Tsa'edakristyan Eritrea - December 02 2007

 

Today's exercise is the 12 kilometer walk from Asmara to Tsa'edakristyan, a village west of Asmara. The wide four lane asphalt road from Expo to Kushet turns to the right and left at Nda German, an Asmara suburb with recently built houses and villa's. Most of the houses are an investment in Eritrea of Eritreans living in the Diaspora.

Kushet is another recently developed  modern, but more modest village just outside Asmara. After Kushet, the road changes into a single lane asphalt road. This is the most attractive part of the hike. After a few kilometers, a house decorated with an airplane on its perimeter wall is the sign that you have entered Tsa'edakristyan.

It is Sunday, and it is very quiet on the streets of Tsa'edakristyan. When I pass one of the houses, I am invited to drink tea with Tesfalem and his wife. Tesfalem is serving for the Eritrean Defense Forces in Massawa. Now is his rest time.

Tesfalem is one of the many victims in Eritrea of the current "no war, no peace situation". Eritrea must be ready to respond to any act of hostility being waged by its big neighbor Ethiopia, with the assistance and encouragement of the United States. "When Woyane has done its job for the United States in Somalia, we must be prepared for another invasion of Eritrea.", Tesfalem argues.

Ethiopia still refuses to allow the EEBC to fulfill its mandate and place demarcation pillars on the ground following the EEBC demarcation coordinates on the map. The US supports this policy by asking for "a border drawn in a way that is sustainable for both sides", thereby obstructing justice by neglecting the both Algiers Agreements signed, and the final and binding ruling of the Boundary Commission *).

The United States attempt to change the EEBC's final and binding ruling in favor of Ethiopia is a typical example of the immoral objectives of the United States foreign policy, that is guided by oil, economic interests and selfish political interests, instead of upholding UN resolutions, objective rulings and regional human welfare.

After our short political discussion, I proceed my walk through Tsa'edakristyan. The center of the village is dominated by a white hill, with a small church on its top. Exercise number two of today is to follow the path to the top of this hill to enjoy the views over the plane.

 

Bar - Kushet Eritrea.

Abune Teklehaimanut Orthodox Church - Kushet Eritrea.

Billboard of the AIDS awareness campaign - Tsa'edakristyan Eritrea.

Decorated house - Tsa'edakristyan Eritrea.

Nda Mariam Orthodox Church Tsa'edakristyan Eritrea.

Haystacks  - Tsa'edakristyan Eritrea.

Hill dominating the center of the village  - Tsa'edakristyan Eritrea.

Hill dominating the center of the village  - Tsa'edakristyan Eritrea.

Scenic view from the top of the hill  - Tsa'edakristyan Eritrea.

Scenic view from the top of the hill  - Tsa'edakristyan Eritrea.

 

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*) December 12, 2000 Eritrea and Ethiopia signed a peace agreement in Algiers, after a 2 1/2-year border war.

Article 4, sub article 15 reads as follows: “The parties agree that the delimitation and demarcation of the Commission shall be final and binding. Each party shall respect the border so determined as well as territorial integrity and sovereignty of the other party”.

On April 13th 2002 the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague published the conclusions of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission.

In September 2003 Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, formally informed the Security Council that Ethiopia rejected the decisions of the International Boundary Commission (arbitration of the International Court in the Hague). He declared the proposed 1 000 km international border drafted by the commission as "null and void".

This disrespect of Ethiopia for the decisions of the Court of Justice in The Hague has practically halted the peace process. Still the UN needs to live up to its responsibility of ensuring the implementation of the final and binding resolution of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission's ruling on border delimitation.