Sides urged to seize chance for peace

One of the world’s largest charities on Monday called on Ethiopia and Eritrea to seize the opportunity for peace offered by a crucial border ruling, due to be announced later this week. The organisation, Oxfam, also urged the international community to "take all possible steps" to ensure peace in the region. The charity – which operates in 120 countries around the world – said if fighting broke out again it would be a disaster for the people of Ethiopia and Eritrea. "If hostilities were to flare up it would be another humanitarian crisis," Vinay Raj, the regional programme manager for the Horn of Africa, told IRIN. "And this would be a humanitarian crisis both countries could do without." "We urge the international community to take all possible steps to support the necessary confidence building measures required to normalise relations between the two countries, their leaders and their people," he added. An independent Boundary Commission, sitting in The Hague, is expected to announce where the border between the two countries will lie on 13 April. The ruling follows a bitter two-year war between the two countries, triggered by a border dispute in 1998. "Both countries have indicated that they will accept this ruling as final and binding," noted Vinay, whose organisation has been working in Ethiopia for more than 20 years. "For the population in Ethiopia and Eritrea, especially in regions most affected by war and poverty, this represents a critical moment in the path towards sustainable peace." Oxfam – which run programmes close to US $5 million in both countries – said enormous steps had been taken to ensure peace. "The groundbreaking visits of Ethiopian and Eritrean religious leaders to both Addis Ababa and Asmara are extremely encouraging and pave the way for a process of reconciliation that should be further supported," Vinay said. "The Oxfams working in the Horn of Africa call for sustained engagement by the international community, national governments and civil society organisations, and citizens of Ethiopia and Eritrea in the period leading up to and following the border ruling to enable engagement in a sustainable development process," he added.