Eritrea - Ethiopia Boundary Commission

1 Eritrea - Ethiopia Boundary CommissionDECISIONR egarding Delimitation of the BorderbetweenThe State of EritreaandThe Federal democratic Republic of EthiopiaBy the Boundary Commission , composed of:Professor Sir Elihu Lauterpacht, CBE, QC, President Prince Bola Adesumbo Ajibola, SAN, KBE, CFR Professor W. Michael Reisman Judge Stephen M. Schwebel Sir Arthur Watts, KCMG, QC DECISION Regarding Delimitation of the BorderbetweenThe State of Eritrea , represented by:GOVERNMENT OF ERITREAHis Excellency Mr. Ali Said Abdella, Foreign Minister of the State of Eritrea , Agent Professor Lea Brilmayer, Co-Agent, Legal Advisor to the Office of the President of Eritrea , Howard M. Holtzmann Professor of International Law , Yale University School of Law His Excellency Mr. Mohammed Suleiman Ahmed, Ambassador of the State of Eritrea to theNetherlandsMr.

2 Habtom Gebremichael, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, State of EritreaMs. Megan Munzert, Associate Legal Advisor to the Office of the President of EritreaCOUNSEL AND ADVOCATESMr. O. Thomas Johnson, Covington and Burling; Member of the Bar of the District of ColumbiaProfessor James Crawford, SC, FBA, Whewell Professor of International Law, University ofCambridge; Member of the Australian and English Bars; Member of the Institute of InternationalLawCOUNSEL AND CONSULTANTSMr. Eric Brown, Covington and Burling; Member of the Bar of the District of ColumbiaMs. Chiara Giorgetti, Dottoressa in Giurisprudenza, Universit di BolognaMs. Karin Kizer, Covington and Burling; Member of the Bar of the District of ColumbiaMs. Natalie Klein, Debevoise and Plimpton; Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court ofAustraliaProfessor Yemane Meshginna, Department of Political Science, the University of Asmara Ms.

3 Erin Casey, Yale University School of Law Ms. Amanda Jones, Yale University School of LawMs. Suma Nair, Covington and Burlingand The Federal democratic Republic of Ethiopia , represented by:GOVERNMENT OF ETHIOPIAHis Excellency Mr. Seyoum Mesfin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal DemocraticRepublic of Ethiopia , AgentHis Excellency Ambassador Mr. Fisseha Yimer, Ambassador of the Federal DemocraticRepublic of Ethiopia to Switzerland and to the United Nations in Geneva, Co-AgentMr. Seifeselassie Lemma, Director of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the FederalDemocratic Republic of EthiopiaCOUNSEL AND ADVOCATES Mr. Ian Brownlie, CBE, QC, FBA, Chichele Professor of Public International Law (Emeritus),University of Oxford; Member of the International Law Commission ; Member of the EnglishBar; Member of the Institut de droit international Mr.

4 B. Donovan Picard, Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson & Hand, Washington DC;Member of the Bar of the District of Columbia; Member of the Bar of the Supreme Court of theUnited StatesMr. Rodman R. Bundy, Frere Cholmeley/Eversheds, Paris; avocat la Cour d appel de Paris,Member of the New York BarMs. Loretta Malintoppi, Frere Cholmeley/Eversheds, Paris; avocat la Cour d appel de Paris,Member of the Rome BarMr. Dylan D. Cors, Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson & Hand, Washington DC; Memberof the Bar of the District of ColumbiaCOUNSEL AND CONSULTANTS Mr. Scott Edmonds, International Mapping Associates, Columbia, Maryland, PresidentMr. Robert Rizzutti, International Mapping Associates, Columbia, Maryland, Vice President Ms. Cheryl Dunn, Frere Cholmeley/Eversheds, Paris; Member of the State Bar of CaliforniaMr.

5 Charles Claypoole, Frere Cholmeley/Eversheds, Paris; Solicitor of the Supreme Court ofEngland and WalesMr. Justin M. Cawley, Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson & Hand, Washington, DC;Member of the Bar of the District of ColumbiaMr. Gregson A. Thoms, III, Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson & Hand, Washington, DC,ConsultantiiiTABLE OF CONTENTSLIST OF MAPS .. viiGLOSSARY OF GEOGRAPHIC PLACE NAMES .. ixCHAPTER I PROCEDURAL 1 CHAPTER II SUBSTANTIVE 11A. 11B. The Subject of the Dispute Geographical Description of the 131) The termini .. 132) The three sectors of the 173) The western sector .. 174) The central sector .. 185) The eastern sector .. 19 CHAPTER III THE TASK OF THE Commission AND THE APPLICABLE LAW .. 21A. Treaty Interpretation .. 21B. Applicable International Law and the Subsequent Conduct of the 241) Maps.

