Several heads of states, the UN and the AU witnessed the signing as guarantors of the peace agreement, and after long legal litigations by both parties, the Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) issued, in accordance to its mandate entrusted by it through the Algiers Agreement, its final and binding verdict. The verdict came out in April 2002; if all would have went according to the rules—in other words, if Ethiopia would have honored its treaty obligations—the border would have been fully demarcated by November 2003.

Seven years after the signing, a few questions come to mind. Was there a reason to celebrate the anniversary of the Algiers Peace Agreement? What changed after seven years? Is it all over now? What do we do next?

Was there a reason to celebrate the anniversary of the Algiers Peace Agreement?

Well, nobody thought about having a parade go down Liberation Avenue. In fact, this article is probably the most anybody will see in regard to the anniversary of the Algiers Peace Agreement. Most Eritreans just went on with their daily routine as if it was any other day. But why wouldn't the Eritrean people recognize this day? I mean, it did end the war, right?

The truth of the matter is, although it did end the war, it did not usher peace. In fact, after seven years, war is still a possibility as the TPLF regime threatens Eritrea 's territorial integrity. However, more important is the lesson that the Eritrean people have learned from the peace agreement. The lesson learned: not everybody is so interested in justice and the rule of law.

Knowing that the only way to secure enduring and sustainable peace is through respecting the rule of law and the integrity of arbitrated decisions, Eritrea fully cooperated with the boundary commission in all of its delimitation decisions and demarcation instructions. Eritrea did not accept the EEBC ruling because it won in the litigation (the town of Badme is Eritrean territory) but because she knows the grave consequences of not respecting the rule of law. Moreover, any diplomatic effort, however well-intentioned, that would have attempted to shift the legal jurisdiction of the case of the EEBC to another body would not only have been stillborn but also laden with grave legal consequence.

For various reasons, the TPLF regime doesn't share such principles. More importantly, however, is that the lesson Eritrea learned comes from how much the ‘international community' (i.e. the US Administration) doesn't believe in such principle as well. It has already been exposed—in his memoir, John Bolton revealed that Frazer wanted him to re-open the 2002 EEBC decision. Much rhetoric comes from the American side about democracy and justice, but when it comes to American reality, justice is only as important as American national interests. What seemed like a clear-cut deal—final and binding only has one definition—would continue to drag on for more than 4 years. Since the signing at Algiers and the coming out of the EEBC's verdict at the Hague, Eritrean had been patiently waiting for the TPLF regime and their masters to respect the contents of the peace agreement.

What changed after seven years?

These last seven years haven't been easy but the Eritrean people have much reason to celebrate, whether if it is for the heroism and unity of its people or the incredible development achievements made while challenging a ‘no war, no peace' situation. What makes things a little different this year, however, is that the EEBC's mandate is fulfilled. Since 1 December 2007 , the border automatically stands as demarcated by the boundary points of the delimitation decision of 13 April 2002 —it is the only valid legal description of the boundary. Mind you, it took long enough to happen but it finally did. The consistency in the way the Eritrean people uphold their values has gotten them to this point. Not adhering to the cheap attempts by the TPLF regime to undermine the rule of law, the truth has won at the end of the day.

The TPLF regime has tried to buy itself time in the hope that it could do something to change the verdict of the border. This delay has only delayed any possibility of creating a conducive climate for wounds to heal between the two brotherly people of Eritrea and Ethiopia. To count how many implausible excuses the TPLF regime tried to use to change the final and binding decision on the border is a tedious and annoying task, but one thing is for sure—they have been playing with the lives and opportunities of both the Eritrean and Ethiopian people. ‘Accepting in principle,' ‘5-point peace agreement,' ‘dialogue', ‘peace talks', etc.—we've heard it all. They claimed that the EEBC ruling on the border would divide villages, communities, burial lands and people. If they really did care about people, not only would they have abided by the Algiers Peace Agreement but they would have also left Eritrean sovereign territory so that displaced Eritreans could move back to their homes. They wouldn't have kicked out and stolen all the assets of thousands of Eritreans from Ethiopia during 1997-98.

Is it all over now? What do we do next?

Such misapprehension of the EEBC ruling continues and the TPLF still calls the decision unjust and illegal. They still say that ‘we cannot divide a household in half' so as to misguide the international community. The fact that there are still some displaced Eritreans who haven't returned to their homes is not considered an issue for them. But at this point, the implementation of this internationally recognized boundary line means to respect the boundary the EEBC ruled on and there really isn't any turning back on this basic but very important fact.

To say that our battles are over would be a serious mistake. Demarcation is complete and there isn't a temporary security zone anymore, but the TPLF regime is still threatening Eritrea's territorial integrity. There are still armed troops currently stationed north of the demarcation line, within sovereign Eritrean territory. And as the TPLF is becoming desperate to hold its ever-weakening power, they prepare to launch a war against Eritrea. Meles has already told the parliament in Addis Ababa that his government has increased its military budget; he is now waiting for the ‘green light' from the US Administration.

As this ‘7th year anniversary' will be marked with no change in the daily lives of Eritreans, we should continue to do what we are doing. That doesn't mean that there isn't anything to do. On the contrary, it means that we should continue to build our unity and our nation. Our nation building process does not only guarantee Eritrea's potential for full economic growth and higher standard of living, but it also guarantees our sovereignty.

One thing that we cannot forget is that although our border is internationally recognized, the pillars are not set on the ground. We don't have to put emphasis on this, however. Not all the borders of the world are marked by pillars and fences. Moreover, since the EEBC has completed its mandate, there is no reason to ask them to come back to place pillars to mark the border. In fact, promoting this might even encourage the appointment of a new commission, which is of course completely illegal.

These times are as challenging as ever, but despite what day of the year it is, we do have a lot to celebrate. But more important is how much we guard our achievements. Anyone who would undermine Eritrea as a sovereign country and as a united people will not go unnoticed. As a people, we are and we must always be prepared for any eventuality. Victory is ours as we stick to our principles and values and the glory of our martyrs will never diminish. Congratulations people of Eritrea!