The Border War Between Ethiopia and Eritrea

Ethiopia is one of the oldest surviving countries in the world. While its current economic, societal, and political conditions are considered povertous from the viewpoint of a first world nation, the country has been a relative powerhouse in the Horn of Africa. It has a large military, gross domestic product growth, and a relatively stable international position compared to its neighbors. In the last 60 years, however, it has been continually embroiled in a border dispute with its neighbor Eritrea. Eritrea, a former province of Ethiopia, has fought against the larger nation’s control for decades, resulting in war in the 1990s and massive tension in the area since. This border conflict has the potential to flare once again and throw the already chaotic Horn of Africa into another ongoing conflict.

Ethiopia was granted rights to Eritrea in 1952 by the United Nations (UN), most likely due to its valiant efforts against the Axis Powers, specifically Italy, during World War II (The World Factbook, 2012). Ethiopia then annexed the smaller country as its province in 1962. Radical opposition to this overthrow of the country’s sovereignty began soon after, with the Eritrean Liberation Movement (ELM) acting as the main force against Ethiopian occupation (Abbink, 2003, p. 408-11).

The ELM engaged in clandestine political activities intended to cultivate resistance to the centralizing policies of the imperial state. The death of the ELM by Ethiopian forces was only the beginning of the conflict; wars between Ethiopia and Eritrea’s guerilla forces have spanned over 30 years as Eritrea attempted to gain independence, joined by Ethiopian guerilla forces that were also fighting against the harsh dictatorships constantly in place (Shah, 2000). ...

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