As expected, on April 13, 2002, the UN Boundary Commission in The Hague unscrupulously pronounced its binding verdict on the demarcation of disputed borders between Eritrea and Ethiopia. Although the endeavor of adjudication by the members of the Commission was commendable, the method employed in reaching and making this binding ruling was not justifiable. It ignored the political will of tens of thousands of innocent farming people like those in the Irob regions. The good intent was not justified by the evil means imposed. Dividing a brotherly people against their will for the sake of political border settlement is not morally right or justifiable.

The Irob people never crossed into Eritrea to occupy and settle in the Eritrean territories. The Irob people had been part of Ethiopia even before the occupation and colonization of Eritrea by Italy. It was not morally right or justifiable for Italy to cross from its European boundary into Africa and to divide the militarily weaker country’s territories and claim them as its own. Now the United Nations and its Boundary Commission has formalized Italy’s unjust aggression, occupation, and colonization of the weaker country’s (Ethiopia’s) territory by accepting as lawful the previous ruling of the borders between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

The UN Boundary Commission has ignored the will and fate of those in the border areas directly affected by The Hague’s verdict. The Commission composed of prominent judges has disregarded the plight of the Irob community. They pleaded not to have their lives disturbed through separation of their families and relatives and through perpetuation of colonial treaties. Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935 and occupied it for five years during Mussolini’s reign. The Emperor Haile-Sellasie nullified all colonial treaties when Italy was expelled from Ethiopia and Eritrea in 1941 and once again when Eritrea was united/annexed to Ethiopia in 1961. The EEBC’s ruling document indicates that the Federal Constitution of Eritrea which was adopted by the General Assembly of Res. 390(V)A(1950) facilitated the federation process between Ethiopia and Eritrea (Article 2 of the 1952). It was sanctioned by Ethiopia in 1952. The Document states:

Therefore, I dare to ask whether the Commission was morally right to revive those unjust and now defunct treaties in order to divide and separate brotherly people who lived together for centuries? Is it honorable to divide humanity from each other socially and economically, as people of the civilized world are striving to tear barriers down? Is it right to build a Berlin Wall like that which divided and separated families and relatives for decades among the German peoples of the East and West? Is it moral to perpetuate the ideological conflicts that divide brotherly people of North Korea and South Korea, North Vietnam and South Vietnam? Fortunately, the Berlin Wall was torn down by the civilized world of today, and the German peoples have been reunited.

Hence, why did the Commission condemn the Irob tribe to that kind of division and separation? Is it morally right and justifiable to force the Irob people, whose civil and human rights were horrendously violated by the aggression and forceful occupation of Eritrea in 1998, to be awarded to Eritrea against their will? Is such a decision morally responsible? Is it morally right to force any people against their will into a way of life which deprives them of their God-given rights to live peacefully with their families and relatives in their sacred native places? Is it morally right and sound to force any people to change their citizenship of their motherland for the unwanted citizenship of an enemy country?

Specifically speaking, this ruling is likely to cause divisions and separations within the Irob families in the affected areas as well as in many other regions of the entire border area between the two countries. The only difference from other people in those border areas is that the Irobs, who inhabit the three districts known as Adgadi-Are, Bocnaiti-Are and Hassaballa, are the descendants of one Chieftain, Soumme (Summe), son of Worede-Mehret.

We have pleaded with the UN Boundary Commission not to take measures which would divide the traditionally united Irobs into two nationalities and which would adversely affect the region without guaranteeing stability and peace in the region. The Commission, however, declined to accept any advice from concerned native individuals or groups who were familiar with the history and geographical borders of those areas in dispute. Definitely their input would have benefited the decision-making process of the Boundary Commission. Such input would have helped bring about the desired stability without the great bitterness and resentment now surfacing and mounting against the Commission itself, the invading government, as well as the government of Ethiopia and the United Nations.

In my opinion, such a hasty ruling was a great mistake and reflects irresponsible negligence for a commission which did not visit beforehand the areas in question nor the peoples who would be affected. It is obvious that this action represents unjust and inhumane adjudication destined to create compulsory divisions and separations among families, relatives, and brotherly peoples who have lived together for centuries in harmony and peace in those border areas, such as Irob and Gulomekeda woredas (regions).

Why couldn’t the Commission be specific in describing which villages, by naming them, since when, and for how many years of political and religious-church administrations, Eritrea had to provide better evidence than Ethiopia? Wouldn’t examination of such specific details be helpful in clarifying their full understanding of the issues that now are causing turmoil in the mind of those affected people of Irob as well as other Ethiopians?

From the map and the ruling declarations of the UN Boundary Commission, it is obvious that a big chunk of Ethiopian territories in two of the Irob regions and Gulomekeda woreda have been awarded to Eritrea unjustly despite the suffering of the people in those regions during the Eritrean invasion of 1998. Now they have to deal with another survival nightmare and political ordeal due to the unjust decision and boundary settlement imposed upon them by the Court and irresponsibly accepted by their respective governments. It is cruel to treat border area peoples like objects rather than human beings endowed with God-given rights to live in peace and unity in their sacred native lands.

There is no question that the Boundary Commission has attempted to be fair to both governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea in its adjudication process by not awarding them all the territories the two governments claimed as their own. The Commission strived not to yield to one Party’s demand by taking a middle ground ruling, trying to satisfy and not disappoint both countries. However, the Commission totally ignored the poor and innocent peasants’ voice, especially in the Irob area. The Commission failed to investigate fully the political and human will of those peoples permanently affected by the verdict.

As a matter of fact, the verdict is already having a tremendous psychological impact and is generating a political reaction among the natives of those areas who were made aware of the ruling through public and Internet media. I wonder what kind of reaction will be created when the rural peoples of both Ethiopia and Eritrea learn about their political and sociological fate?

