Ethiopia and Eritrea: Can Diplomacy Bridge Decades of Deep-Rooted Conflict?

East African neighbours Ethiopia and Eritrea are once again on the brink of full-scale conflict. The two nations have been plagued by territorial disputes since Eritrea achieved independence in 1993, leading to a devastating war between 1998 and 2000. Despite a subsequent truce, they remained in a state of war for almost two decades.

A peace agreement, the Jeddah accord, was signed in 2018, but underlying tensions persist. Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of backing rebels in its Tigray region, while Eritrea alleges that landlocked Ethiopia intends to seize one of its crucial Red Sea ports. The question remains: can diplomatic efforts resolve this long-standing and complex conflict?

This issue was discussed by James Bays with guests Faisal Roble, a political analyst specializing in the Horn of Africa; Jervin Naidoo, a senior political analyst at Oxford Economics Africa; and Matt Bryden, a strategic adviser at Sahan, a think tank focused on governance, politics, and security in the Horn of Africa.