Ethiopia, Eritrea to bolster truce at Saudi summit

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia: Ethiopia and Eritrea signed an agreement on Sunday at a summit in Saudi Arabia, bolstering a historic peace accord between the two former Horn of Africa enemies, officials said.

Authorities did not reveal exact details of the new deal signed in Jeddah, but sources close to the Saudi government said it would further help strengthen relations between the two countries.

Saudi King Salman hosted the signing ceremony which was also attended by his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "The peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea signed today in Jeddah is a historic event that will contribute to strengthening security and stability in the region," Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Twitter.

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrea’s President Isaias Afwerki signed a peace pact in July ending two decades of enmity sparked by a two-year border conflict which broke out in 1998.

Two land border crossings between Ethiopia and Eritrea were reopened last Tuesday for the first time in 20 years, crowning a rapid reconciliation between the former bitter enemies. The warming of ties in the Horn of Africa has also seen Ethiopia and Eritrea re-open air links, embassies and trade routes. Eritrea gained its independence from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, and war broke out later that decade over a border dispute.