Source: AP
UNITED NATIONS — After years of conflict and a tense border dispute, the Woyanne regime in Ethiopia has accepted a U.N. commission’s ruling to turn over a disputed town to Eritrea.
The Woyanne dictatorship gave its unconditional acceptance of the commission’s decision, announced five years ago, that it return the key town of Badme to Eritrea, in a letter last week to the U.N. Security Council.
“I believe it’s good news … that was one of the bottlenecks in the situation,” U.N. associate spokesman Yves Sorokobi said Thursday. “If they do agree, it should move the process forward a bit more quickly.”
The Horn of Africa neighbors initially promised to accept the boundary commission’s 2002 ruling awarding Badme to Eritrea, but Ethiopia has not handed it over.
Both countries claim Badme and fought a bloody 2 1/2-year war after Ethiopian soldiers opened fire on Eritrean soldiers in the border town in 1998.
A 2000 truce agreeing to cease hostilities has made the border more peaceful, but tensions have occasionally flared to the point international observers feared a new war could break out.
Sorokobi said there have been no relations between the two sides.
The commission renewed its call for a response from the two countries last month, giving a November deadline for the implementation of its decision on the new border.
Eritrea responded to the commission’s request in May, agreeing with the decision.
Since its publication last week, there has been virtually no reaction to the Ethiopian [Woyanne] acceptance.
Eritrea’s U.N. Mission said no one was available to comment.
“There needs to be an official reaction and to the best of my knowledge it hasn’t happened yet,” Sorokobi said.
The Security Council will be in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Friday and Saturday to meet with African Union and Ethiopian officials at the start of a five- country African mission. Sorokobi said the Ethiopia-Eritrea border issue will probably be discussed.
A 2005 U.N. resolution called for a 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) buffer zone between the two countries, but in the past year Eritrean forces have moved into the zone and have stymied efforts by U.N. peacekeepers to monitor the area. The Security Council has repeatedly called for Eritrea to lift its restrictions, including its ban on U.N. helicopter flights and night patrols.
Sorokobi said there is not much the U.N. can do to force the two parties to cooperate.
“The U.N. has not handed out any punishment to Eritrea even though it is aware for several months now,” he added.
The U.N. peacekeeping force in the tense buffer zone has been reduced in the past year by 2,500 troops to 1,700. Authorization for the force expires next month, but Sorokobi said that it will likely be extended.
If the new border decision is not implemented, Sorokobi warned that “positions will probably harden.”
“There has been an increase of hostile rhetoric from both parties and it’s something that has preoccupied the situation,” he said.
47 thoughts on “Woyanne returns Badme to Eritrea”
Is that not what CUD wants too? When they created ADF, They agreed to give Bademe to Eritrea.
CUD did not start the war. CUD doesn’t believe in solving problems through war. That’s why they helped create AFD. AFD is all about peace — a concept anathema to Woyanne.
Just last week one of the Woyane leaders talked about how the TPLF championed the Eritrean independence more than the Eritreans themselves and we all know the death many thousands of Eritreans and Ethiopians. If the war was about Badme. Why was all of the bloodshed and animosity neccessary? They must be made to answer this and the ‘conviction’ of the elected officials.
guys ER is fooling you again like he fool us with helicopter down and asia torture pictures.
here is the letter itself written from seyum mesfin to UN. don’t be fooled when you have internet just like the fool elias
http://www.mfa.gov.et/Press_Section/A%20Letter%20to%20the%20UN%20Secretary%20General.pdf
I can not believe this. If it is true, I will never ever believe what the government says.
Shame on the mother of TPLF WHO is on the way to hand-over Badme to Shabia of Eritrea. Shame on the satelights of TPLF who remained vacant and betrayed by Demonic Meles Zenawi. Shame on the father of Meles Zenawi who beared such an idiot son,who sold the lives of Ethiopians to Shabia.
Shame on Major.G. Samora Yenus , Hassen Shifa, Siye Abreha and their parents who were defeated by Bandaw Meles Zenawi.
Byeeee ,Byeeee Badme !!