UNREALIZED PROBLEMS OF TOMORROW:

In my opinion, the delimitation lines as decided upon and marked out on the Map by the Boundary Commission, if implemented, will create serious conflicts and problems that might eventually explode into another war between the two countries. We should not forget that the so-called “senseless war” of 1998 cost both countries the precious lives of tens of thousands Ethiopian and Eritrean young men and women.

Why do I think the new delineation of the borders would create unrealized problems in the future?

First, the ruling is destined to divide people against their will into two nationalities of unfriendly countries. That will cause a compulsory separation of families and relatives, making them aliens to each other because of national and political identities of their new respective countries. If people refuse to do so, however, there is the great possibility of persecution or even extermination by their new lords. As we know, history repeats itself in our unjust and violent world.

Second, the UN Boundary Commission opted to use rivers and water streams as demarcation lines between Ethiopia and Eritrea. The use of rivers and streams as border demarcation is indeed bad policy. For instance, in the Gulomekeda and Irob areas, water is scarce because of poor rainy seasons and constant droughts. The Commission did not consider the vital survivability of the people of those areas. Instead, the Commission decided to move the traditional border lines from uninhabited mountainous areas to highly populated valleys, where people of the area depend on a capability for grass-grazing and watering of their livestock. The people of the area use those same rivers and streams for their water supply as well as for the growing of crops and vegetables. Hence, conflict is unavoidable because both people as well as their animals use those rivers and streams for survival. The criss-crossing into each other’s borders will certainly create confrontation. It is very probable that the two countries will place armed militias and/or police in those border areas, which will cause further inflammation of feelings.

Third, people in the border areas (like in the Irobland and Gulomekeda) have been terribly and unjustly abused during the past two years of war. As a result, they are bitter and resentful. It is unlikely that they would embrace a new citizenship of an unwanted country with joy. If they are relocated or uprooted from their native places, such unhappiness probably will lead to civil disobedience. It is important to realize that a native place is also a sacred place where most will want to be buried. Therefore, relocation of native peoples is a serious problem and challenge for any government. From a moral point of view, this would be an inhumane and cruel act to exercise on innocent people.

Human laws are not divine laws. Even divine-laws as eternally immutable are made for the good of man and for the harmonious order of the Cosmos. Therefore, human laws must be subject and open to change as necessary for the well-being of human societies. It is disturbing to learn that the United Nations and its Boundary Commission has legislated a “binding”-ruling, in the case of Ethiopian-Eritrean borders. If the ruling is harmful and unjust for some societies, it should be reexamined for the sake of the well-being of the people.

People in the border areas are not the criminals who caused the trouble which led to those disastrous conflicts between Ethiopia and Eritrea. They are the victims of aggression, forceful occupation and manipulation by ambitious and vicious political leaders. Hence, it is unjust to condemn them by imposing such a harsh ruling which will subject them to permanent separations and divisions from families, relatives, and friends of the same ancestry. It is inhumane that those Eritreans in the border areas should be forced to become Ethiopians against their will because of the new binding ruling of the UN Boundary Commission. It should be understood that those Eritreans also see Ethiopia as enemy and aggressor country.

In my opinion, this statement serves as ample discussion for why the UN Boundary Commission’s ruling was unjust, particularly to the Irob peoples, who have been severely affected by The Hague’s verdict. I strongly believe that the new border delimitation to be demarcated by 2003 will divide and separate families, relatives, and friends, who lived together for centuries in peace and harmony as citizens of their motherland, Ethiopia. Consequently, it is very likely that the new borders may not guarantee the desired peace and stability at least in those affected regions. Therefore, this statement condemns this kind of division and separation as morally inhumane, unjust and aimed at a detrimental disintegration of the minority Irob tribe. This statement also strongly condemns an unavoidable compulsory citizenship of Ethiopians affected to Eritrea and vice versa of Eritreans to Ethiopia.

Finally, on behalf of the voiceless Irobs of the rural areas, I am appealing to the International Community of good will to:

1. Pressure the United Nations Security Council and the Boundary Commission to rectify the ruling that is harmful to peoples in the border areas.

2. Pressure the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments to seek a genuine peace and comprehensive reconciliation before the actual demarcation of borders takes place.

3. Persuade the UN Security Council to facilitate the healing and reconciliation process between Eritrea and Ethiopia before the implementation of demarcation of their borders.

4. Persuade the Eritrean government to release all the 100 innocent Irob peasants abducted and detained by Eritrea during the invasion and occupation of the Irobland in 1998. If the abductees are not alive, Eritrea should render full accountability for those lives before the planned demarcation.

5. Urge the United Nations to warrant compensation for the victimized peoples (in the Irobland and Zalambessa areas) because of losses and damages in human lives, properties, and other possessions suffered before implementation of The Hague’s ruling.

6. Convince the United Nations and both governments of Eritrea and Ethiopia to accept a mutually agreeable compromise which keeps the traditional borderlines recognized before the war of 1998, at least, in those heavily populated regions. Such an agreement could avoid division and separation among families and relatives and ensure a lasting peace in those regions.

7. Persuade both countries to bring about a true lasting peace and healing, especially, for the brotherly peoples of Eritrea and Ethiopia, who inhabit the border areas; so that citizens of respective countries will be allowed to visit, socialize, and interact with their family members or relatives across the mutual borders without immigration and border bureaucratic hindrances.

8. Influence both governments and peoples of Ethiopia and Eritrea to have a general moratorium on their inflammatory verbal and media wars which perpetuate hatred and bigotry between the two countries and peoples.