In East Africa, the historic peace effort between Ethiopia and Eritrea continued Monday, with the leaders of the neighboring countries signing a “Joint Declaration of Peace and Friendship” and declaring an end to the nearly 2-decades-long “state of war.” From 1998 to 2000, Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a border war in which 70,000 people were killed. Since then, ongoing border disputes have kept the two countries in a state of conflict. This is U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, celebrating the news of the landmark peace declaration.
Secretary-General António Guterres: “I believe that the recent evolution in relation to between Eritrea and Ethiopia is a very important signal of hope, not only for the two countries, not only for Africa, but for the whole world.”