Every time history repeats itself, the price goes up, argued Ronald Wright, rightfully. Take Eritrea and Ethiopia, for example. After the 1998-2000 Eritrea-Ethiopia border war, the two countries produced many expert cartographers who can tell you which hamlet falls on which side of the new officiated border as ruled by the Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission (EEBC.) But nobody can tell you what another commission, Eritrea Ethiopia Claims Commission, with similar authority to issue “final & binding” ruling, decided on the damages the two people inflicted on one another. More accurately, Eritrea can tell you what Ethiopia did to it, and Ethiopia can tell you what Eritrea did to it, but neither one is willing to admit, much less be held accountable for, what it did to the other. I very much doubt that this ruling is translated in Tigrinya and Amharic. And as long as that remains a mystery, people will still pretend that it didn’t happen and they will continue to celebrate their advanced civilizations, customary laws and just plain decency. And there will be no lessons learned and we will proceed, like lemmings, from one disastrous fate to another. Keep in mind that these damages that are in the hundreds of millions are for just a two-year period of 1998-2000. You can extrapolate from it what we have done to each other for 60 years, keeping ourselves poor and marginalized. With that in mind, here is an excerpt from the EECC ruling on the damages the two countries inflicted on each other and the link to read the whole thing:
What Ethiopians Did To Eritreans
IX. AWARD
The Commission awards Eritrea the following compensation for Ethiopia’s violations of the jus in bello:
1. US$13,500,000 for losses of residential and business property on the Central and Western Fronts in Serha, Senafe, Teseney, Alighidir, Guluj, Tabaldia, Gergef, Omhajer, Barentu and Tokombia, and Molki Sub-Zoba;
2. US$35,965,000 for damage to and destruction of buildings on the Central and Western Fronts in Serha, Senafe, Teseney, Alighidir, Guluj, Tabaldia, Gergef,Omhajer, Barentu and Tokombia, and Molki Sub-Zoba;
3. US$1,500,000 in respect of injuries to civilians due to loss of access to health care on account of damage to or destruction of Eritrean hospitals and other medical facilities and loss of medical supplies;
4. US$100,000 for damage to cultural property, specifically US$50,000 for damage to the Stela of Matara and US$50,000 for damage to the Tserona Patriots Cemetery;
5. US$4,000,000 for mistreatment of prisoners of war;
6. US$2,000,000 for failing to prevent the rape of known and unknown victims in the towns of Senafe, Barentu and Teseney;
7. US$1,550,000 for forcible expulsion of the population of Awgaro;
8. US$50,000 in respect of the unknown, but apparently small, number of dual EritreanEthiopian nationals who were arbitrarily deprived of their Ethiopian nationality while present in third countries;
9. US$15,000,000 in respect of the wrongful expulsion of an unknown, but considerable, number of dual nationals by local Ethiopian authorities;
10. US$11,000,000 for receiving, caring for and resettling rural Ethiopian nationals wrongfully expelled from Ethiopia;
11. US$2,000,000 for failure to provide humane and safe treatment for persons being expelled from Ethiopia;
12. US$46,000,000 for expellees’ losses of property on account of Ethiopia’s wrongful actions;
13. US$24,525,000 for Ethiopia’s failure to return or provide compensation after the war for vehicles it requisitioned from non-resident Eritreans;
14. US$1,500,000 for other property losses of non-resident Eritreans;
15. US$2,600,000 for imprisoning Eritrean civilians on security charges or detaining them for unknown reasons, under harsh and unacceptable conditions; and
16. US$155,000 for violation of Eritrea’s diplomatic premises and property;
17. As determined at the liability phase, the Commission considers its finding that Ethiopia unlawfully deprived dual Eritrean-Ethiopian nationals of their Ethiopian nationality to be appropriate reparation for the violation.
18. As determined at the liability phase, the Commission considers its finding that Ethiopia unlawfully interfered with Eritrea’s departing diplomats to be appropriate reparation for the violation.
19. All of Eritrea’s other claims on its own behalf are dismissed.
20. For claims filed by Eritrea on behalf of named individuals, the Commission awards the following amounts:
- a. US$319,615 for Hiwot Nemariam and Belay Redda, for failure to provide humane and safe treatment in transport from Ethiopia, lack of access to bank accounts, and unlawful deprivation of property;
- b. US$1,500,000 for Sertzu Gebre Meskel, for unlawful deprivation of property;
- c. US$21,250 for Mebrahtu Gebremedhin, for lack of access to bank accounts and unlawful deprivation of property; and
- d. US$225,000 for Mebrat Gebreamlak, for lack of access to bank accounts and unlawful deprivation of property.
- e. The claim of Fekadu Andremeskal is dismissed.
