Although the international community has failed to help the people of Eritrea and Ethiopia by failing to bring about peace and security years ago, its decision at this particular time to terminate its mission is the worst. What is surprising about the decision is that it expects both countries to work to bring their conflict to an end. This is a farfetched idea. The UN has been in charge of the issue for almost a decade and it failed to do something to convince the two parties into the table. How on earth it is expecting the parties to work together with no mediator. Indeed, the UN failure in this particular case is a manifest indication that it is no more a world organization. Personally I do not understand why an organization which does not do anything should consume resources. It is time either to think of either reorganizing or disband it. The suffering the two not only neighbors but also friendly people is allowed to persist only because two individuals selfishly guarding their position are not willing to talk to one another and an organization which is supposed to work for the interests of people not individuals is not performing its job properly. What a shame to the whole international community!! Where is our claim that the 21st century is an age of human rights? Where is the pledge the international community had made in adopting useless organizations like the UN. If have any hope is left for frustrated individuals like me it only God!

je suis entierement d accord avec l auteur de l article sur Eritrea-Ethiopia. Je trouve scandaleux qu a notre epoque ou nous avons de grands moyens pour imposer une decision de l ONU nous n avons toujours pas trouve de solution. Evidemment s il y avait de l or ou du petrole les americains aurait deja debarque. Ces deux pays ont deja assez souffert ces dernières annèes et vont continuer a subir le boursicotage des capitalistes et probablement avoir une situation de famine inssuportable et pas tolerable a notre epoque. cp

First of all, I don't understand why this decision has come as a surprise to anyone. The Ethiopia-Eritrea border conflict should have been resolved a long time ago. In fact, it should not have been started in the first place. Blaming the UN for the failure of a comprehensive peace deal is fruitless and frankly, immature. In my opinion, the international community has done what was possible for Ethiopia and Eritea regarding the border conflict. Secondly, dumping the burden of responsibility on someone other than the main actors is unrealistic and it disabuses responsibility for the two parties that started the war in the first place. Africa and Africans need to learn that war is not the answer to everything. We also need to get it into our heads that no matter what kind of conflicts African's engage in, there'll hardly be the kind of internatiional intervention that we see when it comes to Europe and other areas of the world. For this reason, we need to take responsibility for ou r own actions and stop fighting. Ethiopia and Eritrea will come to a peace deal when it suits their leaders. Lastly, we need to stop this paternalistic relationship with Western controlled institutions like the UN. How can Africa be independent economically, politically, and socially if we expect others to fix our problems and continue to interfere in our affairs? As the saying goes, if you choose the behavior, then you choose the consequences!