President Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea announced he plans to send a delegation to Ethiopia for peace talks. The announcement comes two weeks after Ethiopia announced it would accept a peace agreement with Eritrea initially made 18 years ago, The Washington Post reported. 

According to The Post, newly elected Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed recently announced Ethiopia was ready to accept a peace agreement with Eritrea made in 2000. It will be the first time the two countries will have peace talks since the tragic Ethiopian-Eritrean bloody border war erupted some 20 years ago, The New York Times reported. 

“The suffering on both sides is unspeakable because the peace process is deadlocked," said Abiy's chief of staff, Fitsum Arega, at the time of the prime minister's announcement in early June, The Times reported.

In regards to pursuing peace talks, Isaias said the Ethiopian and Eritrean people have "lost an opportunity of two generations." 

"We will send a delegation to Addis Ababa to gauge current developments directly and in depth as well as to chart out a plan for continuous future action,” he said, according to The Post. He added, “The Eritrean people, but also the Ethiopian people, have lost an opportunity of two generations for over half a century."

Abiy reportedly responded to Eritrean's announcement by sharing Ethiopia's readiness to "warmly" welcome the Eritrean delegation "with considerable goodwill," The Post reported.

Africa,EritreaEthiopia