According to a recent story in the New York Times, relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea are deteriorating. In 1993 Eritrea won its independence from Ethiopia after a bloody conflict. However, the two sides are recently accused each other of trying to start another war. Tens of thousands of troops are massed both in Ethiopia and in Eritrea, poised for conflict.

The treaty that ended the war included a new border drawn by the United Nations. In November the new border will go into effect. Ethiopia is balking at the deal, and Eritrea has already violated the treaty by sending troops into the demilitarized zone.

Trade links have been severed. It used to be that many of the item produced in Eritrea were sold in Ethiopia. Not so any more. Massawa, Eritrea’s biggest port, used to bustle with goods headed to and from Ethiopia. Now it is deathly silent.

In Eritrea there are now shortages of wheat and milk. People wait in line for hours to get a single loaf of bread. Because of the increasing likelihood of war with Ethiopia, thousands of Eritrean students have already been drafted into the army. And unrest is growing. Dissidents are grumbling. War is rumbling.

The US Department of State is threatening to designate Eritrea as a terrorist state because of the way it chose to support Islamist rebels in Somalia. An editorial by the New York Times expresses a fear that this threat will be seen by Ethiopia as a green light to invade Eritrea. The New York Times further states that they hope that the U.S. will use its influence to encourage Ethiopia to honor the treaty and to not invade Eritrea. In the coming days we will wait to see the rest of this story unfold.

Past news reports from Ethiopia