Eritrean – Ethiopian War The Eritrean – Ethiopian War took place from May 1998 to June 2000 between Ethiopia and Eritrea , forming one of the conflicts in the Horn of Africa . Eritrea and Ethiopia , spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the war , and suffered tens of thousands of casualties as a direct consequence of the conflict , which resulted in minor border changes . According to a ruling by an international commission in The Hague , Eritrea broke international law and triggered the war by invading Ethiopia . At the end of the war Ethiopia held all of the disputed territory and had advanced into Eritrea . After the war ended , the Eritrea – Ethiopia Boundary Commission , a body founded by the UN , established that Badme , the disputed territory at the heart of the conflict , belongs to Eritrea . , Ethiopia still occupies the territory . Prelude . From 1961 until 1991 , Eritrea had fought a long war of independence against Ethiopia . The Ethiopian Civil War began on 12 September 1974 when the Marxist Derg staged a coup d ' état against Emperor Haile Selassie . It lasted until 1991 when the Ethiopian People ' s Revolutionary Democratic Front ( EPRDF ) — a coalition of rebel groups led by the Tigrayan People ' s Liberation Front ( TPLF ) — overthrew the Derg government and installed a transitional government in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa . The Derg government had been weakened by their loss of support due to the fall of communism in Eastern Europe . During the civil war , the groups fighting the Derg government had a common enemy , so the TPLF allied itself with the Eritrean People ' s Liberation Front ( EPLF ) . In 1991 as part of the United Nations - facilitated transition of power to the transitional government , it was agreed that the EPLF should set up an autonomous transitional government in Eritrea and that a referendum would be held in Eritrea to find out if Eritreans wanted to secede from Ethiopia . The referendum was held and the vote was overwhelmingly in favour of independence . In April 1993 independence was achieved and the new state joined the United Nations . In 1991 the EPLF - backed transitional government of Eritrea and the TPLF - backed transitional government of Ethiopia , agreed to set up a commission to look into any problems that arose between the two former wartime allies over the foreseen independence of Eritrea . This commission was not successful and during the following years relations between the governments of the two sovereign states deteriorated . The border between the two states became a major irritant , and in November 1997 a border committee was set up to try to resolve that specific dispute . After federation and before independence the line of the border had been of minor importance because it was only a demarcation line between federated provinces and initially the two governments tacitly agreed that the border should remain as it had been immediately before independence . However on independence the border became an international frontier , and the two governments could not agree on the line that the border should take along its entire length , and they looked back to the colonial period treaties between Italy and Ethiopia for a basis in international law for the precise line of the frontier between the states . Problems then arose because they could not agree on the interpretation of those agreements and treaties , and it was not clear under international law how binding colonial treaties were on the two states . Writing after the war had finished Jon Abbink postulates that President Isaias Afewerki of Eritrea , realising that his influence over the government in Ethiopia was slipping and given that " the facts on the ground , in the absence of a concrete border being marked — which anyhow lost much of its relevance after 1962 when Eritrea was absorbed by Ethiopia — have eminent relevance to any borderline decision of today " calculated that Eritrea could annex Badme . If successful this acquisition could be used to enhance his reputation and help maintain Eritrea ' s privileged economic relationship with Ethiopia . However , because Badme was in the province of Tigray , the region from which many of the members of the Ethiopian government originate ( including Meles Zenawi the Ethiopian prime minister ) , the Ethiopian government came under political pressure from within the EPRDF as well as from the wider Ethiopian public to meet force with force . War . Chronology . After a series of armed incidents in which several Eritrean officials were killed near Badme , on 6 May 1998 , a large Eritrean mechanized force entered the Badme region along the border of Eritrea and Ethiopia ' s northern Tigray Region , resulting in a firefight between the Eritrean soldiers and the Tigrayan militia and security police they encountered . On 13 May 1998 Ethiopia , in what Eritrean radio described as a " total war " policy , mobilized its forces for a full assault against Eritrea . The Claims Commission found that this was in essence an affirmation of the existence of a state of war between belligerents , not a declaration of war , and that Ethiopia also notified the United Nations Security Council , as required under Article 51 of the UN Charter . The fighting quickly escalated to exchanges of artillery and tank fire , leading to four weeks of intense fighting . Ground troops fought on three fronts . On 5 June 1998 , the Ethiopians launched air attacks on the airport in Asmara and the Eritreans retaliated by attacking the airport of Mekele . These raids caused civilian casualties and deaths on both sides of the border . The United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1177 condemning the use of force and welcomed statements from both sides to end the air strikes . There was then a lull as both sides mobilized huge forces along their common border and dug extensive trenches . Both countries spent several hundred million dollars on new military equipment . This was despite the peace mediation efforts by the Organization of African Unity ( OAU ) and the US / Rwanda peace plan that was in the works . The US / Rwanda proposal was a four point peace plan that called for withdrawal of both forces to pre - June 1998 positions . Eritrea refused , and instead demanded the demilitarization of all disputed areas along the common border , to be overseen by a neutral monitoring force , and direct talks . With Eritrea ' s refusal to accept the US / Rwanda peace plan , on 22 February 1999 Ethiopia launched a massive military offensive to recapture Badme . Tension had been high since 6 February 1999 , when Ethiopia claimed that Eritrea had violated the moratorium on air raids by bombing Adigrat , a claim it later withdrew . Surveying the extensive trenches the Eritreans had constructed , Ethiopian General Samora Yunis observed , " The Eritreans are good at digging trenches and we are good at converting trenches into graves . They , too , know this . We know each other very well " . Following the first five days of heavy fighting at Badme , by which time Ethiopia had broken through Eritrea ' s fortified front and was 10 kilometers ( six miles ) deep into Eritrean territory , Eritrea accepted the OAU peace plan on 27 February 1999 . While both states said that they accepted the OAU peace plan , Ethiopia did not immediately stop its advance because it demanded that peace talks be contingent on an Eritrean withdrawal from territory occupied since the first outbreak of fighting . On 16 May the BBC reported that after a lull of two weeks the Ethiopians had attacked at Velessa on the Tsorona front - line , south of Eritrea ' s capital Asmara and that after two days of heavy fighting the Eritreans had beaten back the attack claiming to have destroyed more than forty - five Ethiopian tanks ; although not able to verify the claim , which the Ethiopian Government dismissed as ridiculous , the BBC reporter did see more than 300 dead Ethiopians and more than 20 destroyed Ethiopian tanks . In June 1999 the fighting continued with both sides in entrenched positions . About a quarter of Eritrean soldiers were women . " Proximity talks " broke down in early May 2000 " with Ethiopia accusing Eritrea of imposing unacceptable conditions " . On 12 May the Ethiopians launched an offensive that broke through the Eritrean lines between Shambuko and Mendefera , crossed the Mareb River , and cut the road between Barentu and Mendefera , the main supply line for Eritrean troops on the western front of the fighting . Ethiopian sources state that on 16 May Ethiopian aircraft all returned to their bases after attacking targets between Areza and Maidema , and between Barentu and Omohager , while heavy ground fighting continued in the Das and Barentu area and in Maidema . The next day Ethiopian ground forces with air support captured Das . Eritrean forces evacuated Barentu and fighting continued in Maidema . Also on 17 May , due to the continuing hostilities , the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1298 imposing an arms embargo on both countries . By 23 May Ethiopia claimed that its " troops had seized vital command posts in the heavily defended Zalambessa area , about 100km ( 60 miles ) south of the Eritrean capital , Asmara " . But the Eritreans claimed they withdrew from the disputed border town of Zalambessa and other disputed areas on the central front as a " . . . ' goodwill ' gesture to revive peace talks " while Ethiopia claimed it was a ' tactical retreat ' to take away one of Ethiopia ' s last remaining excuses for continuing the war ; a report from Chatham House observes , " the scale of Eritrean defeat was apparent when Eritrea unexpectedly accepted the OAU peace framework . " Having recaptured most of the contested territories — and having heard that the Eritrean government would withdraw from any other territories it occupied at the start of fighting in accordance with a request from the OAU — on 25 May 2000 , Ethiopia declared the war was over . By the end of May 2000 , Ethiopia occupied about a quarter of Eritrea ' s territory , displacing 650 , 000 people and destroying key components of Eritrea ' s infrastructure . The widespread use of trenches has resulted in comparisons of the conflict to the trench warfare of World War I . This trench warfare led to the loss of " thousands of young lives in human - wave assaults on Eritrea ' s positions " The Eritrean defences were eventually overtaken by a surprise Ethiopian pincer movement on the Western front , attacking a mined , but lightly defended mountain ( without trenches ) , resulting in the capture of Barentu and an Eritrean retreat . The element of surprise in the attack involved the use of donkeys as pack animals as well as being a solely infantry affair , with tanks coming in afterwards only to secure the area . Regional destabilisation . The fighting also spread to Somalia as both governments tried to outflank one another . The Eritrean government began supporting the Oromo Liberation Front , a rebel group seeking independence of Oromia from Ethiopia that was based in a part of Somalia controlled by Mohamed Farrah Aidid . Ethiopia retaliated by supporting groups in southern Somalia who were opposed to Aidid , and by renewing relations with the Islamic regime in Sudan — which is accused of supporting the Eritrean Islamic Salvation , a Sudan - based group that had launched attacks in the Eritrea – Sudan border region — while also lending support to various Eritrean rebel groups including a group known as the Eritrean Islamic Jihad . Casualties , displacement and economic disruption . Eritrea claimed that 19 , 000 Eritrean soldiers were killed during the conflict ; most reports put the total war casualties from both sides as being around 70 , 000 . All these figures have been contested and other news reports simply state that " tens of thousands " or " as many as 100 , 000 " were killed in the war . Eritrea accused Ethiopia of using " human waves " to defeat Eritrean trenches . But according to a report by The Independent , there were no " human waves " because Ethiopia instead outmanoeuvred and overpowered the Eritrean trenches . The fighting led to massive internal displacement in both countries as civilians fled the war zone . Ethiopia expelled 77 , 000 Eritreans and Ethiopians of Eritrean origin it deemed a security risk , thus compounding Eritrea ' s refugee problem . The majority of the 77 , 000 Eritrean and Ethiopians of Eritrean origin were considered well off by the Ethiopian standard of living . They were deported after their belongings had been confiscated . On the Eritrean side , around 7 , 500 Ethiopians living in Eritrea were interned , and thousands of others were deported . Thousands more remain in Eritrea , many of whom are unable to pay the 1 , 000 Birr tax on Ethiopians relocating to Ethiopia . According to Human Rights Watch , detainees on both sides were subject in some cases to torture , rape , or other degrading treatment . The economies of both countries were already weak as a result of decades of cold war politics , civil war and drought . The war exacerbated these problems , resulting in food shortages . Prior to the war , much of Eritrea ' s trade was with Ethiopia , and much of Ethiopia ' s foreign trade relied on Eritrean roads and ports . Aftermath . Cessation of hostilities . On 18 June 2000 , the parties agreed to a comprehensive peace agreement and binding arbitration of their disputes under the Algiers Agreement . A 25 - kilometer - wide Temporary Security Zone ( TSZ ) was established within Eritrea , patrolled by United Nations peacekeeping forces from over 60 countries ( the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea ( UNMEE ) . On 12 December 2000 a peace agreement was signed by the two governments . Continued tensions . On 13 April 2002 , the Eritrea – Ethiopia Boundary Commission that was established under the Algiers Agreement in collaboration with Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague agreed upon a " final and binding " verdict . The ruling awarded some territory to each side , but Badme ( the flash point of the conflict ) was awarded to Eritrea . Both countries vowed to accept the decision wholeheartedly the day after the ruling was made official . A few months later Ethiopia requested clarifications , then stated it was deeply dissatisfied with the ruling . In September 2003 Eritrea refused to agree to a new commission , which they would have had to agree to if the old binding agreement was to be set aside , and asked the international community to put pressure on Ethiopia to accept the ruling . In November 2004 , Ethiopia accepted the ruling " in principle " . On 10 December 2005 , Ethiopia announced it was withdrawing some of its forces from the Eritrean border " in the interests of peace " . Then , on 15 December the United Nations began to withdraw peacekeepers from Eritrea in response to a UN resolution passed the previous day . On 21 December 2005 , a commission at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that Eritrea broke international law when it attacked Ethiopia in 1998 , triggering the broader conflict . Ethiopia and Eritrea subsequently remobilized troops along the border , leading to fears that the two countries could return to war . On 7 December 2005 , Eritrea banned UN helicopter flights and ordered Western members ( particularly from the United States , Canada , Europe and Russia ) of the UN peacekeeping mission