It is clear now the borderline divides the Kunama land into two. Badumma as a region is divided between the two parties. What is unclear is the fate of the petite village Badumma. According to BBC, 16 April 2002, �Detailed satellite imagery is needed to determine the actual separation on the ground. Experts say this is a lengthy process, and Badme residents are likely to be in a state of confusion until physical demarcation is completed next year�. The claims of both parties about the village itself are nothing but political spinning. It is propaganda to avert the verdict�s political repercussions on both regimes. For PFDJ it is the customary lies and trumped-up story tactics to drowse the people and hold on power.

Both sides are claiming victory and celebrating their shame. Eritrean and Ethiopian Chauvinists are busy celebrating border delimitation verdict as victory. I saw no victory anywhere but defeat and loss for both sides. Looking closely at the territorial losses and gains I could not help it but laugh and cry simultaneously. It reveals that we have been drowned in shallow waters of national chauvinism. If this verdict shows any thing it only reveals the war mongering and lack of common sense of both regimes. It also clearly indicates to the whole world how dim and archaic minded both countries have been. Tens of thousands dead or maimed on Ethiopian side just to get Erob, few kilometres on the salty plains of Badda and Bure and a narrow strip in Badumma; Tens of thousands dead or maimed on Eritrean side to secure a border few kilometres beyond the village of Shillalo in Badumma, what a shame for both peoples and what a disgrace for the region and Africa! This result could have been achieved without shading a single drop of blood from any side. In my opinion, it is a verdict that reveals shame and only shame. Shaming is awful but celebrating shame is hideous. Let the blood-spattered hoodwinked celebrate their shame.

Cry my beloved country

Cry my beloved country cry.  Cry; the forever and a day loser DIA have shamed you again. He led you from a loss to another, from Hinesh to Badumma, Erob, Badda and Bure. These territories were not lost today, it had been lost when DIA, for narrow partisan objectives, gambled and compromised it with his former allies Weyane as early as 1981. It had been also lost when he failed to demand a defined boundary together with the referendum. It had been lost when he allowed Weyane to administer it for the last ten years. Today, Eritrea was punished and lost some parts of its territories (or at least what we believed to be) because of the imprudent and bigheaded behaviour of its self-appointed dictator. The reason Ethiopia won even undisputed Eritrean territory has no other explanation than in the damaged image DIA`s bad mouthing and war mongering had conferred on the country. Cry my beloved country and moan your sons and daughters who were buried in the trenches. Grouse your mutilated, wounded, raped and humiliated children. Cry my beloved country for the imprisoned, disappeared, incriminated, demonized and exiled sons. Cry for those on hunger strike and for those hungered without striking. Cry for your dead martyrs and for your walking alive martyrs kept hostage by the Wedini clique. 

Wipe your tears my country

Done is done, painful or otherwise Eritrea must advance; The Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague has said its word. Eritrea's border with its southern neighbour was permanently defined. Defined borders are one of the vital conditions for nation building processes that had been denied Eritrea in 1993. Eritrea does not cry because it lost some disputed land but it cries because there is a fascist group that has taken it hostage and leading it from a loss to another. No more crying on lost territory, done is done; now it is time to rescue the country from the loser regime. It is time for reflection and it is time for action, action to avoid more crying and agony. To circumvent farther loses DIA and cronies should immediately exit power. Enough is enough Eritrea must recover. DIA is a loser, a real loser and if he has a little sense of pride left, today he would have packed and left. We know he won�t do it, we know dictators would never leave power unless taken in hand cuffs or coffins. Demands and pleads to DIA to come to his senses is a waste of time and prolonging the agony of our people. To circumvent farther crying and damage, peace loving Eritrean democrats have immediate obligations and tasks ahead. 

The last three years were marked by mixed feelings of anxiety and bitterness. Anxiety and dread from Ethiopian avidity for our national territories and national sovereignty on the one hand and bitterness and frustration from our own ineffectual, incompetent, dim-witted, arrogant dictatorial regime on the other hand. We have been divided between our legitimate national sentiments on the one hand and our conscious democratic convictions on the other hand. We have been crushed between DIA`s dictatorial hammer and Weyane greedy anvil. The last Border delimitation verdict is a relief for democratic peace loving Eritreans. It frees them from a divided mind and divided conscience.  It marks a new era on our national history. The epoch of united action for reconciliation, democratisation, welding our fragmented society and maintaining our unity has just started. Welcome to the democratisation epoch.  Welcome, it is demanding our genuine efforts and struggle. We have immediate tasks pertinent to the epoch of democratisation through common action.    

