It is an incontrovertible fact that the crisis started with the unprovoked aggression by Eritrea against Ethiopia on 12 May 1998 and the occupation of Ethiopian sovereign territory by Eritrea.
1999年2月，埃塞俄比亚爱国部队根据载于《联合国宪章》第51条的国际法行使合法自卫权，解放了埃塞俄比亚最大的一片领土巴德梅。