "ok, fine Ethiopia you can have badme"...Ethiopians would move the goalpost further and claim something else or claim that that wasn't good enough. This is just a sad attempt on the part of Ethiopians to prolong the conflict, and a petty attempt to salvage some of their "pride" and "humility" after Eritrea "walked out" on them in 1991/1993, and then again when Eritrea went to war with ethiopia in 1998, and now ended up being "awarded" badme.
Badme is a mere day dream to dictator Isayas
Badme was Ethiopian land, Is Ethiopian land , will be Ethiopian Land.
Isayas may dream it to annex to eritrea but Will never and ever happen.
Long live to Ethiopian Heros!
It is all about respect of law
The fact of the matter is most Ethiopians(99.99%) can't point out on a map where Badme is but yet have the nerve to claim it as their own, simply because their leaders led them to war, sacrificing a still unknown amount of men, and despite a panel of experts telling them otherwise. For most Eritreans, it's about respect for the soveriegnty of a country and respect for the rule of law. More then 50 years ago Ethipoia tramplaed on eritrea, and the UN failed in it's duty to help Eritrea...and now we have the same exact situation. This is not simply about Badme, but about Ethiopia lack of respect for the rules and laws that govern the modern world, and more specifically lack of respect for Eritrea as a nation. Had the ruling been the other way, Eritrea would have respected it, just like it respected the Yemen-eritrea Hanish rulling and moved on. But ofcourse, Ethipoia acts like a baby and thinks that the rules should be different for them.
Although, I don't advocate going back to war under any circumstances, I agree with Eritrea's unspoken policy supporting anyone and anything that weakens Ethiopia externally(ICU in Somalia) and internally(OLF, ONLF, EPPF ETC).
Ethiopia(ns) should realize that if it isn't going to respect Eritrea's sovereignty and territory...then it should expect the exact same from Eritrea. No more whinnying about Eritrea support for so-so...Ethiopians should realize that as long as Ethiopia continues to weasel out of the Algiers agreement, which both countries signed on to willingly, the conflict will continue.
Bademe is Ethiopian and will remain Ethiopian
I am laughing out loud when ever I read the “Bademe is Eritrean” phrase. Not alone for Bademe to be Eritrean, the nation Eritrea it self had never existed as a nation - with its own accepted political boundary and system of government - prior to its 1992 defacto independence. The inception and incorporation of the renegade “new nation” is the direct out come of the European colonizers making (following the Berlin conference), and the pervasive social injustices that had been existed in the region.
Eritrea had never its own elected or unelected leader, locally based constitution or independent form of art or cultural practices. To the most part, it belonged to the Ethiopian administrations and kingdoms. There are verifiable historical evidences to prove Ethiopia (Abyssinia) used to rule the current land of Eritrea for centuries. Axumite kingdom and all administration that followed used to rule Eritrea. King Yohannes ruled the entire highlanders and most of the coastal areas. Following the emergence of new powers in the region, the Turkish Empire, the Egyptian expansions, then the Italians and last the English ruled it. The argument often misused to skew political agenda in which King Minilik was forced to sign at the end of Aduwa war, does not hold enough substance to warrant independence. Hence while the entire Eritrea had unquestionably been parcel of Ethiopia and Eritrea had never existed prior to 1992, what would be then the underlying abiding laws and acceptable social norms for Eritrea to claim Bademe?
Badime
I blame supporters more than the two criminal leaders. Those kind of people we have in Africa. Never learn.
What is war good for? Absolutely nothing!!!!
