HENOK MERHATSIDK 1.pdf - Addis Ababa University

some Kenyans extended their support for the OLF. The OLF was participated in the
Transitional Government of Ethiopia along with the EPRDF. However, when confrontation
was inevitable with TPLF dominated group led by Meles Zenawi, the OLF went out of the
Transitional Government and started fighting with the EPRDF regime. Despite defeated
several times by the EPRDF, it did not abandon its struggle completely of the incumbent
regime. The economic factor is mainly seen when the pastoral communities of the two
countries along their common borders crossing in search of f the boundary fresh water,
pasture land and some times fishing in the waters of another tribal communities across the
border. Besides, traditional rivalries between pastoralist groups across the border are
occasionally responsible for sporadic conflicts between pastoralist groups of the two
countries (Moi, 2002:100; Schlee, 2003:361-364; Wondwosen, 2009:62).
.
Whenever security problem arises in the common borders of the two countries usually solved
in a peaceful manner, the conflict between pastoral communities settled by discussion with
local communities. Since the authors of African boundaries gave little attention for Ethino-
lingustic makeup of the African people and also left most of the boundaries un-demarcated,
in the post-colonial era un- demarcated borders have become the bone of contentions
between and among states especially between those who have pastoral communities. For
example, the Ilemi Triangle: an area which joins South Eastern Sudan, North Western Kenya
and South West Ethiopia, is a contested area among Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan. Ilemi is a
triangular shape area that has got its name from Anuak chief Ilemi Akwon. Its size is 4000
square miles. Various pastoral communities from Ethiopia Kenya and Sudan are sharing
pastures of the land in the area. The main pastoralist groups are; Turkana who oscillated
between Sudan and Kenya, Didinga and Toposa from the Sudan who usually come to the
western part of Ilemi, the Nyangatom from Sudan and Ethiopia are also used the pastures of
the Ilemi triangle (Abebe, 2010:37).
The 1999 OLF attack on an Ethiopian military inside Ethiopian border resulted in counter
attack by the Ethiopian forces defeating the OLF forces but they fled to the Kenyan territory,
which leads Ethiopian officials’ complaints on the fact that they were attacked by Kenyans.
While Kenyan authorities complained on the fact that their borders were violated by
60