Dear Netters:

I am sure many of you have seen the Eritrean statements that they have well-established internationally recognised borders. Well the Eritrean government has recently put out a new map which lays claim to not only the Hanish islands, but also a chunk of northern Djibouti extending to the Bab el Mandeb strait directly opposite Perim island. This map can be found at the official Eritrean government webpage:

What is amusing about this map is that it clearly conflicts with previously available maps which Eritrea says support its claim to Badime. For example here is a map that Eritreans often use. Note that this map shows the Bab el Mandeb strait as lying within Djibouti not Eritrea. Note also that the Hanish islands are indicated as belonging to Yemen on this map.

On the one hand Eritrea and its supporters claim a map gives them sovereignty to the Badime area. But then they claim that:

(a) the same map is not authoritative or legally binding when it comes to the Hanish islands.
(b) the same map is not authoritative or legally binding when it comes to Djibouti.
(c) Their new map with different boundaries is legal, while any new maps produced by Ethiopia are illegal.

Well many adjectives come to mind, but I won't belabor the point. The Eritrean contradictions are so self-defeating that it approaches the ridiculous. Here is more information on Eritrea's claims versus Djibouti:

"Asmara's set pattern is military action or the threat of it, followed by calls for international mediation. The Hanish dispute went to an international court sitting in London and due to report soon. If Eritrea loses, Djibouti fears Asmara will again try to win control of the coast opposite the narrowest stretch of the Bab el Madeb Straits." (Africa Confidential, May 29, 1998).

Conclusion: Eritrea needs to stop this fiction that it has one of the most well-known of colonial borders, while simultaneously issuing a new map that incorporates territory from at least three of its neighbors. Eritrea must also stop its aggressive behavior and learn how to peacefully resolve its problems.

Attached below is some more info on the Eritrea-Djibouti border issue from the Eritrean opposition website

- Dagmawi

Eritrea's claims against Djibouti arise from the fascist-era territorial concessions that Mussolini extracted from France in 1935. He claimed also a part of Chad for Libya, and small pieces of mainland France itself to be included into Italy.

These extorted concessions where never ratified by France and have no legal basis. Gadhafi continued trying for many years to grab the Aouzou strip of northern Chad, partly on the basis of Mussolini's expansionist activities in 1935. However, an international court ruled in 1993 that these claims were null and void.

France has already told Eritrea that the maps it is using are outdated and unsuitable for establishing territorial claims. Yet Eritrea continues to put out maps that claim the northern part of Djibouti.