So why is war looming again? Because the leaders are not going to war themselves, just like you in diaspora, they have the poor people of ethiopia & eritrea to sacrifice, while they surf the net for news about the war they ignited. So please until you experience war or have your family member killed in somebody else's (the leaders) war...dont talk about something you have no idea about! Peace by all means, war is not a game. next time you advocate such rubbish as Badme is Ethiopian or Eritrean, or dream of Assab being ethiopian, picture the body of your beloved fallen next to you, shot by a bullet or blown up by a landmine or cut into 1000 pieces beyond recognition because a russian made clustter bomb destroyed the car he/sh was travelling. Imagine visiting your uncle whose two sons lost in a war fought over a dusty village you have never visited. Try consoling the mum whose only son - she has no news of since 1998 when the first shots were fired? Imagine your own mum travelling on foot to all corners of the front lines because she does not belive the army official who told her her doughter was killed in action? Try visiting your neighbour whose son you grew up with only to find he was severely disabled in the war his own family are not allowed to know where is is kept?
People back home d not play war in their PSP or WII, they get forced to do it for real, the closest you will get to it is on the internet- you read about it.
What is war good for? Absolutely nothing!!!!
What a shame that all you people talk is Badme this, Eritrea/Ethiopia that!!! Did you know over 70 thousand ethiopians and probably the same number of Eritreans (although the GOE claims 19,000) died in the last nonsensical war? Now whose bothers, sisters, sons and doughters or fathers and moms were they? Ever thought of that from the comfort of your diaspora homes? Do you also realise that both poor nations went backwards by over 10 years because their stuborn leaders could not see past their nose tip?
As an Eritrean I could not care less if Badme belongs to Sudan or Ethiopia. Eritrea although a small nation, has enough land to feed its people if utilised properly, Ethiopia - a fertile and naturally gifted country can not feed its own people, will the aqcuisition of Badme by force advance its cause in feeding its hungry? No. It will only add to its misery. So why is war looming again? Because the leaders are not going to war themselves, just like you in diaspora, they have the poor people of ethiopia & eritrea to sacrifice. So please until you experience war or have your family member killed in somebody else's (the leaders) war...dont talk about sotheing you have no idea about! Peace by all means, war is not a game. next time you advocate such rubbish as Badme is Ethiopian or Eritrean, Assab belongs to ethiopia, picture the body of your beloved fallen next to you, shot by a bullet or blown up by a landmine or cut into 1000 pieces beyong recognition because a russian made clustter bomb destroyed the car he/sh was travelling.
FREE OROMIA
How can ethiopia(tigray) win a war against eritrea when ethiopia lost a war against somolia. we oromo people don't support the tigrain people war. down with meles tigrain. down with tigrain people. tigrain stop killing oromo's my people. time will come soon. when we oromo kill all 4 million tigrain. ethiopia is divided country. me as oromo, the war between ethiopia and eritrea. is a war between tigrain and eritrea. ethiopia is divided. if a war between (tigray)ethiopia and eritrea start it is the end of ethiopia. oromo my people with be free from abyssania. ogaden will join somilia. ethiopia is too divided for another war with eritrea. ethnic politics of meles government has divided ethiopian. oromo will be free. somilia will be free. I think the eritrea will win a war against tigrain people. FREE OROMIA.
Badme is Ethiopian land
Those of you (Eritreans), who dream to have Badme, please watch out my words- tell your aregit leader to sit with Meles and talk about demarcation. There are a swathe of land and villages that Ethiopia also wants to get. Besides, Assab is Ethiopian for it belongs to the Ethiopian Afaris. So have the gut and talk to your aging leader, before he drives you straight into the hungry guns of the Ethiopian army. This time there is no mercy from Meles. We will go to maximum.
So think about it.
Badme
Those of you (Eritreans), who dream to have Badme, please watch out my words- tell your aregit leader to sit with Meles and talk about demarcation. There are a swathe of land and villages that Ethiopia also wants to get. Besides, Assab is Ethiopian for it belongs to the Ethiopian Afaris. So have the gut and talk to your againg leader, before he drives you to hungry guns of the Ethiopian army. This time there is no mercy from Meles. We will go to maximum.
So think about it.
Badme is our land
Badme is Badme; The land and the people are always Ethiopian. The same is for Asaba:Asab is our natural frontier. Our natural right,our land,our home. Take my words. We will get it back. We will dismantle Eritrea altogether and forever.
