ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Astebeha Tesfaye went to visit friends in Eritrea, and had to stay 20 years.

“I was going to take the bus the next day,” he said by phone on Tuesday, “but I heard that the roads were blocked, and that no one was going to move either to Eritrea or Ethiopia.”

Mr. Tesfaye was traveling as war broke out between Ethiopia and Eritrea, locking the two countries in hostilities that eventually left tens of thousands dead. Cross-border phone calls were banned, embassies were closed and flights were canceled. Travel between the countries became impossible.

But on Tuesday, the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea reopened crossing points on their shared border, clearing the way for trade between the two nations. The development was part of a series of reconciliation moves that began in July, when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia and President Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea signed a formal declaration of peace.</s>Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki made the visit at Bure, a region that saw some of the fiercest fighting during the 1998-2000 war, in which 80,000 people died.

"PM Abiy Ahmed and President Isaias Afwerki are visiting Bure Front along Ethio-Eritrea border to celebrate the New Year with members of the Ethiopian & Eritrean Defense Forces following the full normalization of the relations between the two countries. #Ethiopia #Eritrea," Fitsum Arega, Abiy's Chief of Staff, said on Twitter.</s>The leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea are celebrating their recent diplomatic thaw by marking the new year at their border.

The chief of staff for Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed says in a post that Abiy and longtime Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki are visiting the Bure Front along with members of their militaries.

The former bitter rivals have made a dramatic reconciliation since Abiy shortly after taking office announced that Ethiopia would fully embrace a peace deal that ended a bloody 1998-2000 border war.

Embassies have reopened, telephone lines have been restored and commercial flights between the capitals have resumed.

Abiy on Monday said that "as of today, Ethiopian and Eritrean people will prosper together and march in unison. ... The last five months have brought hope and reconciliation."</s>The border between Eritrea and former rival Ethiopia has officially opened after two decades.

The border between Eritrea and former rival Ethiopia has officially opened after two decades.

Eritrea information minister Yemane Meskel said in a post on Twitter that Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed have opened the border point at Bure for “road transport connectivity”.

They will later conduct a similar ceremony at the Serha-Zalambesa crossing.

The leaders have been celebrating their recent diplomatic thaw by marking the Ethiopian new year at their border.

The two have made a dramatic reconciliation since Abiy, shortly after taking office, announced that Ethiopia would fully embrace a peace deal that ended a bloody 1998-2000 border war.

Embassies have reopened, telephone lines have been restored and commercial flights between the capitals have resumed.

Abiy on Monday said that “as of today, Ethiopian and Eritrean people will prosper together and march in unison. The last five months have brought hope and reconciliation”.</s>NAIROBI (Reuters) - The leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea made a joint visit to celebrate the Ethiopian New Year on Tuesday with their troops on the border, in a further step toward warmer ties between two countries that fought a war two decades ago.

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki made the visit at Bure, a region that saw some of the fiercest fighting during the 1998-2000 war, in which 80,000 people died.

“PM Abiy Ahmed and President Isaias Afwerki are visiting Bure Front along Ethio-Eritrea border to celebrate the New Year with members of the Ethiopian & Eritrean Defense Forces following the full normalization of the relations between the two countries. #Ethiopia #Eritrea,” Fitsum Arega, Abiy’s Chief of Staff, said on Twitter.</s>The leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea have officially opened the border where a bloody war divided them for decades, with emotional residents embracing after years of separation.

The leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea have officially opened the border where a bloody war divided them for decades, with emotional residents embracing after years of separation.

Troops to pull out as Ethiopian and Eritrean leaders officially open border

Taking the next step in a dramatic diplomatic thaw, Ethiopia later announced that troops on both sides would withdraw.

Ethiopia’s reformist new prime minister Abiy Ahmed and long-time Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki “marked the radical transformation of the Ethio-Eritrea border into a frontier of peace & friendship”, Mr Abiy’s chief of staff Fitsum Arega said in a Twitter post.

The leaders visited the Bure Front with members of their militaries to mark the Ethiopian new year and later did the same at the Serha-Zalambesa crossing, Eritrean information minister Yemane Meskel.

Photos showed Mr Abiy in camouflage gear walking alongside Mr Isaias in olive drab, while a ribbon stretched across one border post bristled with military personnel carrying not guns but cameras.

Hundreds of civilians waved flags, and people of the countries’ Tigray region, who share close cultural ties, danced while flag-draped camels wandered by.

In comments carried by the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate, Mr Abiy announced: “To ease the tense atmosphere that existed in border areas, Ethiopian Defence Forces will return to various camps to recover and obtain additional training. The same will be done on the Eritrean side. Until then, soldiers will assist local farmers and shift to development activities.”

The former bitter rivals have made a stunning reconciliation since Mr Abiy – weeks after taking office in April – announced that Ethiopia would fully embrace a peace deal that ended a 1998-2000 border war that killed tens of thousands.

At the time, he said the countries would celebrate the Ethiopian new year together: “We want our brothers and sisters to come here and visit us as soon as possible.”

Embassies have reopened, telephone lines have been restored and commercial flights between the capitals have resumed as some long-separated families have held tearful reunions.

Landlocked Ethiopia, one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies, and Eritrea, one of the world’s most closed-off nations, also plan development co-operation around Eritrea’s Red Sea ports in particular.</s>ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- Celebrating their dramatic diplomatic thaw, the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea on Tuesday officially opened the border where a bloody war and ensuing tensions had divided them for decades.

Ethiopia's reformist new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and longtime Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki visited the Bure Front along with members of their militaries to mark the Ethiopian new year, Abiy's chief of staff Fitsum Arega said in a Twitter post.