Who are you?, is it a time to talk about what is going on in Tigry while they don
If this news is true, it is the beginning of the end and the end of the beginning. I want to congrdulate to Woyane thugs and blogs like Aiga Forum that blindly support the Meless/Sebhat Mafia group under the cover of Tigray; but truely this mercenary group was working day and night to accomplish its main goal: A strong Eritrea at the expense of Weak Tigrai/ Ethiopia.
Only some genuineTigrians like Professor Tecola Hagos understood this scenario, although they are too late. The remaining Tigrians in the diaspora are still sleeping with their enemy and with out shame they have been heard in voicing Meles/Sibhat’s propaganda as a parot.
I think it’s better to give Bademe once for all & get our peace & stability. It doesn’t make sense for us to subsidize the 200K + soldiers. Let’s use this fund to build the economy.
What do you think?
These stupid Tigry morons. May be they are told by Meles all this Badim issue hearts the Amhara their(tigre) enemy number one in their stupid brain………..I think they feel like big king now since they can kill, torture, and etc defencelss Amhara, and Oromo………
“If there is any difference between you and me, it is based on who is doing the best for Eritrea.” – Meles Zenawi to Isaias Afwerki.
Yes, give badme to Eritrea that is always part of Tigry.
Are you still thinking that Wolkite -Tekede, telemet and other districts and provinces that are always part of Gonder and wollo always will remain part of within TPLF created Tigry after they been taken by force since 1991? You are wrong. You are giving away your right, while you are taking other right by force. Remember, by force.
Eritreans fought for a piece and stony land (badme) claiming with reason a more than 100 years story given to them by a foreign colonizer. Do you think Gondere, wolloye, afar and the Ethiopian people in general would allow you the 2/5 land with in TPLF created Tigry which is not part of it al all remains in Tigry? You are making a grave and historical mistake. You are giving your right away to others while taking others right by force. We will see what would bring tomorrow?
I congratulate Issayas and the Eritrean people by being masters to Tigrean dogs once again. You have done it. You know them more than anybody else that they are really dogs. That is why you press them in order the dogs become your dogs again to serve you with leftover reward. I also know you have a very good plan how to treat them in the future. If these Tigrian dogs are giving you badme serving you as a master, take it and ask them more. I
People like to talk before reading. Folks, read what the Foreign Minster has said. He wrote that “Ethiopia has accepted the Commission’s delimitation decision of 13 April 2002 without condition.” It says nothing about demarcation. In other words, this is the same old position.
Just because some novice AP journalist writes about this as something new it doesn’t make it so. If you read the letter carefully, nothing has changed.
Correction… Read the last part of the quote to mean “without pre-condtion.”
Congradulations you blind Tigrians! You started to give your piece of land to Eritrea. When TPLF is gone very shortly, Wolkaite Tegede(Gondor) and Wollo Provinces will be back to the Ethiopians.
And thus you will see the ‘BIG TIGRAI’, Meles preached and promised to you, very shortly. May your dream come true!!
Asam
I know Tigreans have good persistence and courage. But I have never realized until recently how stupid and unintelligent sub-human creatures
tigreans are. Seven years has passed since their own Adwa-born Tigrigna speaker rulers: Meles, Sibhat and their groups have given all the contested Tigrean Territories to Eritrea. But the Poor Tigreans didn’t even realized 7 years later. No blame the Poor Tigreans are still busy listening hate speeches about Amhara.
I think this is a mpropoganda of KINIJIT
Dear friends. this what we were expecting from TPLF.
As aboy Sebhat told as last week they are ready to ran for seperating Tigray from the rest of Ethiopia like they did in Eritria.
This will be the second Shamfull doing in the world.
meles and his dods should register in the ginus book for them worse Characturs.
WOYANE IS SO DESPERATE TO STAY IN POWER AND TO BUY THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF HAMASENS. LAST WEEK IT WAS SEBEHAT NEGA (THE SELF CLAIMED ERITREAN HERO). THE INFERIORITY COMPLEX AMONG THE TIGRAY SHIFTA IS EXPLICITLY DEFINING ITSELF. IF IT IS TO ME, I PREFER THEM TO HAND OVER THE WHOLE TIGRAY, NOT JUST THIS BARREN DRY PIECE OF LAND.