This is not right
I am not so good in english but THis is not journalist work, you only hear one side of the story, So how can this be objectief then.
And then second, how is in Gods name possibel tha Eritrea attacks Ethiopia if Bademe is Eritrean??
of corse not Ethiopian team, have attacked Eritrean land and captured Bademe.
Acceppt the rule of Low, for your people best will so they can leave in peace
Badme
what is a use of having a war for eritrians any way. The country is in such a mess and ertirians are running away any where they can from eritria. There is more refugees now than before they even become independent.
Badme not worth fighting
Badme is not worth of another 20000 my Eritreans. Those people who are saying Badme is Eritrea or Ethiopia. Go fight. We had lost so many lives. It is not worth it. Let's make a peace.
comment
Badme was and will be part of Ethiopia. I assure you that Badme will never be part of Eritrea. Stay in touch and see. Let along Badme we will also bring Aseb to its mother land.
ETHIOPIA SHOULD RESPECT THE RULE OF LAW
Many have given up hope on Ethiopia . Why is it that it is not able to break the endless cycle of war, poverty, hanger and lawlessness? Why is it that this country that pride itself on a three thousand years of civilization is still living in a dark age, in absolute poverty and misery. Why is it that its name is embroiled in man-made disasters, hunger, famine, and disease? The clues are there for all to see.
Ethiopia continues to export fertile soil to the Sudan and Egypt in an imaginable quantity. The country is being stripped of the fertile topsoil with every drop of rain while the entire nation is living at the verge of starvation. While Egypt is moving its citizens to newly reclaimed desert, Ethiopia is moving its citizens to Badme, a foreign land. The reason for Ethiopia 's misfortune is nothing but its leaders
History explains prsent problems so nobody can hide the facts
The UN decided that badmen is Eritrea’s in the Algeria’s agreement so basically the law is on the side of Eritrea this court made up of the best judges in Europe made this decision this was a fair trial both side were fully represented. So now Ethiopia must respect the rule of law end of story. The Ethiopians are occupying Eritrean land there’s no other conclusion a reporter or anybody can make. The UN should have enforced their law since that’s what it was set up to do fix and bring solutions to world conflicts. European counties like Britain, Italy etc and the UN who cooperated in some instances are also responsible for this problem because they invade east Africa and set up all these false border lines and disrupted hundreds of years of living in those regions this can be referred to the scramble for Africa.
I don’t understand why the western media are not condemning Ethiopia no really they are the ones who didn’t follow the agreement we said in that video that Eritrea made UN troops leave yes they did because they didn’t implement the agreement that was their main purpose i.e demarcated the border. Of course the Eritrean government was frustrated the terms of them being there i.e. UN troops were no longer valid.
When Eritrean supposedly attack dijubutio and went on their land (it’s not true) but anyway the western media and the un went mad they said lets show them this is no acceptable if that’s case why do you let Ethiopia take Eritrean land make your minds up the rule of law should apply for anybody not exempting some that’s a fundamental rule of law and human rights.
Some books for people who want to find out about Eritrea are "I Didn't Do It For You" - Michela Wrong
www.youtube.com/trulife
Badme have never been Ethiopian
Dear Mr. Tilahun , as your name remarks you have never been shadow for ethiopians or tigrayes, Eritrea the whole whom you think is a sovereign country was also Ethiopian ones upon a time , so if you like it or not badme remains eritrean, but tigray will remain either eth. nor erit,
i know in a short period you will speak your Agame sad wards and beg the Proud Eritreans whom you think they are now under presure.
