The leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea were in Saudi Arabia on Sunday ahead of a meeting described as the signing of a peace accord between the two East African nations. Abiy and Isaias signed a "Joint Declaration of Peace and Friendship" on July 9, ending 20 years of enmity and formally restoring diplomatic relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Landlocked Ethiopia fought a bloody war with Eritrea from 1998 to 2000 over a border dispute that killed tens of thousands of people. The conflict ended in an uneasy peace with Eritrea, which earlier fought a decades-long war of independence from Ethiopia. The signing ceremony Sunday in Saudi Arabia also highlights the growing importance Gulf Arab nations put on East Africa amid the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

Source: Ethiopian News September 16, 2018 11:15 UTC