March 18, 2006: Since Eritrea gained its independence from Ethiopia in 1993, there has been no agreement on exactly where the thousand kilometer border is. One major war was fought over this in 1998-2000. Another one threatens to break out. The leadership in both countries see backing down on the border issue as an issue that could threaten their hold on power. The governments of both countries have not paid attention to pressing economic and social issues, resulting in declining living conditions throughout the region.

March 17, 2006: The Ethiopian government continues to arrest and prosecute members of opposition parties, and the media. Eritrea is not much different in the way it treats opposition.

March 16, 2006: Ethiopian police arrested six members of the OLF (Oromo Liberation Front, a Moslem separatist movement) and seized weapons.

March 13, 2006: Ethiopia and Eritrea, after two days of talks in Britain, have agreed to argue some more over who owns a piece of desert wilderness on their common border. This delays another round of war between the two countries. As a result of this, the UN decided to keep their observer force on the Ethiopian/Eritrean border until April 15th.

March 7, 2006: Several bombs went off in the Ethiopian capital, wounding four people. The government blamed OLF (Oromo Liberation Front) rebels and agents from Eritrea. Chances are, the culprits were the former, not the latter. The cause appears to be vote rigging in last May's elections, which has generated violence that, so far, has left nearly a hundred dead.