Ethiopia, Eritrea restore diplomatic relations, phone calls

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Ethiopian and Eritrean leaders formally restored relations Monday, ending 20 years of enmity, and citizens from both counties immediately began phoning each other to get back in touch.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, 42, and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, 72, also signed agreements to open embassies in their respective capitals, restore flight services and use port facilities in Eritrea. The signing took place in Eritrea's capital, Asmara, before Abiy flew back to Ethiopia.

"Received the first call from Asmara in Eritrea!" exclaimed Ermiyas Teklu in Ethiopia, after speaking to his uncle and his family after more than two decades. "The last time I talked to them was when I was in a third country. My mother is going to talk to our relatives in Eritrea and everyone is excited about it."

Many Ethiopians expressed their exhilaration on social media and changed their profile pictures to a photo of the Ethiopian and Eritrean leaders embracing, taken on Sunday.

Ethiopia's reformist prime minister flew to Eritrea on Sunday was welcomed with hugs and laughter by Afwerki, a joyous scene unthinkable just months ago. The two leaders spoke of love between their countries and announced the end of the longstanding border war.

"The events of these past two days between Ethiopia and Eritrea are like the fall of the Berlin Wall. Only amplified 1,000 times . physical structures were the only things between us. We were never separated in spirit," Samson Haileyesus wrote on Facebook.

The regional bloc known for mediating South Sudan's ongoing peace talks, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, lauded the dramatic diplomatic breakthrough between Ethiopia and Eritrea and praised Abiy for "wise and courageous leadership in ... normalizing relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea."

It also said it looks forward to Eritrea rejoining the regional bloc and "taking its rightful place of collectively advancing peace and development in our region." Eritrea left the regional group a decade ago when accused the bloc of serving Ethiopia's interests.

"The normalization of relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea and the resolution of the border issue will undoubtedly benefit the people of the two countries and would contribute to the realization of our shared aspiration of peace and economic integration of our region and indeed the continent of Africa," the bloc said.

Upon his return to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's leader is scheduled to meet with visiting U.N. Chief Antonio Guterres.

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