First Commercial Flight From Ethiopia To Eritrea In 20 Years Takes Off

Passengers sit inside an Ethiopian Airlines ET314 flight to Eritrea's capital Asmara at the Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia July 18, 2018. Photo Credit: Tiksa Negeri/Reuters 

The first commercial flight from Ethiopia to Eritrea in 20 years took off on Wednesday, sealing a stunning reconciliation between the former foes.

More than 400 passengers boarded two Ethiopian Airlines planes in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, many of them waving the countries’ flags and wearing T-Shirts with slogans celebrating the rapprochement.

Ethiopia’s former Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, told Reuters on board that he felt “heartfelt joy”. “There has been hatred between us (Ethiopia and Eritrea) for the last 20 years but now, that has been reversed.”

The flights cemented peace efforts pushed by Ethiopia’s new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who came to office in April and announced a series of reforms that have turned politics on its head in the region.





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