BADEME HAS NEVER BEEN THE CAUSE FOR THE PROBLEM, AND THE SUBMITION WILL NEVER BRING ANY SOLUTION.
MY ADVICE TO MELES IS TO HANDOVER THE WHOLE TIGRAY TO ISAYIAS AND SELL QOULQUAL IN ASMARA.
N.S. You are right but it is woyane who is confusing people in order to know and gather information how people react. Meles has already accepeted the desicion and contemplating how to impliment. This news is the start to impliment bro,N.S. Donot fool yourself. Badme will be rewarded to Isayas.
Shame on the mothers os TPLF MOPRONS.
Oh ! thank you God , badme is given to ertiria.Dear ethiopians don’t waste time talking about the stony tigray lands,they contribute nothing to ethiopia,even meles can give all tigray to ertria,I feel happy again if the news is true and practiced.We have kept quite when all boarders are given to ertria,but now for useless tigray land why people worry,it is their mission , after a while they all live together,they are from the same family , only divided ethiopia will be left fighting each other with religion,race….
TPLF scarified more than EPLF, any Eritrean group or Individual does for the Eritrean independency. So, what you childish people are talking about badme? They are living to destroy Ethiopia started from Tigry for the sake of Eritrea. This is a fact behind and in front of you all.
Stop, your bla bla about Badme. TPLF care about Eritrea more than any Eritrean does. TPLF is already started cutting Tigreans from their head and will continue until their feet. Who is doing this horrible act? Tigreans by and for themselves.
I am not surprised to give away a village to Eritrea. B/se we gave away our sea ports which were the major organs of the country. The handful Tigre gangsters with self inferiority complex together with their non Tigrean parteners serving them as condoms are fucking Ethiopia non stop day and night. What is going to surprise me if happen is the fragmented Ethiopia (Ogaden, Oromiya, Tigrai, Amhara etc).America and British are ready to make the deal as usual. I do not blame them to call us tseada afhee or hadghi meaning give them raw meat(kurt siga and Kitfo) they do not care for any thing. Wow!! Every single of us better perish than being humiliated by these worthless inhumanes.It is the Mother thing. What should be next? Let us rise up unite and make Ethiopia again.
Ethiopia will survive.
Reply to Huluye
You wrote:
“…The people living in badme are irob (saho) and they are true Ethiopians…”
qiqiqiqiqiqi
It shows how misinformed and shallow you are. Badme is inhabited by Tigeran speakers from both side of the border. The people of Irob (Saho) live 1,000 KM away on the other side of the border, in Aliten area. Don’t just write for a sake of writing without doing your homework.
Elias for president of Ethiopia!
Badme was always an Eritrean town and to the guy who said Irobs or Sahos live in Badme, you’re smoking major crack. Badme is a KUNAMA word and KUNAMAS are the people who lived in Badme. The Sahos are an Eritrean tribe, found only in Eritrea and are near Assab and central Eritrea.
Badme hardly means anything to Eritreans, the death of Woyanne is the only peace!
hagere
Guys, look at where we r in relation to the rest of the world? war, famine, war, famine, fight, famine!! r u not sick of it???? why can’t we talk about how to develop our country so that our kids will have some future?
I don’t support any poltical ideology. but i saw some progress in the country that didn’t see in the past. no matter where we are in the world, we ethiopians love our country and family. Let’s start talking about how to improve our economy. let’s use our brain and precious time exchanging intelligent ideas which would take us somwhere.
Folks:
Let us not keep on fooling ourselves. Do you really think even in your wildest dreams that Wayyane will surely and decisively go to a full scale war with Eritrea for a useless dry piece of land when it has already agreed to the total and unconditional independence of Eritrea itself?
Wayyane’s seemingly fake fury and refusal of automatic acceptance of the boundary commission ruling is only a tactical arts, crafts and fake games inorder to calm extremist Amhara nationalist outrage some of whom the TPLF is now trying to “excute” alleging outrage against the constitution. The TPLF went to war with Eritrea and got hundreds of thousands young Ethiopians not really for the tiny piece of land or to conquer and capture Eritrea and bring it in to the ranks of the TPLF’s Ethiopian “slaves.”
