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The conflict in Africa's horn

Dr. M. Ashaq Raza

Mon., Aug. 11, 2003

Eritrea is one the few African One-Party states

Located between Sudan, Djibouti and Ethiopia, Eritrea is one of the newest and most promising nation in Africa, which emerged from its 30-year of long war for independence with Ethiopia on May 24, 1991. Italy set the boundaries of Eritrea as a colony on January 1, 1890 and ruled until 1941. After the Italians were defeated in the World War II, the British administered Eritrea for 11 years. In 1952, Eritrea was federated with Ethiopia by a United Nations resolution as a compromise between Ethiopia claiming sovereignty and Eritrea�s aspirations for the independence. However, the then Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie seized the Rights of Eritrean people granted by UN and annexed Eritrea as its fourteenth province thus triggering a 30-year long armed conflict.

On May 24, 1991 the people of Eritrea rejoiced their long war of independence by defeating the occupying Ethiopian-Soviet backed Mengistu Haile Mariam forces. Soon after, an alliance -- Eritrean People Liberation Front (EPLF) -- was formulated which in coalition with Ethiopian movements defeated Halie Selassie�s communist successor, Mengistu Haile Mariam. The independence was overwhelmingly approved in 1993 by a referendum with 99.8 votes but it left Ethiopia landlocked avoiding the access of Massawa and Assab Sea-ports.

The Ethiopian access to the Eritrean ports of Massawa and Assab and unequal trade terms were among the main obstacles to improved relations between the two countries and they never became good neighbours. The border disputes around the town of Badme in 1998 erupted into open hostilities. This formally ended with a peace deal in June 2000, but not before leaving both sides with thousands of soldiers dead.

Eritrea currently hosts a UN peacekeeping operation that will monitor the border region until an international commission determines and demarcates the boundary between the two countries.

Geography:
With a total area: 121,320 sq km, slightly larger than Pennsylvania, Eritrea is divided into six provinces (Zobas); Maekel (Central), Debub, Anseba, Gash Barka, Northern Red sea and Southern Red sea. Generally the country may be divided into highlands and lowlands. The mountainous high highlands like capital Asmara and Nakfa in Northern Red Sea are colder places where the temperature remains very cold throughout the year. The climate of eastern coastal lowlands like port cities of Massawa and Assab are dry and hot. The western hills and lowlands are semiarid while central highlands are cooler and wetter.

The annual rainfall is up to 61 cm with heaviest rains during June - September except in coastal desert. The elevation extremes are lowest point: near Kulul within the Denakil depression -75 m, highest point: Soira 3,018 m. Frequent drought and locust swarms are common natural hazards in Eritrea.

Eritrea exhibits strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes, which retained the entire coastline of Ethiopia along the Red Sea upon, de jure independence from Ethiopia on 27 April 1993. The potential of this positioning has not been fully explored.

Three seasons in two hours
Eritrea is known for its varying climates and seasons ranging from extreme cold to moderate and very hot. Visitors going from Asmara to Massawa, which is slightly more than 100 KM enjoy and witness these three seasons just in two hours journey.

People:
There are 9 ethnic groups; Tigrinya, Tigre, Kunama, Saho, Afar, Belen, Rashida, Hidarb and Nara making a total Eritrean population of 4.1 millions (UN, 2003); Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea coast dwellers) 3%, other 3%. The population growth rate is 3.8%(2002) with a birth rate of 42.25 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) and death rate of 11.82/ 1000. The Life expectancy is 51 years for men and 54 years for women (UN). The nine ethnic groups are part of three distinct linguistic families - the Cushitic (or Hamitic), the Semitic, and the Nilotic languages. The Beja in western Eritrea, the Afar in the southern tip of the country, and the Saho in the eastern parts of the highlands speak Cushitic languages.

The major religions in Eritrea are Islam and Christianity (Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant), which are strongly tied in cultural ties and virtually live in communal harmony without any discrimination

The closely related Tigrigna and Tigr� are the widely spoken native languages of Eritrea where as Kunama and the Baria are the Nilotic languages, spoken in the lowlands between the Gash and Setit rivers. Arabic is another important language, which is spoken by Muslims. The main working languages are Tigrigna, Arabic and English. English is the medium of instruction from high school level upwards.

Government:
Eritrea is one the few African One-Party states. The government includes legislative, executive and judicial branches. The judicial body operates independently of both the legislative and executive bodies and has a court system extending from the village, district, zonal and national levels. The legislative body, the National Assembly, has 150 members; 50% from People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) and remaining 50% are elected representatives. The president nominates officials to head the various ministries, commissions and offices. The cabinet comprises 16 members chaired by the president. The cabinet has the highest authority between sessions of the national assembly and is accountable to national assembly. President Isaias Afworki (since 8 June 1993 elected by 95% votes) is both the chief of state and head of government.

Economy:
Being desperately poor African nation, Eritrea is facing bitter economic problems. The economy is mainly based on agricultural subsistence; more than 70% population is involved in farming and herding. The small industrial sector consists of small-scale industries and out model technologies. The domestic output (GDP) is substantially augmented by workers remittances from abroad. Government revenues come from custom duties and taxes on income and sales. The development of offshore oil, offshore fishing, and tourism overcoming illiteracy, and promoting job creation are the main hopes of economic developments for budding Eritrea.

International Organizations operating in Eritrea:
United national is the major organization operating in Eritrea. The other organizations involved in various developmental goals including many NGOs are ACP, AFDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (associate), IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, Oxfam, Warchild (NL), HaloTrust (UK).