Eritrea’s legal claim to independence preceded its armed struggle, the editorial stated. It recalled the dismantling of Eritrean autonomy and Ethiopia’s annexation of the territory in 1962, followed by the liberation struggle that secured military victory in 1991.

That struggle was followed by a UN-observed referendum in April 1993. Ethiopia recognized Eritrea’s sovereignty and independence, and Eritrea joined the United Nations on May 28, 1993.

The editorial’s central message was explicit: sovereign boundaries cannot be erased and redrawn to accommodate another government’s ambitions.

It rejected the premise that historical narratives or geographical proximity could override Eritrea’s territorial integrity. The world map, it stated, is not a pencil line to be altered at will; sovereignty is governed by international law and binding agreements.

The editorial closed with a direct warning, translated from Tigrinya: