Untitled

Under Ethiopia's eyes, its control over contested region, the Yirga Triangle with the town Badme, is entirely legitimate on the basis of the Italio-Ethiopian Treaty signed between the Ethiopian Emperor Menelik II
and the Italian government in 1902.

Yet, the Treaty does not provide a solid foundation for this claim as validity
of the document is questionable. In specific, the Treaty suffers from evident incoherence and brevity but, most importantly, fails to provide a detailed description of the common boundary.
Ironically enough, its most crucial assertion,
“the line (…) shall be delimited by the Italian and Ethiopian delegates”
was never put into practice.

No doubt this historical document has, over decades, ignited the aura
of controversy surrounding the issue of Ethio-Eritrean border. Its different interpretations have largely deepened the gulf and misunderstandings between both countries. For example, the 1902 Treaty has served as
a blueprint for various Ethiopian maps printed since 1993 by the government of Tigrai, the country's northernmost province. These maps, of course,
show the border as indicated in the Treaty.

(The new Ethiopian map of 1997 depicting the small enclaves to the north of the Melessa-Muna line and the larger enclaves to the West in Badme as part of Ethiopia.
The identical map is shown on the Ethiopian bank notes issued the same year)

It is due to the colonial past that Ethiopia has developed a strong belief in its precondition administration of the disputed region. Naturally, this premise has led the Ethiopian authorities to see Eritrean invasion of Badme as a sheer
act of aggression, an obvious violation of state's sovereignty.

Eritrean Claims

The Eritreans, on the other hand, claim the Badme territory on the basis
of Italian maps created from 1907 to 1935. These expansionist documents are, certainly, at odds with the Treaty of 1902. In fact, they used to serve
as a preparation for the Fascist invasion of Ethiopia. As such, the maps show
the borderline beyond the boundary specified in the Treaty. Quite clearly,
the Italians advanced the borderline roughly by 100kms deeper into the country beyond the junction of the Maieteb and Setit rivers. It is on the basis
of these maps that Eritrea has strived to expand its boundary deeper into Ethiopia along the Tekezze and Tomsa rivers.

(This Italian map printed in 1935 explicitly shows the expanded Tomsa and Tekezze junction)

Who is right?

The present conflict dispute is a result of two different interpretations
of historic documents. While Ethiopia refers to the 1902 Treaty, Eritrea relies on the Italian Fascist maps. Neither of these is, however, reliable.
Therefore, there is no ultimate right or wrong in this dispute.

Related articles

Genesis of the border war- the article
traces in chronological order steps taken prior
to the war to prevent an escalation of the conflict

The Ethio-Eritrean Border and Treaties that Delimited it
an overview of the colonial treaties that
had a bearing on the border's formation.

Homepage I Causes of War I Territorial I Economic I Nakfa
Divergent economic policies I The ports
International Involvement I US role I Peace negotiations
Aftermath of war I Bibliography I Related Sites