The two then opened the border post "for road transport connectivity" and would shortly do the same at the Serha-Zalambesa crossing, Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Meskel said on Twitter.

Photos posted by both officials showed Abiy in camouflage and sunglasses walking alongside Isaias in olive drab, while civilians lined a road with the countries' flags in hand.

The former bitter rivals have made a stunning reconciliation since Abiy weeks after taking office in April announced that Ethiopia would fully embrace a peace deal that ended a 1998-2000 border war that killed tens of thousands. At the time, he announced that the countries would celebrate the Ethiopian new year together: "We want our brothers and sisters to come here and visit us as soon as possible."

Embassies have reopened, telephone lines have been restored and commercial flights between the capitals have resumed as some long-separated families have held tearful reunions. Landlocked Ethiopia, one of Africa's fastest-growing economies, and Eritrea, one of the world's most closed-off nations, also plan development co-operation around Eritrea's Red Sea ports in particular.

Reports on social media on Monday indicated that mine-clearing activities were underway in one border area, signalling that an opening was planned.

Abiy on Monday told a new year's eve concert crowd of thousands in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, that "as of today, Ethiopian and Eritrean people will prosper together and march in unison. ... The last five months have brought hope and reconciliation."

The Ethiopian new year has roots in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and is related to the Julian calendar. Eritrea has used the Gregorian calendar since it gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993.

The reconciliation between Ethiopia and Eritrea has been warmly welcomed by the international community and has led to a series of further thaws in the fragile Horn of Africa region, with Eritrea resuming diplomatic ties with both turbulent Somalia and the small but strategic port and military nation of Djibouti.</s>ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Celebrating their dramatic diplomatic thaw, the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea on Tuesday officially opened the border where a bloody war and ensuing tensions had divided them for decades, with emotional residents embracing after years of separation.

Ethiopia's reformist new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and longtime Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki visited the Bure Front along with members of their militaries to mark the Ethiopian new year, Abiy's chief of staff Fitsum Arega said in a Twitter post.

The two opened the border post "for road transport connectivity" and later were doing the same at the Serha-Zalambesa crossing, Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Meskel said on Twitter.

Photos posted by both officials showed Abiy in camouflage walking alongside Isaias in olive drab, while hundreds of civilians lined a road with the countries' flags in hand. Television footage showed people of the countries' Tigray region, who share close cultural ties, dancing while flag-draped camels wandered by.

The former bitter rivals have made a stunning reconciliation since Abiy weeks after taking office in April announced that Ethiopia would fully embrace a peace deal that ended a 1998-2000 border war that killed tens of thousands. At the time, he said the countries would celebrate the Ethiopian new year together: "We want our brothers and sisters to come here and visit us as soon as possible."

Embassies have reopened, telephone lines have been restored and commercial flights between the capitals have resumed as some long-separated families have held tearful reunions. Landlocked Ethiopia, one of Africa's fastest-growing economies, and Eritrea, one of the world's most closed-off nations, also plan development cooperation around Eritrea's Red Sea ports in particular.

Reports on social media on Monday indicated that mine-clearing activities were underway in one border area, signaling that an opening was planned. The United Nations has called the border one of the world's most heavily mined.

It was not clear if the countries would withdraw troops from the border.

Abiy on Monday told a new year's eve concert crowd of thousands in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, that "as of today, Ethiopian and Eritrean people will prosper together and march in unison. ... The last five months have brought hope and reconciliation."

The Ethiopian new year has roots in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and is related to the Julian calendar. Eritrea has used the Gregorian calendar since it gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993.

The reconciliation between Ethiopia and Eritrea has been warmly welcomed by the international community and has led to a series of further thaws in the fragile Horn of Africa region, with Eritrea resuming diplomatic ties with both turbulent Somalia and the small but strategic port and military nation of Djibouti.

Observers now wonder whether the thaw will inspire Eritrea's leader, who has led since independence without elections, to embrace reforms and loosen a strict military conscription system that has led the small country to become one of the largest sources of migrants fleeing toward Europe, Israel and elsewhere.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>The border between Eritrea and former rival Ethiopia has officially opened after two decades.

Eritrea information minister Yemane Meskel said in a post on Twitter that Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed have opened the border point at Bure for “road transport connectivity”.

They will later conduct a similar ceremony at the Serha-Zalambesa crossing.</s>Celebrating their dramatic diplomatic thaw, the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea on Tuesday marked the new year at a border where a bloody war and ensuing tensions had divided them for decades.

Ethiopia’s reformist new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and longtime Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki were visiting the Bure Front along with members of their militaries, Abiy’s chief of staff Fitsum Arega said in a Twitter post.

Photos posted by Arega showed Abiy in camouflage and sunglasses walking alongside Isaias in olive drab.

The former bitter rivals have made a dramatic reconciliation since Abiy weeks after taking office in April announced that Ethiopia would fully embrace a peace deal that ended a 1998-2000 border war.

Embassies have reopened, telephone lines have been restored and commercial flights between the capitals have resumed. Landlocked Ethiopia, one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies, and Eritrea, one of the world’s most closed-off nations, also plan development cooperation around Eritrea’s Red Sea ports in particular.

The border, however, has yet to open to everyday traffic though reports on social media on Monday indicated that mine-clearing activities were underway in one area.

Abiy on Monday told a new year’s eve concert crowd of thousands in the capital, Addis Ababa, that “as of today, Ethiopian and Eritrean people will prosper together and march in unison. … The last five months have brought hope and reconciliation.”

The reconciliation has been warmly welcomed by the international community and has led to a series of further thaws in the fragile Horn of Africa region, with Eritrea resuming diplomatic ties with both turbulent Somalia and the small but strategic port and military nation of Djibouti.
The Eritrean–Ethiopian border reopens for the first time since 1998.