Ethiopia, Eritrean leaders reopened the Oumhajir-Humera border crossing for trade and transport

Posted on : Wednesday , 9th January 2019

The Oumhajir-Humera border crossing was reopened by Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki as this border crossing connects the two countries for trade and transport. Eritrea’s Afwerki and Ethiopia’s Ahmed, escorted with senior officials of the two East African countries, on Monday and witnessed the official reopening of the border crossing.

According to Eritrea’s Minister of Information Yemane Gebremeskel, reopening of the road is in line with the article 3 of the Joint Declaration of Peace and Friendship that the two countries signed on July 9.

"Article 3 of the joint peace persue for the resumption of transport, trade and communication links between the two countries",Gebremeskel said. 

The opening of the border is predicted to further enable the people-to-people relation on both sides, as well as to make it easier the cross-border trade among the two countries in the long run.  

The two countries flag carriers - Ethiopian Airlines and Eritrean Airlines - have also started flights to Asmara and Addis Ababa respectively. Leaders of the two countries, in another offer to augment their growing ties, had also agreed to boost the movement and amount of bilateral trade through Eritrea’s port city of Assab to Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa.

Ethiopia reopened its embassy in Asmara, the Eritrean capital, in the month of September after the reopening of Eritrea’s embassy on July 16 in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. The decision to construct a pipeline linking Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa and Eritrea’s port had been also announced by the Ethiopian government and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which would allow landlocked Ethiopia to export crude oil via Eritrean port as Ethiopia recently begin petroleum test extraction from the Somali Regional State in June 2018.

With respect, in addition to political and economic relations, Ethiopia and Eritrea are also undertaking steps to strengthen cultural and people-to-people links between the two countries.

A cultural conference, that was held recently in Addis Ababa, had also brought together some 500 participants drawn from both countries, including senior government officials from both countries, who discussed various issues that include ways to boost the cultural and linguistic ties as well as the need for cultural collaboration between Ethiopia and Eritrea.