In May 2019 Deutsche Welle’s German service reported that the euphoria after the July 2018 Ethio–Eritrean peace deal was already fading, as Eritrea closed border crossings that had briefly reopened.
The article said Asmara began shutting gates from December 2018 and that by April 2019 all crossings were closed again, often without clear public reasons beyond vague legal talk on state media.
Officials in Eritrea framed the clampdown as orderly regulation, while critics said the government feared uncontrolled exits and political opening once people could move freely toward Ethiopia.
Kept as Horn geopolitics archive, the DW file dates an early warning that the Abiy Ahmed–Isaias Afwerki peace lacked a real implementation roadmap.
Sources: Deutsche Welle (Deutsch)