What have it got out of its Somali adventure other than getting its bottoms glued to an unpredictable and hostile hot surface containing acids and poisons that may eliminate the Wayyane slowly but surely. Of course Wayyane have got money, but political and national matters may not be counted only in terms of dollars.
It may be mainly for the manipulation of the domestic Ethiopian public opinion and twisting their necks and forcing them to accept the TPLF as a legitimate and patriotic Ethiopian ruler, especially in the face of external threat.
The TPLf is warmongering and illegitimate dictator but it is so mad as to go and comitte suicide by invading Eritrea and causing entirely unpredictable chaos. There is great chance that the TPLF might itself get wiped out in the adventure process. Why cry for anything called badimme, when dictatorship is flourishing in the whole of Ethiopia producing genocides, rotting people in medieval jails, displacements from home, community and country, total insecurity of life and limbs, crushing poverty, ignorance, hoplesness as well as complete underdevelopment.
Is that so called then such life and death spiritual and material property that surpasses all thebenefits of democracy and the ongoing eveils of TPLF dictatorship? It seems that Our priorities gone completely mixed up and needs to be totally reframed.
Let us not cry about Badimme and spend sleepless nights, but better cry and du something concrete about the everyday sufferings of the Ethiopian people under the brutal and medieval dictatorship.
there will come a time when eritrea blunders the whole of tigay! we will see.
This is step one for the establishemnt of great tigray-ertria,others from ethiopia don’t worry you will be fighting forever.Badme is small piece of land you will see in the near future whatwil happen , nothing you are going to do without writing comments like this,and talking always oposition,because we are ‘hodam’ people.
The decision was really interesting,badme belongs to ertria.
Since the beginning, woyane is not a legitimate govt because of they came to power with gun back from dedebit.
Since 2005 election, they are totally rejected by the ballot box. So, legally they are illegitimate to decide anything about the country. They are bandits holding power under the power of the gun.
Oppositions, respected individuals and people need to write letters to UN , AU and other organizations to let know them that woyane has no any right to decide about the country matter including the boarder demarcation issue. It doesn’t matter UN or other will not accepted the letter. But the people oppositions must be heard that one-day when the time comes it will help to do the matters the right way.
Be smart about.
Elias HELLO WAKE UP!! DON’T BE TRAPPED BY THE wOYANE PROPAGANDA TO DIVERT ATTENTION FORM CUD AND THE VERDICT!!WHO CARES ABOUT BADME!! please don’t be fooled it is a cunning to direct attention form the CUD guilty verdict to Badme. Who the hell care about Badme right now.How many times the Woyanes fooled us. Please lead the people in the media to focus attention in our beloved leaders and the verdict, not a piece of land Badme. Why not Tigray let alone Badme goes to Eritrea. We want our freedom and libration. What is Badme afterall compared to the whole Eritrea and the Red Sea even gone. Hello wake up it is a conspiracy to fool all Ethiopians.
Jerry Seinfeld once said ” People who read tabloids deserve to be lied to”.In my opinion any zealot who takes any news with out cross checking deserves not not lied but also be cursed in the fullest possible way.I think a man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who form his opinion based on nothing but Interenet news.
The AP writer knows precisely why he wrote it and what he wants.He indeed wrote it for people who can’t read.
By all indications! the Woyannes are eager to make peace with Eritrea. How can a neighborhood bully and a war monger suddenly opts for peace? In my opinion this is the most important question we must answer to understand the motives of the Woyanes. The Woyanes realize that if attacked by Eritrea at this time they will be on their own. And, coupled with their entanglements in Somalia, Ogaden, Oromia, Amhara, Tigray and other regions. They will be unable to with stand an Eritrean attack.
Kidus wrote: “TPLF scarified more than EPLF, any Eritrean group or Individual does for the Eritrean independency.”