I FEEL SORRY FOR THE POOR AMHARA & OROMO SOLDERES
War mongering has become a natural past time for many Ethiopians. "Akaki Zeraf" is the most commonly used word in Ethiopian vocabulary. Ethiopian leaders and armchair professors who live in comfort continue to arouse the feelings of the mass population and send hundreds of thousands poor peasants to their death so that their pride and fictitious glory can be preserved........ The reason for Ethiopia 's misfortune is nothing but its leaders. It is a cursed land when it comes to leaders........... Woyane's Ethiopia should unlock its brain and give peace a chance for its own sake, The false sense of self-worth will only lead to further misery.
Badme have never been Ethiopian
Dear Mr. Tilahun , as your name remarks you have never been shadow for ethiopians or tigrayes, Eritrea the whole whom you think is a sovereign country was also Ethiopian ones upon a time , so if you like it or not badme remains eritrean, but tigray will remain either eth. nor erit,
i know in a short period you will speak your Agame sad wards and beg the Proud Eritreans whom you think they are now under presure.
Eritrea/Ethiopia
Eritrean or Ethiopian, it doesnt matter, the law is law, whether Badme was ethiopian or not prior to the war they both made an agreement...and Eritrea won...thats the fact, now the question is if ethiopia will stand by its word....
Eritrean-Ethiopian
What is the guy saying about the so called "Eritrean occupation" thats wrong when badame is legally eritrean land and thus the ethiopian squatters must eritrea soil. If there is a war this time i dont think there will be any limits on the eritrean defence force they will show ethiopia not to play with eritrea otherwise certain things will happen to the ethiopians illegally occupying eritrean land.
Biased against the Eritreans
Another biased report by a war mongering white press, French at that too. First off how can anyone believe the Ethiopian villagers, products of supreme liers of Africa. They said it themselves, the village represents the nations integrity. They've no notion what integrity is. God forbid. This is what Eritreans have to deal with. Another question that looms is how can Eritreans "occupy" land that's already theirs? The land is theirs to begin win. The word occupy should not even be used. This is an instance of a European bias waiting and wanting to see two Africans, wondering how for so long since July 2008 both countries haven't managed to savage each other. The impression is that westerners want to see a war so they could sell their papers, arms, give something to feed their media. Well I hope it never happens.
it is about time
yea yea! time is running for Ethiopians..it doesn't matter woyane or amhara... the bush administration is over. he makes you puppet.So, the new gov't will show you how peace and loving Eritreans won the war and the court
Badme
Badme is Eritrean Land. The person that said Badme is Ethiopian and also the whole of Eritrea is Ethiopian, i suggest you get your slave brain checked out. Eritrea has not done anything wrong. We claimed badme as our land before a single bullet was fired and know the whole world knows that we were right. But unfornuatley the Terroist George Bush Mafia in America want to slow Eritrea down, so they are using the running dogs from Agame Land to cause choas in Horn of Africa. It is quite shocking to listen this video actuatlly these people are so lawless, how can they say so much rubbish knowing they only got relocated their several years ago, having being moved from their orginal home in tigray. F24 did a good job to find the War mongerers in a country that is very anti chenawi these days. Anyway change is being spoken about in the woyane masters home now so becareful about talking about badme is ethiopia, because any reasonable person will just laugh at ethiopia and tell him to feed his people.
Badme will never ever be Eritrean land!
The blind leader, leading such a victim people in Eritrea. so shame full walking and working for no thing, a leader who does not know moral, and has not it, the stupidest of all stupids. Isayas I donot have words to explain his stupidity, in what ever the case Badme will be Ethiopian for ever for all the comming generations. Isayas does not have ear which could listen his people the unlucky people in war for more than 40 years. the relief for eritreans is not Badme and could never ever be in the future ruther the death of Isayas only and only.
Yes Badme was is and will be an Ethiopian land
It is true. This land (Badme) has never been part of the the other side. had it not been for the willingness of the ruling party, even the whole Eritrera was part of Ethiopia. So, no matter what comes, no matter what the EEBC, no matter whoever says whatever he/she wants to regarding this issue, Badme is Ethiopian.We shall die for it if any one dares to reverse this reality.
Long live Badme, Long live Ethiopia.