Thousands of Ethiopians and Eritreans took part in a 10-kilometer reconciliation run Sunday 11 November in Addis Ababa in the first joint sporting event since the former foes launched a rapid diplomatic thaw in July.
The runners filled Meskel Square in downtown Addis Ababa for the kick-off sporting t-shirts featuring the flags of Ethiopia and Eritrea, and it came as one of the major events since the two countries began a fast-paced diplomatic thaw ending two decades of tense relations.
Eritrea seceded from Ethiopia in 1993. From 1998 – 2000, the two countries fought a war in which 70,000 people perished.
“It is a very happy day for the peoples of the two countries and I thank God for making me live to see this day,” said Tilahun Masresha, 79.
Masresha said he worked as a teacher in Embatikala in Eritrea for five years when the two countries were under one flag.
“We should never have been separated,” he said, pointing to his t-shirt that reads “We are one.”
On 8 November, Eritrean President Issaias Afeworki together with Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed visited the Amhara regional state in Ethiopia where they met Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed as a follow up to the Declaration of Comprehensive Cooperation the trio signed in September in Eritrea’s capital Asmara.
Source: Anadolu Agency
