From Africa Recovery, Vol.14#4 (January 2001), Briefs page

Peace agreement signed in Horn of Africa

The two-year war between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which took tens of thousands of lives, came to a formal end on 12 December. On that day Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia and President Isayas Afewerki of Eritrea signed a peace agreement in Algiers, the Algerian capital, at a ceremony witnessed by UN Secretary- General Kofi Annan and US Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright. The agreement commits both sides to a permanent cessation of military hostilities and establishes a neutral commission to demarcate the disputed border. The two leaders solemnly pledged to look to a future of peace and mutual respect.

The accord involved months of diplomatic pressure and mediation by the Organization of African Unity and the UN. About 4,200 UN peacekeepers will be deployed in a buffer zone to secure the border. Mr. Annan welcomed the day as one of hope for the peoples of Eritrea and Ethiopia and as a "victory for the voice of reason," kindling new expectations across the continent. Adding that "it is not enough to silence the guns," he promised to seek strong support from the international community for the essential tasks of reconstruction now ahead. Both countries are frequently plagued by drought and famine and rank among the world's poorest nations.

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