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Contesting issues between Ethiopia and Sudan over the Gwynn Line: Authorisation and irregularities in the demarcation of the boundary
Author(s) -
Engida Alemayehu Erkihun
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international social science journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.237
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1468-2451
pISSN - 0020-8701
DOI - 10.1111/issj.12287
Subject(s) - frontier , boundary line , boundary (topology) , neighbourhood (mathematics) , shire , authorization , political science , sociology , geography , law , archaeology , engineering , mathematical analysis , mathematics , computer security , engineering drawing , computer science
As two old countries in Africa sharing a long stretch of boundary, Ethiopia and Sudan have been acting as strategic partners in maintaining a neighbourhood and regional security complex. Irrespective, the boundary problem has continued for more than a century and is still point of cooperation and dispute between the two countries. This paper examines the roots of the boundary tensions between Ethiopia and Sudan, divergent views between them over the demarcation made by Gwynn in 1903 and 1909, issues of authorisation, and limitations of the boundary line especially from the River Setit in the North to Mount Daglish, Quara. On the Ethiopian side, divergent views emanated from the territories left to the Sudanese side by Gwynn deflecting the line from the east to the west, disregarding terms signed between Menelik II and Harrington in May 1902. Successive regimes in Ethiopia have declined to recognise Gwenn's demarcation, arguing that the demarcation was unilaterally carried out by one side leaving resource‐rich areas to the Sudanese side. On contrary, the Sudanese have contradicting positions and argue for validation of the Gwynn line. Evidence for this study was collected from different state offices; in addition, elders who have been cultivating in the frontier territories for many years were exhaustively interviewed.