Does ANY Ethiopian believe such nonsense? At best, the TPLF lost about 2000 fighters in and around Eritrea. Eritrea, on the other hand, lost one out of 30 of its people fighting the Emperor Haile Selassie and Mengistu regimes and another 19,000 young lives preserving its independence during the TPLF onslaught between 1998-2000.
While I genuinely wish Ethiopians well in their struggle for democracy and justice, as an Eritrean, I believe peace will elude Ethiopia unless and until they realize that Eritrea was created by the blood and sweat of its people. One when ordinary Ethiopians realize this and accept the determination of Eritreans to be left alone to chart their own course will this current Ethiopian regime and future Ethiopian governments stop looking at Eritrea as a political red meat.
If many of the comments above are any guide, it appears that true peace between Eritrea and Ethiopia won’t be realized anytime soon. After all, if many ordinary Ethiopians are adamantly opposed to handing over a piece of land that an international tribunal has determined to belong to Eritrea, why would the rogue regime in Addis Abeba do so?
Badme is NOT being given to Eritrea, being RETURNED back to its rightful owners ,By the rule of Law.
it is a grate news. I wish the whole of Tigray would be separated or given away to any other country too, so that the rest of Ethiopians would live in peace and harmony. That region is a volitile and parasitic region from which the banda Meles Zarqawi was hatched from.
mot lesu yihun, amen
selam le Ethiopia
Why is everyone way out of the track…I cant get any official confirmation of the news I see many are wasting their time over….what is the point of bothering the soul where even a shrewd of proof has not been submistted in support of the news. Wake up….we nee not talk for the sake of talking…let’s try to make a bit sense of our common senses…
Watch out!! This is purely to distract the attention of the Ethiopian people from CUD leaders verdict. we should not forget our leaders, they are gonna be sentaneced to death or life imprisment. Bademe was already given to eriteria a long time ago, it is not a big deal any more. Meles was waiting for the right time to agree to hand over, and it seems that there is no perfect time than now. woyane is highly concerend with the reaction of the ethiopian people to the court decision, and wants to divert attention. what a ‘genius’!!!. After all TPLF has publickly declared the are more eriterians than the eriterian themselves, woyan is paving the way for a greater eritera or greater tigray, what a shame. But this is a good time for Tigryans to learn a good leassson that TPLF is not working for tigryans, rather for eriteria, therefore please stop blindly supporting this rogue regime
ONCE AGAIN LET US NOT FORGET OUR LEADERS DON’T BE DISTARACTD BY WOYANGN PROPOGANDA
I am so sory for who were daid for nothing in bothe side for more than 40 year ‘o’ my god l am so sory for leaders leaving in 17 century thinking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dear ALl
DON’T BE FOOL AND BLIND !!!!!!!!!!!! I totally agree with “Mel”
This all is to take your attention to Badme.. Not to think about CUD leaders… TPLF is not a simple organization… Forget Badme whocares it anymore…. I don’t really care about Badme….
IGNORE BADME and think the other
Mel and Kibret I dont agree with you guys. CUD at the presnt time is `big` only in your mind. It doesnt hold any such significant role in the present politics of Ethiopia. All its leaders are in prison and the majortity of its suporters are exiled internet warriors without a teeth. This is Africa and one who has got real military and economic power on the ground is more significant player. Cud doesnt have any. I do agree the incarcination of the CUD leaders is a sad story. But I dont belive it has such leverage on the momentum of present day politics in Ethiopia that forces the government to play tricks to sway attention.
But I do belive the present sudden Badime drum beating has a purpose. It could be a signal things are going to invietable miltary conflict. The message conveyed is a clear warning to the international community. All it says is we are the good guys who respect international standards but the guy next door is a bad guy.
Jovia,
The Woyanes are making such a statement because the International community is telling them that they are the bad guys who are refusing to respect international Court rulings; and here you are telling us that the woyanes are showing the international community who is bad and who is good. You are confused.
