Ethiopia and Eritrea lost up to 300,000 people fighting over a tiny border strip
Journalists called it "two bald men fighting over a comb."
Global News Podcast · Trump calls for Zelensky to be replacedBetween 1998 and 2000, Ethiopia and Eritrea lost up to 300,000 people in a war over their disputed border.
Both sides claimed Badme and the surrounding land, where the boundary had never been clearly marked. The contested ground was a small, poor piece of land. Journalists said a war over such poor ground was like "two bald men fighting over a comb."
The war ended in 2000 but left a 20-year stalemate. In 2018, Ethiopia's prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, agreed to accept an international ruling on where the border lay, a deal that won him the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.
Now Ethiopian forces have entered the northern town of Adigrat following a pullback by Tigrayan rebels, with Ethiopia accusing Eritrea of backing the rebels, and the United Nations secretary general, Antonio Guterres, calling on regional neighbors to ease tensions.
Questions people ask
Where are these countries?
They sit in the Horn of Africa, on the Red Sea side of the continent. Eritrea is a smaller coastal country to the northeast, and Ethiopia is a much larger, landlocked country to its south and west. Ethiopian troops entering the northern town of Adigrat puts them close to that shared frontier.
Why does access to the sea matter to Ethiopia?
Ethiopia has about 130 million people and no coastline, so it depends on neighbors for port access. Eritrea has a long Red Sea coast, and Ethiopia's prime minister has said openly that his country needs secure access to the sea. That demand has added to fears of another clash.
What is Tigray and why is fighting there worrying?
Tigray is Ethiopia's northernmost region, bordering Eritrea. Its forces fought Ethiopia's central government from 2020 to 2022 in a war that killed tens of thousands, and recent fighting around Adigrat has raised fears that the wider Ethiopia-Eritrea rivalry could reignite.