For the first time in five years, communities from Ethiopia and Eritrea reunited in a powerful show of grassroots reconciliation at the once-divided frontier town of Zalambessa, Ethiopia, on Sunday. The emotional gathering marked a symbolic end to years of separation caused by the 2020 outbreak of war in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region and the subsequent closure of the heavily militarized border. Families and friends who had been torn apart by war, political tensions, and a sealed border came together in a day filled with tears, songs of unity, and calls for peace. Local elders, religious leaders, and peace activists spearheaded the initiative without formal government approval, although organizers say they had quiet blessings from regional authorities in Tigray and Eritrea.
The event, held under tight community coordination in Zalambessa, came nearly three years after the Tigray war ended in November 2022, yet border restrictions had remained in place amid fragile political relations between Addis Ababa and Asmara. Many participants hailed from families whose homes straddled both sides of the international boundary. For them, the reunion was both personal and political—an act of defiance against years of division and a hopeful signal of what’s possible beyond state-led diplomacy.
During the war, tens of thousands fled from border areas into makeshift camps, with over 55,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) now living in and around Adigrat, about 30 km from Zalambessa. These communities endured social fragmentation, lost livelihoods, and collapsed cross-border trade networks. The border remains officially closed, and diplomatic ties between Eritrea and Ethiopia—particularly with the Tigray regional leadership—are still tense. However, Sunday’s gathering has renewed hopes for a bottom-up peace process that centers on people rather than politics. As the crowd chanted “Enough of the past, let’s sit at the table of peace and build a better future,” many observers saw it as a timely reminder that reconciliation often begins with ordinary people.
