Waging Peace:  Eritrea

Mediating Conflict

In September 1989, the Eritrean People's Liberation Front and the government of the People's Republic of Ethiopia took the first steps toward full-scale peace negotiations after 28 years of fighting when they met for 12 days at The Carter Center. Leaders from both sides asked former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, during trips to the region in 1988 and 1989, to mediate. The Carter Center negotiations marked the first time the parties agreed to talk without preconditions and in the presence of a third-party mediator. Two months later, the groups met again in Nairobi. After making progress, the parties continued to fight, and in May 1991, Tigrayan forces reached the capital city of Addis Ababa, forcing the president of Ethiopia to flee the country. In May 1993, Eritrea became an independent nation.