Ethiopia and Eritrea Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Ethiopia and Eritrea - Research Paper Example After about four decades of enjoyment of its sovereign right, Ethiopia is once more on the verge of permanently becoming a landlocked country. The present governing body of Ethiopia has approved and signed the Algiers Agreement that might make their nation landlocked (Healy & Plaut, 2007). If the opposition, triumphs in the next election or any election afterward, it might officially condemn the Algiers Agreement and insist on a new arrangement that identifies the right of accessing the sea. It is deemed accessing the sea is one of the burning topics that contributed to the achievement of the opposition and the decreasing support of the government in the last election. In this thesis, this paper will argue that Ethiopia has a legal right of accessing the sea as accepted by the regulations of the UN General Assembly of 1950, which was executed accordingly by merging Eritrea to Ethiopia. This paper recognizes the right of self-government along with the independence of the Eritrean citizens. Even though, it recognizes the independence of Eritrea, it also recognizes the sovereign right of accessing the sea by Ethiopia. The legal system that governs the territorial disagreements between Eritrea and Ethiopia is the treaty between UN and Ethiopia. The treaty was also referred to as the agreement between Ethiopia and the Victorious Four Powers of World War II in line with Eritrea, which was merged to Ethiopia, in 1952. The citizens of Eritrea fought for their fate and have become sovereign. Their desires have been accomplished by the blood that they paid during the fight for their independence (Healy & Plaut, 2007). The treaty of the Four Powers and Ethiopia is about the deliberation of the security of East Africa and the rightful need of Ethiopia to access the sea. In reality, the main purpose and objective of the treaty is the right of Ethiopia to access the sea. However, the people who appear to benefit mainly from the treaty are the Eritreans. The basis of any agreement that is meant to resolve the territorial disagreements between Eritrea and Ethiopia should adapt the recommendation of the United Nations General Assembly of 1950, as well as the international law, which gives Ethiopia the right to access the sea. Background The Horn of Africa, which comprises of Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia, is approximately three-quarters of a million square miles in the northeast of Africa (Interna tional Group Crisis, 2003). The region borders hundreds of kilometers of the Arabian Sea. It also lies along the southern border of the Gulf of Aden. Ethiopia stands at the center of the Horn of Africa. The country is bordered by Eritrea 912 km, Djibouti 349 km, Somalia 1600 km and Kenya 861 km, as well as Sudan 1606 km. The country shares diverse cultural groups with its neighbors (International Group Crisis, 2003). There is a wide range of ethnic groups living in Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan. The