6 252)Effectivit 283) Diplomatic and other exchanges tending to evidence admissions or assertions .. 29C. Relevance of the Reference to the 1964 OAU Summit 29D. The Present Decision Does Not Deal with Demarcation .. 30 CHAPTER IV THE SECTOR COVERED BY THE 1900 TREATY (CENTRAL SECTOR) .. 31A. The Interpretation of the 1900 311) The Mareb River .. 342) The Belesa River .. 343) The upper reaches of the Muna and the overland link between the Belesa and the Muna .. 384) The eastern terminal point of the 1900 Treaty 435) Object and purpose of the Treaty .. 456) Conclusions as to the Boundary identified by the 1900 46B. Subsequent 481) The western part of the Belesa projection .. 49(a) Conduct relevant to the exercise of sovereign authority (effectivit s) .. 49(b) Diplomatic and other similar exchanges and 50(c) 50(d) Conclusion regarding the western part of the Belesa projection.

7 50iv2) The eastern part of the Belesa projection .. 51(a) Conduct relevant to the exercise of sovereign authority (effectivit s) .. 51(b) Diplomatic and other similar exchanges and 51(c) 52(d) Conclusion regarding the eastern part of the Belesa 523) The Endeli projection (Irob).. 52(a) Conduct relevant to the exercise of sovereign authority (effectivit s) .. 53(b) Diplomatic and other similar exchanges and 53(c) 53(d) Conclusion regarding the Endeli 534) The Bada region in the central sector .. 54(a) Conduct relevant to the exercise of sovereign authority (effectivit s) .. 55(b) Diplomatic and other similar exchanges and 55(c) 55(d) Conclusion regarding the Bada region in the central sector .. 55C. The Commission s Conclusions Regarding the 1900 Treaty Line as a Whole.

8 56 CHAPTER V THE SECTOR COVERED BY THE 1902 TREATY (WESTERN SECTOR).. 57A. The Treaty 57B. The Western Terminus .. 58C. The Sector 601) Interpretation of the 61(a) The terms of the Treaty .. 61(b) The object and purpose of the 65(i) The reference to Mount Ala 66(ii) The incorporation of the Cunama into Eritrea .. 66(c) The relation between the negotiations of May 1902 and the principal objective of the Treaty .. 682) Developments subsequent to the Treaty .. 693) Assessment of the situation as at 814) The Position after 83 CHAPTER VI THE SECTOR COVERED BY THE 1908 TREATY (EASTERN SECTOR) .. 85A. The Text of the 1908 85B. The Physical 86C. Historical Background of the 1908 86D. The Commission s Decision .. 871) The nature of the exercise under the 1908 872) The commencement of the 883) The termination of the 884) The method by which the Boundary is to be 88(a) The geometric character of the delimitation.

9 88(b) The delimitative character of the Commission s task .. 89(c) The meaning of the coast .. 89(d) The Commission s delimitation method .. 89v5) Effect of subsequent 906) The map 93 CHAPTER VII THE Boundary LINE WITHIN 95 CHAPTER VIII 97 Maps Illustrating the Delimitation Line .. 101 Reference Points .. 101 APPENDIX A The Subsequent Conduct of the Parties in the Sector Covered by the 1900 107 APPENDIX B The Location of the Cunama .. 119 APPENDIX C Technical Note Relating to Maps .. 124viviiLIST OF MAPSMap 1 Eritrea - Ethiopia Border Area .. 10 Map 2 Western Sector, 1902 Treaty, Claim Lines As Submitted by the 14 Map 3 Central Sector, 1900 Treaty, Claim Lines As Submitted by the 15 Map 4 Eastern Sector, 1908 Treaty, Claim Lines As Submitted by the 16 Map 51900 Treaty 32 Map 6 Belesa and Endeli Projections.

10 36 Map 7 Treaty Line As Established by the 1900 47 Map 8 Mai Daro Map .. 62 Map 9De Chaurand Map, Excerpt Corresponding to the Mai Daro Map .. 64 Map 10 International Boundary between the State of Eritrea and the Federal democratic Republic of Ethiopia , Western Sector (in a scale of 1:1,000,000).. 96 Map 11 International Boundary between the State of Eritrea and the Federal democratic Republic of Ethiopia , Central Sector (in a scale of 1:360,000).. 98 Map 12 International Boundary between the State of Eritrea and the Federal democratic Republic of Ethiopia , Eastern Sector (in a scale of 1:1,000,000).. 100 Map 13 International Boundary between the State of Eritrea and the Federal democratic Republic of Ethiopia (in a scale of 1:2,000,000).. 105 Map 14 International Boundary between the State of Eritrea and the Federal democratic Republic of Ethiopia , Central Sector (from the Belesa to the headwater of the Muna in a scale of 1:50,000).