Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests at the highest elevations. Other native tree species include Caspian Locust ("Gleditsia caspica"), Velvet Maple ("Acer velutinum"), Cappadocian Maple ("Acer cappadocicum"), European Ash ("Fraxinus excelsior"), Wych Elm ("Ulmus glabra"), Wild Cherry ("Prunus avium"), Wild Service Tree ("Sorbus torminalis") and lime tree ("Tilia platyphyllos"). The Caspian tiger ("Panthera tigris virgata") once roamed these mountains, but is now extinct. Other large mammals here are the Caucasus leopard ("Panthera pardus ciscaucasica"), lynx ("Lynx lynx"), brown bear ("Ursus arctos"), wild boar ("Sus scrofa"), wolf ("Canis lupus"), golden jackal ("Canis aureus"), jungle cat ("Felis chaus"), badger ("Meles meles"), and otter ("Lutra lutra"). This ecoregion is
Premiership of Meles Zenawi the Derg regime, Meles and Afewerki's positive relationship turned sour after Meles succumbed to U.S. pressure to hold an election within a year, but Afewerki abandoned his original promise to create a transitional government in the early 1990s. The Eritrean-Ethiopian War began in May 1998. After the Ethiopian breach of the western front and subsequent capture of parts of western Eritrea, Ethiopian President Negaso Gidada gave a victory speech and a peace treaty was signed a few weeks later. According to the peace treaty Ethiopia then pulled out. Though Ethiopian troops controlled Badme, after an international court ruled that Badme