Addis Ababa - The on-going and escalating dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea now has a new dimension. On June 5, 1998, at about 6.15 p.m., the Eritrean authorities carried out an air raid with a cluster bomb over Makale, striking civilian areas twice including an elementary school.

The casualties of this chilling act of brutality were 44 killed and 135 wounded, among them children.

It baffles the world why the Eritrean authorities commit such attacks against innocent civilians. The victims in the main were not in the battlefield. They were ordinary people, mothers, children, teachers who were punished for being who they were, and where they were.

Eritrea wants to change its borders and expand its territory, while Ethiopia defends its present-day borders and territorial integrity. Therefore, it is no longer a border incursion but a full scale aggression against Ethiopia. Ethiopia is defending its territory, as any sovereign state would do under the circumstances, but has also accepted the peace initiatives recommended by the U.S. and Rwanda.

The imperative for peace should have been high on the Eritreans' agenda but it is not. Logically speaking, if reason was to reign, the current situation should have been prevented.

Whether we like it or not, the war being fought between Ethiopia and Eritrea is between brothers and sisters. Must we given in to this senseless act?

The tragedy that is playing out in Asmara presents a challenge to the conscience of many. Instead of listening to justifications for the war, the world should put a stop to it. The falsification of history is a deviation; using it to conduct a war is even more serious.

Tamrat Bekele, TAMBEK@telecom.net.et