on its border with Ethiopia to leave within 10 days , sparking concerns of further conflict with its neighbour . In November 2006 Ethiopia and Eritrea boycotted an Eritrea – Ethiopia Boundary Commission meeting at The Hague which would have demarcated their disputed border using UN maps . Ethiopia was not there because it does not accept the decision and as it will not allow physical demarcation it will not accept map demarcation , and Eritrea was not there because although it backs the commission ' s proposals , it insists that the border should be physically marked out . Both nations have been accused of supporting dissidents and armed opposition groups against each other . John Young , a Canadian analyst and researcher for IRIN , the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs news agency , reported that " the military victory of the EPRDF ( Ethiopia ) that ended the Ethiopia – Eritrea War , and its occupation of a swath of Eritrean territory , brought yet another change to the configuration of armed groups in the borderlands between Ethiopia and Eritrea . Asmara replaced Khartoum as the leading supporter of anti - EPRDF armed groups operating along the frontier " . However , Ethiopia is also accused of supporting rebels opposed to the Eritrean government . At the November 2007 deadline , some analysts feared the restart of the border war but the date passed without any conflict . There were many reasons why war didn ' t resume . Former U . S . Ambassador David Shinn said both Ethiopia and Eritrea were in a bad position . Many fear the weak Eritrean economy is not improving like those of other African nations while others say Ethiopia is bogged down in Mogadishu . David Shinn said Ethiopia has " a very powerful and so far disciplined national army that made pretty short work of the Eritreans in 2000 and the Eritreans have not forgotten that . " But he stated Ethiopia is not interested in war because America would condemn Ethiopia if it initiated the war saying " I don ' t think even the US could sit by and condone an Ethiopian initiated attack on Eritrea . " Arbitration through the Permanent Court of Arbitration . As decided in the Algiers Agreement , the two parties presented their cases at the Permanent Court of Arbitration to two different Commissions : 1 . Eritrea – Ethiopia Boundary Commission Eritrea – Ethiopia Boundary Commission ruled that Badme lies in Eritrea . 2 . Eritrea – Ethiopia Claims Commission In July 2001 the Commission sat to decide its jurisdiction , procedures and possible remedies . The result of this sitting was issued on August 2001 . In October 2001 , following consultations with the Parties , the Commission adopted its Rules of Procedure . In December 2001 the Parties filed their claims with the Commission . The claims filed by the Parties relate to such matters as the conduct of military operations in the front zones , the treatment of POWs and of civilians and their property , diplomatic immunities and the economic impact of certain government actions during the conflict . At the end of 2005 final awards have been issued on claims on Pensions , and Ports . Partial awards have been issued for claims about : Prisoners of War , the Central Front , Civilians Claims , the Western and Eastern Fronts , Diplomatic , Economic and property losses , and " Jus Ad Bellum " . The Ethiopia – Eritrean claim committee ruled that : Christine Gray in an article in the " European Journal of International Law " ( 2006 ) , questioned the jurisdiction of the Commission making such an award , because " there were many factors which suggested that the Commission should have abstained from giving judgment " . For example the hearing of this claim , according to the Algiers agreement was to be heard by a separate commission and to be an investigation of exclusively factual concern not compensation . Continuing border conflicts . On 19 June 2008 the BBC published a time line ( which they update periodically ) of the conflict and reported that the " Border dispute rumbles on " : In August 2009 Eritrea and Ethiopia were ordered to pay each other compensation for the war . During 1990 there were reports of rebel groups operating on both side of the border , and in December the United nations imposed sanctions on Eritrea for its support for insurgents in Somalia . In March 2011 Ethiopia accused Eritrea of sending bombers across the border . In April Ethiopia acknowledged that it was supporting rebel groups inside Eritrea . In July a United Nations Monitoring Group accused Eritrea of being behind a plot to attack an African Union summit in Addis Ababa , the capital of Ethiopia , in January 2011 . Eritrea stated the accusation was a total fabrication . In January 2012 , five European tourists were killed and another two were kidnapped close to the border with Eritrea in the remote Afar Region in Ethiopia . In early March the kidnappers announced that they had released the two kidnapped Germans . On 15 March Ethiopia ground forces attacked Eritrean military posts that they stated were bases in which Ethiopian rebels , including those involved in the January kidnappings , were trained by the Eritreans .