http://www.transconflict.com/2016/06/ethiopia-eritrea-cry-imburi-206/
20 JUN 2016
TRANSCONFLICT
Ethiopia-Eritrea – the cry of the Imburi
The artillery exchange with several hundred killed may be a cry of the
Imburi and the need for more creative attention to the
Ethiopia-Eritrea conflict − all the more so that the armed conflicts
in Yemen and Somalia have implications for both Eritrea and Ethiopia.
SUGGESTED READINGCONFLICT BACKGROUNDGCCT
By Rene Wadlow
The 12 June 2016 exchange of artillery fire along the heavily
militarized frontier between Ethiopia and Eritrea could be just one of
the periodic skirmishes between the two States. However, it could be
the first signs of a flare up of violence. There have been calls from
the United Nations and African Union officials for “restraint” but as
yet no steps for real conflict resolution.
The Imburi are spirits that are said to inhabit the forests of Gabon
in Equatorial Africa and who cry out for those who can hear them at
times of impending violence or danger. The artillery exchange with
several hundred killed may be a cry of the Imburi and the need for
more creative attention to the Ethiopia-Eritrea conflict − all the
more so that the armed conflicts in Yemen and Somalia have
implications for both Eritrea and Ethiopia.
There was a long and often violent run up to the 1993 independence of
Eritrea from Ethiopia. Eritrea was never a “colony” of Ethiopia but
rather a loosely integrated Provence within a very decentralized
state-system of Ethiopia. Thus the frontiers of Eritrea had never been
set by history. Rather the 1993 independence agreement set some
frontiers, but these were not marked on the ground and were contested
by some in both States.
The frontier issue plus, no doubt, resentments from the long years of
independence struggles, led to a brief but violent war between 1998
and 2000, leaving an estimated 70,000 dead and many wounded. The war
led to a strong militarization of Eritrea n society with long,
compulsory military service and a permanent war-footing for the
society. These militarized conditions of life with little
socio-economic development and little possibility of freedom of speech
or association have led many Eritreans, especially the young, trying
to leave the country for Europe.
Ethiopia has had a powerful and politically important army since the
end of the Second World War. The army was the one national institution
in a decentralized State where many of the provinces were based on
different ethnic groups. The Ethiopian army remains strong and has
been often used by the African Union in its peacekeeping efforts.
The frontier issue between the two countries was taken for arbitration
to the World Court, but the Court’s findings have not been put into
practice. The lands contested are of no particular economic or social
importance. They are contested just because each State attaches
disproportionate importance to a frontier. Intelligent leadership on
both sides could make of the frontier lands a bridge rather than a
wall, but intelligent leadership has been in short supply. As the
African Union headquarters is in Ethiopia, the AU secretariat has been
inactive on the Ethiopia-Eritrea issue for fear of displeasing
Ethiopia.
The political and economic situation in the Horn of Africa is ever
more complex. Domestic and external drivers of conflict are
increasingly intermeshed. The problem of the State-collapse in Somalia
and the war in Yemen make matters ever more complicated. The prolonged
failure of the inter-State institutions − the United Nations, the
African Union, and the European Union − to deal creatively with the
Ethiopia-Eritrea divides may open a door for creative non-governmental
Track II efforts. One must hope that the cries of the Imburi are
heard.
Rene Wadlow is President and a Representative to the United Nations,
Geneva of the Association of World Citizens.
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the
views of TransConflict.
Received on Mon Jun 20 2016 - 12:45:39 EDT