Eritrea

An end to the conflict was announced in June 2000 in Algiers. The two sides agreed to a 15-point plan that would establish a UN peacekeeping force in the border region while a final resolution of the dispute was negotiated and troops were withdrawn. The deal was formally signed by the two sides in December after a six-month ceasefire. UN cartographers, using old colonial treaties and other documents, rendered a final verdict on the precise location of the border after both sides submitted their territorial claims. A decision was expected in 2002 but the issue dragged on (the positioning of the town of Badme in Eritrea was the cause of most dispute) until late in 2004 when the Ethiopians agreed to accept the agreement in principle.

Also in 2002 the National Assembly decided not to allow any political parties to be formed for the foreseeable future; multi-party elections previously scheduled for December were cancelled.