Celebrating their dramatic diplomatic thaw, the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018 marked the Ethiopian new year at a border where a bloody war and ensuing tensions had divided them for decades. The two then opened the border post "for road transport connectivity" and would shortly do the same at the Serha-Zalambesa crossing, Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Meskel said on Twitter. Reports on social media on Monday indicated that mine-clearing activities were underway in one border area, signaling that an opening was planned. Abiy on Monday told a new year's eve concert crowd of thousands in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, that "as of today, Ethiopian and Eritrean people will prosper together and march in unison. The Ethiopian new year has roots in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and is related to the Julian calendar.

Source: Ethiopian News September 11, 2018 07:18 UTC