Letters Charging on empty By Gamal Nkrumah Egged on by hardliners claiming they do not want to see their sprawling country ripped apart by ethnic rivalries and regional secessionist threats, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi may be gunning for glory by gambling on a quick and decisive military victory over Eritrea. The war is not quite the Armageddon of yesteryear, but famine is fast approaching Biblical plague proportions. Even as famine stalks the land, fighting again flared this week on the Ethiopian-Eritrean border after a long but uncertain lull. The violence erupted on the eve of Ethiopian multi-party parliamentary elections and many observers believe the fighting is politically motivated.
Most observers believe Ethiopian intransigence caused peace talks to founder in Algiers last week.
Needless to say opposition parties are incensed. There is a natural affinity between Eritrea and Ethiopia reinforced by ethnic, linguistic and religious ties. The two ruling regimes share a common history of fighting together against Mengistu's dreaded Dergue, or junta. Peace is held hostage by the ruling clique in Ethiopia. The conflict goes back several years now, although it only became public in May 1998, when Ethiopia openly declared war on Eritrea.