New peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea has created uncertain future for Irob community living along the border. “My Ethiopia is my homeland. My Ethiopia is my blood. My Ethiopia is the country I was wounded for,” says Muruts Beyene who lives in the Tigray region of northeast Ethiopia. A veteran of the 1998-2000 Ethiopia-Eritrea war, Muruts spent years defending the territory he lives in from being usurped. But now, after new political reforms under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, part of his Irob community may be at risk. “I live near the border of Ethiopia and Eritrea, in an area which has been promised to Eritrea,” he says. Although the war officially ended with the signing of a peace deal more than 18 years ago, countless disagreements and scrimmages over the disputed territories have continued.
