By Barry Malone

SHERE, Ethiopia, Nov 2 (Reuters) – When Ethiopia and Eritrea went to war nine years ago, Mullu Brhane was living in a town on the Ethiopian side of the border and his father lived just a few miles away in Eritrea.

“Only a river separated his village from Ethiopia and we used to visit each other,” says Mullu, now a 26-year-old tour guide. “But with the war, everything stopped.”

He smiles nervously and shrugs: “Maybe he’s dead. I don’t know.”

The 1998-2000 border conflict claimed some 70,000 lives but the dispute over the frontier was never resolved. And talk of another war is worrying residents of Ethiopia’s border country.

A deadline for the rivals to demarcate their frontier passes later this month when an independent boundary commission — apparently frustrated at their lack of progress — winds up its work amid increasingly aggressive rhetoric from both sides.

Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray bore the brunt of the fighting during the last conflict — as it did during the country’s long and damaging civil war.

It also suffered severely during the 1984 famine that brought Ethiopia global attention.

“CAN’T AFFORD WAR”

But the area is now showing signs of development. Towns like Axum, Shere and Sheraro look more prosperous and labourers work on buildings that would not look out of place in the capital.

Food security has not been a big a problem in recent years and growing numbers of tourists are flocking to the area’s stunning rock-hewn churches and internationally-protected obelisks.

Some locals worry their progress could be undone.

“We’re doing good,” says Tesfaye, 37, as he enjoys a beer with friends in Shere town. “I hear the whole of Ethiopia is growing. We can’t afford another war.”

But his friend Habtamu, 42, adds: “The real problem is that the Eritrean government doesn’t want peace. It wants war.”

Both nations say they will not start any new fighting. But if war breaks out again, Tigray is sure to be at the centre.

Abandoned tanks and rusting armoured troop carriers lie along its twisting roads — reminders of the frontline role the region played in the last conflict.

Camouflaged observation posts on hilltops, busy military bases and uniformed men walking the streets of small towns are a constant reminder that tensions are still high.

SHARED HISTORY, CULTURE

“Our countries share a history and a culture,” says Tesfaye, adding that Eritrean television can be picked up in Shere without an aerial — but you need one to receive Ethiopian TV.

“We even speak the same language,” he says. “Before the war we could cross the border freely and marry each other. Many families were separated by the war. And not just in the north.”

Locals talk often of loved ones who died in the conflict.

“My father died in the last war,” one young woman tells Reuters, asking that she not be identified. “People were killed on both sides and that has caused bad feeling. Some Ethiopians hate Eritreans. I just want us to live in peace.”

She says she hopes her fears reach the ears of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, himself a native of Tigray, where his Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front rebels led the fight against Ethiopia’s dreaded previous regime — and won in 1991.

“Meles has done some good things for Ethiopia,” she says. “He should continue that work and not get involved in another war. That is my wish.”

For Mullu, his wish has been the same for the past nine years: “I hope to see my father,” he says. “If peace comes maybe we will find each other.”