The Ethiopian government is starting to notify the families of soldiers killed in the recent war with Eritrea. The process began in Amhara State on 29 March, and was continued in the capital, Addis Ababa, last Sunday, the independent newspaper ‘Wonchif’ reported on 3 April. Mourners also gathered at a rally held in “honour of the martyrs” in the northwestern town of Bahir Dar, and in Gonder, 250 km north of Bahir Dar, said Associated Press (AP) on 4 April.
Neither Ethiopia nor Eritrea normally release the number or names of those killed in battle until a conflict has ended, although it is estimated that both sides lost tens of thousands of troops in the fighting, a regional expert said. The war between the former allies broke out in May 1998, and formally ended in December of last year. The Eritrean authorities have said they will publish a list of war dead, but have yet to do so.
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