Reports have it that the resulting violent encounters between students and authorities left one student dead and seventeen police wounded. Many schools were temporarily closed and lately re-opened. It is learned lately that there were political motive in aggravating defunct groups to Sidama administration as well as Woyane government. This is done with intent on pre-empting a minority opposition that may exist. The agreement was finally signed on 12 December 2000.
People maintain that it is sheer exhaustion that led to the agreement.
Neither side is prepared to accept the other side for what has happened in the course of two years. A few days before signing the agreement, Ethiopia's Meles Zenawi ruled out normalisation of relations. Eritrea's foreign minister urged Eritrean people to 'avoid complacency and to be vigilant for any 'ifs' which may arise as the Weyane was not a trustworthy regime and had been working to frustrate agreements it signed before the ink was dry'. Within Ethiopia, the northern opposition to the current regime have many other plans. For the sake of the record, they demand the deal to be null and void as it relies on 'wrong' colonial premises and as it does not bring the port of Asab.