21. In addition to the award of satisfaction to Eritrea for all of the Commission’s liability findings, the total monetary compensation awarded to Eritrea in respect of its own claims is US$161,455,000. The amount awarded in respect of claims presented on behalf of individual claimants is US$2,065,865.
At the conclusion of these lengthy proceedings and the issuance of this Final Award, and the parallel Final Award in Ethiopia’s claims against Eritrea, the Commission reiterates its confidence that the Parties will ensure that the compensation awarded will be paid promptly, and that funds received in respect of their claims will be used to provide relief to their civilian populations injured in the war
What Eritreans Did to Ethiopians
XII. AWARD
A. The Commission awards Ethiopia the following compensation for Eritrea’s violations of the jus in bello:
1. US$11,000,000 for death, physical injury, disappearance, forced labor and conscription of Ethiopian civilians;
2. US$2,000,000 for failing to prevent rape of known and unknown victims in Irob, Dalul and Elidar Weredas;
3. US$13,900,000 for looting, and destruction of and damage to houses;
4. US$20,195,000 for damage, destruction and looting in Zalambessa;
5. US$2,500,000 for death, injury and property damage in Mekele;
6. US$315,000 for looting of and damage to government buildings and infrastructure;
7. US$4,500,000 for looting, destruction and damage to religious institutions;
8. US$3,216,000 for seizure and looting of the Saba Dimensional Stones Share Company;
9. US$7,500,000 for mistreatment of Ethiopian prisoners of war;
10. US$2,000,000 for failure to protect Ethiopian civilians in Eritrea from threats and violence;
11. US$1,500,000 for failure to ensure Ethiopian civilians in Eritrea access to employment;
12. US$50,000 for failure to ensure that Ethiopian civilians in Eritrea were able to receive medical care to the same extent as Eritrean nationals;
13. US$2,000,000 for wrongful detention and abusive treatment of Ethiopian civilians in Eritrean custody;
14. US$1,500,000 for harsh treatment of Ethiopian civilians at the Hawshaite detention camp;
15. US$10,000,000 for detaining significant numbers of Ethiopian civilians under harsh conditions during and after May 2000;
16. US$500,000 for deaths and injuries suffered by detainees at Wi’a Camp;
17. US$2,000,000 for failure to protect the property of Ethiopian detainees expelled from Eritrea;
18. US$1,000,000 for failure to protect the property of other departing Ethiopians; and
19. US$1,100,000 for failing to ensure the safe and humane repatriation of departing Ethiopians in transports that were not conducted or supervised by the ICRC.
B. The Commission awards Ethiopia the following compensation for Eritrea’s violations of the jus ad bellum:
1. US$45,000,000 for human suffering and lost income associated with internal displacement of persons;
2. US$8,500,000 for Ethiopian civilian deaths and injuries;
3. US$6,000,000 for damage to civilian property, primarily from shelling;
4. US$3,500,000 for damage to public buildings and infrastructure;
5. US$2,500,000 for looting, destruction and damage to religious institutions;
6. US$5,605,000 for destruction in Zalambessa;
7. US$1,500,000 for deaths and injuries caused by landmines;
8. US$250,000 for destruction of Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Bureau facilities in Adigrat;
9. US$162,500 for damage to other government facilities on the Central Front;
10. US$75,000 for other government losses on the Central Front;
11. US$125,000 for looting of property from the Relief Society of Tigray;
12. US$150,000 for damage in Adi Goshu;
13. US$625,000 for shelling damage in Sheraro;
14. US$65,000 for damage caused by the attack on the Mekele airport;
15. US$4,000,000 for profits lost by Ethiopian Airlines;
16. US$1,703,020 for failing to provide Ethiopian Airlines access to its bank accounts at the Bank of Eritrea; and
17. US$7,500,000 for reconstruction and assistance to internally displaced persons.
C. As determined at the liability phase, the Commission considers its finding that Eritrea violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations by arresting and detaining the Ethiopian Chargé d’Affaires and by violating official Ethiopian diplomatic correspondence and interfering with the functioning of the Ethiopian diplomatic
mission to be appropriate reparation.
D. All of Ethiopia’s other claims are dismissed.
E. In addition to the award of satisfaction to Ethiopia for all of the Commission’s liability findings, the total monetary compensation awarded to Ethiopia in respect of its claims is US$174,036,520.
At the conclusion of these lengthy proceedings and the issuance of this Final Award, and the parallel Final Award in Eritrea’s claims against Ethiopia, the Commission reiterates its confidence that the Parties will ensure that the compensation awarded will be paid promptly, and that funds received in respect of their claims will be used to provide relief to their civilian populations injured in the war.
Source:
Final Award: Eritrean Damages Claims: https://pcacases.com/web/sendAttach/766
Final Award: Ethiopian Damages Claims: https://pcacases.com/web/sendAttach/767
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