Governments and borders in Ethiopia.

Politics in Africa is complicated from the earliest times. Lines of the countries boundaries were as confusing as the political makeup. The land in general was called the Kingdom of Kush and was a large portion of land south of Egypt. The country of Sudan often fell under this name as well. (1) By the second century we see the kingdom of Axum becoming an important power in the Horn of Africa. Axum had extensive contact with other areas as traders of the region. (2) Following the Aksumite rule another power took over the country. The Lasta came to power and began the Zagwe Dynasty, which was short lived and followed by a line which was supposed to have come from King Solomon of Isreal and the Queen of Sheba.(3) Threats by the Muslim invaders continued during the 16th century. At this same time the European’s began to enter the region first with the Portuguese. The 18th century was once again a time of various kings and rulers vying for power. When Emperor Menelik II comes to power he signs treaties with Italy which complicate their relationship.(4) Italy occupied mainly what is today Eritrea on the northern border Ethiopia. They continued to fight Ethiopia until 1896.(5) The Emperor managed to hold the Italians at bay, but following his death in 1913 there was another transition time within governmental power. By 1930 Haile Selassie I had become emperor. Italy took this shifting time in power to come into Ethiopia in 1935.

By A. Davey from Where I Live Now: Pacific Northwest [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

 It was at this time that Ethiopia was combined with lands comprising Eritrea and Somaliland under the new Italian rule. After internal battles and conflict the UN comes to the aid of Ethiopia. Eritrea is federated in 1952. Eritrea was again taken in as an Ethiopian province in 1962 as the struggle for Eritrean Independence began.(6) When Communists took power of the country in 1974, the resistance to this new government was concentrated in Eritrea, which became a main focus of the fighting. Following the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolution, The communists were ousted and in 1991 Eritrea left Ethiopia. Today there have been general elections in Ethiopia, and a more democratic environment, although there have been questions about irregularities in the votes. As recently as 2005.(7) Ethiopia is currently separated from Eritrea, yet even in 2016, they continue to deal with border conflicts and disputes. 

By CIA [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Although the two countries have an intertwined and connected history, that history can be highlighted or dismissed based on which side of the border you stand on. Eritrea was occupied by Italian and British at different times, and continues to struggle with Ethiopia for independence.  The peoples are so similar in faith, culture, and history that one naturally assumed the countries should be united. (8)

While the country of Ethiopia itself still struggles with internal stability, this makes it susceptible to conflict from outside as well. In 1998, Eritrea felt that the transitional government in Ethiopia weakened the country enough to allow Eritrea to move into Ethiopian land. This northern border has never been truly demarcated. UN troops have been present within the last decade in order to try to keep the peace. Yet in 2008, ten years after this initial skirmish, UN troops pulled out with the border still remaining questionable marked. (9) Internal stability of each nation directly impacts the border stability.

By AMISOM Public Information (Flickr) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

These border conflicts have injured, killed and maimed thousands of people. Those along the border are under constant fear of another disagreement. Towns along the border such as Badme, change from being Ethiopian, to being Eritrean. (10) This has been a fact of life for villages all over Africa due to the lack of set borders and obviously demarcated lines. These conflicts and struggles effect the border towns more that the designation of which country they belong to. Many civilians are relocated by the government in order to clear land. 

References:

1. “History of Ethiopia," Wikipedia, last modified July 15, 2016, accessed August 13, 2016, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Ethiopia.
2. “Ethiopie profile- Timeline,” Africa, last modified January 14, 2016, accessed August 13, 2016, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13351397.
3. "Ethiopia," Worldmark Encyclopedia of nations, last modified 2007, accessed August 13, 2016, http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Ethiopia.aspx.
4. “Background to the border dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia," Eritrea.be, last modified 1998, accessed August 13, 2016, http://www.eritrea.be/old/eritrea-ethiopia.htm.
5. “History of Ethiopia," Wikipedia, last modified July 15, 2016, accessed August 13, 2016, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Ethiopia.
6. "Ethiopia," Worldmark Encyclopedia of nations, last modified 2007, accessed August 13, 2016, http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Ethiopia.aspx.
7. “History of Ethiopia," Wikipedia, last modified July 15, 2016, accessed August 13, 2016, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Ethiopia.
8. Tesfay, Seyoum Y. “Why the skirmishes between Ethiopia and Eritrea won’t spiral into full-scale war,” last modified June 23, 2016, accessed August 13, 2016, http://africanarguments.org/2016/06/23/why-the-skirmishes-between-ethiopia-and-eritrea-wont-spiral-into-full-scale-war/.
9. “Ethiopia and Eritrea blame each other for border clash," BBC, Africa, last modified June 13, 2016, accessed August 13, 2016, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-36515503.
10. “Ethiopia and Eritrea blame each other for border clash," BBC, Africa, last modified June 13, 2016, accessed August 13, 2016, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-36515503.