Immediate tasks ahead

1) National Salvation Project: The various Opposition organisations and democratic minded civil society groups and individuals should agree on a well defined clear political project for -National Salvation- that facilitates the realisation of common action and unlock the democratic redundant political potential of our people.

a) It is imperative the AENF rectifies its organisational structures and introduce democracy and transparency in its respective organisations. It must adopt new strategies and enhances its activities. It is also imperative to unite its diplomatic activities and its armed contingents under one leadership and one strategy.

b) No doubt, the initiation of EPLF-DP has been a positive asset to the democratisation process and reinforcement for the democratic forces. EPLF-DP has played a profound role in exposing the regime. However, it should not take it as much time to realise the urgency of a united opposition salvation project as it took it to discover the strenuous undemocratic policies of PFDJ. EPLF-DP joining hands with AENF will promote the opposition quantitatively and qualitatively. It will thin the inherited malignant cleavage in the Eritrean body politic as well as in the larger Eritrean society. It will also enhance the imminent downfall of the dictatorial regime.

c) A large section of our people, especially former ELF members, have been at distance from both PFDJ and the opposition organizations. Hanging about inactive while our country crying for action is irresponsible. Those who care for their country and people should take sides and action. They should either join an organization of their taste or join civil society groups that strive for democracy and justice. They could not stand idle.

d) The National Salvation Project should be an outcome of a -Reconciliation and Democracy Conference- that takes on board all political colours and convictions. It should include all political organisations/parties, civil society institutions and intellectuals. It should also represent all social, cultural, regional, ethnic and religious groups. National Reconciliation should be built on alternative solutions and alternative definitions and perceptions on pertinent national issues such as land, language, decentralisation, religion, culture and governance. The conference should develop, agree on, and take an oath to uphold a National Covenant. Based on the principles of the National Covenant a National Salvation Project for Action emerges. The salvation project will define the means, ways and roles of the different actors for the purpose of uprooting dictatorship and establish democracy, justice and the rule of law in our country.

2) Preparing Democratic alternative: All through the armed struggle our people, and intellectuals in particular, disregarded the concern for  desired alternative of future governance. We were deeply obsessed by a single anxiety and goal of liberation. Democracy, justice and the rule of law were taken for granted as natural results of national independence. Nevertheless, we failed to remember that the two goals could have been served simultaneously. We liberated our land and in the meantime established a dictatorial and fascist culture. We should learn from our past mistakes, we should not repeat them. While struggling for democracy and unity of action we should start an active and protracted criticism of our own, individual or collective, democratic organisations and would-be leaders. We have to watch out, advocating for democracy while in opposition could be used as a vehicle to satisfy dictatorial personal whims. We do not afford to be fooled again.  Working together and for the same goals does not prohibit transparency and self-criticism. There should be no more �m`inti megego�, a little �anchwa� could grow to a monster capable of destroying the megego and its owner. No body should be above criticism and let us start by the nearest and the dearest ones to us. Let us start with our own organisations. Let us scare our leaders to sleepless nights and make them think a thousand times and kill in them any inflated egos and unjustified dreams. Opposition forces should be trained and prepared to be ready for democratic alternatives. The more an opposition group appears to be good as an alternative the more we should face it with scrutiny and criticism. Opposition forces should establish and practice Eritrean democratic culture. Civil society organisations, intellectuals and mass media institutions should launch a project of preparing democratic alternative to PFDJ dictatorial culture. 

3) People�s Claims Commission: The work and verdict of the Eritrea-Ethiopian Claims Commission will be the next battle between the two regimes. Both governments had submitted their claims to the commission at The Hague. A regime that does not represent its people would not be able to present Eritrean claims accurately. Parallel to the Huge Commission, Eritrean democratic forces should establish People�s Claims Commission against PFDJ and Weyane, where its mandate would be registering and filing all the atrocities PFDJ and Weyane have committed against our people. The Eritrean People�s Commission will submit its findings to the Eritrean People�s Court that will soon be in session.