Jovia, I don’t really agree with you. No one nowadya really cares about badme . I don’t really care. Who gave the land: the lier Melese … who lies all the time to their people Melese. I know that Eritrians have problem with TPLF not on the other Ethiopian people. Whocare the Guy is bad or not … that is upto the people of Eritria. We got even a banch of bad guys in our country. We have to think for ourselft.. we got so many problems . We don’t really have the right to go to the other house.
The Ethiopian people as usull are left with out abel politicl leaders.The diaspora leaders are ever acting as tail while the rank and file continue to play the role of a head.How could this be? Why is it that the rank is ever tuined to the political wind and the leaders are their long hibrination.One have to have a passion ,and fire in the heart to under take such a task.Leadership is perhaps a wrong avocation for those who are cold, insensitive,and callousThe problem is not just mere ineptness;weyane has a mole in the midest of us;Why are Ethiopian youth being rounded?Why is weyane over whilming us with allkinds of info? thins are this way because weyane has inside info.What is the solution for this?dissolve this leadership ,and hand over the responsiblity of puting leadership to the Ethiopian people.Until such time,we had elected leaders,let E.P.P.F be our voice.We can approach shabia using the e.p.p.f leadership and reach some form of rapport.Let the Ethiopian people take their time and come up with leaders that are known t have good moral charcter,patriots.Thy know about the reputation of every citizen.If we can agree on this,they will form the representative in a given time.
Ethiopians will live in peace after the odd mineded tigrians got independent,why people worry about badme,why not all tigray given to ertria ,why not to some other country,that doesnot surprise me but what disturbs me is the length of stay of those bad tigrians in ethiopia.I prayy for the immidate (fast)independent of tigray from ethiopia,we can live in peace,there will be no more violeting tigre there around
Are you all of you stupid or crazy?, guys don’t be idiots why do you care whether rocky Badme for that matter if the whole Tigrea is given to Eritrea. Why you guys did not voice when Tigrea took the land of Ethiopia from Gonder and Wolo provinces. I hope and I can not wait until Tigrea joins Eritrea as Sibhat Nega said. Our job should be about the rest of Ethiopia. Can you imagine if Tigrea was gone 16 years ago what we could save, all those brothers and sisters would have been alive with us today. So let Tigreans and their Masters think about Badme and you shut your hole. We have so many things on our hands to to do, do not care what will happen to anything in the republic of Tigrea just think about your country.
You people please do not worry about another country or Tigrea just think about your own country and jailed leaders as well as the 70 millions of Ethiopians. To be honest with you now I would like to admit that I love Eritreans because when I think now if Esayas or Eritrea were not in the political radar who knows what these rude Tigreans might have done they might have done more other unthinkable things on our people as they already have done so many unthinkable crimes to our sisters and brothers as well as our leaders. So let us give these headaches as a gift to their Eritrean masters since they are the only who knows to handle the Tigrean subhuman psyche. Since we can not understand these low life people why we have to suffer so give Badme or the whole Tigrea minus Parts of Gonder and Wolo and other non Tigrean lands whatever Eritreans want let them take. At the same time let us make peace with Eritreans I am sure we did have misunderstanding between Ethiopians and Eritreans in the past just let start fresh our relationship. As you know Eritreans were also Victims of Tigreans and TPLf. By now everyone must understand as already Sibihat has told us Eritreans were not that much bad as we thought it was Tigreans who pushed them to act bad, because the Tigreans want to blame the Eritrean’s for their TPLF and its members criminal activities on the Ethiopian people. This painful thing to our people as well as to Eritreans must end right now. I am sure Eritreans also have the knoledge of how TPLF can be a cruel and a subhuman. Actually after now I personally I will become more friendly from my heart with Eritreans because they were never bad as all of us thought even Esayas is a better man than any TPLF member I wish he was our leader and Meles was Eritrean leader Esayas is just a man with bad and big mouth loud to be heard with less harm when we compare with the snake TPLF member also as you know Zeray Deres and Moges Asigedom and many brave Eritrean background including Eliyas this web address or Ethiopianreview owner have to be considered as true Ethiopians. However if we look the two face Tigreans like Professor Tekola Hagos and many Tigreans what did they do to be consider as an Ethiopian. Remember what king Yohanis did to emperor Tedros.