STUBBORNLY YIELDING

Dec 28 , 2019.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD), President Isaias Afeworki (middle) and Shimelis Abdissa (right), deputy president of Oromia Regional State, visited the Adama Industrial Park on December 26, 2019.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD), President Isaias Afeworki (middle) and Shimelis Abdissa (right), deputy president of Oromia Regional State, visited the Adama Industrial Park on December 26, 2019.

Eritrea's strong man, Isaias Afeworqi, is legendary for his statement, "When I'm challenged, I become stubborn." It could be this steadfast belief that brought him to Addis Abeba for the third time since the premiership of Abiy, who was a ranking radio operator during the bloody war between Ethiopia and Eritrea in the late 1990s.

Provoked by Isaias's decision to make an incursion into Ethiopia, hoping to put political pressure on Ethiopia's leader, the two-year standoff led to the regrettable death of nearly 100,000 people on both sides. The Claims Commission formed after the ceasefire reached in Algiers, Algeria, found Eritrea as the instigator of the war. However, the Boundary Commission awarded it the town of Bademe, the flashpoint of the conflict. True to his words, Isaias remained stubborn and proved to be a survivor through layers of time.

There was no sign of that tension as the two leaders drove to Adama in a very relaxed atmosphere. They seem to be in a jovial mood as Abiy himself drove Isaias around showing him the Kuriftu Resort & Water Park in Bishoftu, casually mixing and taking selfies with the surprised holidaymakers there. They also made a brief stop at the Dukem Industrial Park before heading back to Addis Abeba where Isaias laid the cornerstone for the soon to be built Eritrean Embassy building.

PUBLISHED ON Dec 28,2019 [ VOL 20 , NO 1026]