Eritrea and Ethiopia to cement deal

– Eritrea’s president will make a historic visit to Ethiopia this weekend, cementing a stunning rapprochement with his giant neighbour after a generation of mutual hate and mistrust.

Isaias Afwerki will arrive in Ethiopia today, Eritrea’s Information Minister Yemane Meskel said yesterday, after the neighbours declared on Monday that their “state of war” was over.

The rapid changes come after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched a peace initiative last month. He visited Eritrea’s capital last weekend and signed a pact with Isaias on resuming ties, a move that ended a near 20-year military standoff after a border war.

“President Isaias Afwerki will lead a delegation and pay an official visit to Ethiopia [on Saturday],” Yemane tweeted. “The visit will cement further/add momentum to the joint march for peace and cooperation set in motion by both leaders.”

The Horn of Africa neighbours have agreed to open embassies, develop ports and resume flights in concrete signs of rapprochement after two decades of hostility since war erupted over their disputed border in 1998.

The reconciliation could transform politics and security in the volatile Horn region, which hundreds of thousands of young people have fled in search of safety and opportunities in Europe.

Under the new prime minister, Ethiopia is opening up after decades of security-obsessed relative isolation.

Since he took office in April, Abiy has announced plans to partially open up the economy, including attracting foreign capital into the state-run telecoms company and national airline. The country, with a population of 100 million people, has seen rapid economic growth over the past decade. –

President Isaias Afwerki will lead a delegation and pay an official visit to Ethiopia today.