THE GEOGRAPHY (Foreign Office UK)
Area: 121,320 sq km
Population: 3.29 million (2002 Ministry
of Health figure)
Capital City: Asmara
People: Ethnic Tigrinya 50%, Tigre 35%,
Afar 4%, Saho 3%, Kunama 3%
Main language(s):Tigrinya, Tigre Arabic
and English
Religion(s): The population of the
central highlands, the area around the
capital Asmara are mainly Christian
(Coptic Christian, Catholic and
Protestant). The people outside the
highlands are mainly Muslim. Overall
the balance is 50% Christian, 50%
Muslim
Currency: In November 1997, the Nakfa
replaced the Ethiopian Birr as Eritrea's
legal currency
Only political party: Peoples Front for
Democracy and Justice (PFDJ)
Government: Peoples Front for
Democracy and Justice (PFDJ)
GEOGRAPHY
Eritrea lies on the West Coast of the
Red Sea. It borders Sudan to the west,
Djibouti to the east and Ethiopia to the
south. Eritrea occupies an area of
some 50,000 square miles.
THE HISTORY (Foreign Office UK)
Eritrea did not exist as a distinct
region until the 1880s when the Italians
occupied it and created the colony of
Eritrea after their defeat by Ethiopia
at the Battle of Adua in 1896. Italy used
Eritrea as a jumping off point for the
invasion and conquest of Ethiopia in
1935. In the 2nd World War, allied
forces led by the British drove the
Italian forces out of Ethiopia and
Eritrea.
Eritrea remained under British military
administration until its post-war status
could be settled. A Four Power (UK,
US, USSR and France) Commission in
1947 reported on the wishes of the
inhabitants. It was was inconclusive and
a UN Commission in 1950 was divided
between federation and independence.
The UN General Assembly voted on 2
December 1950 for Eritrea's
federation with Ethiopia, granting in
effect domestic autonomy to Eritrea. In
1962, amid allegations of bribery,
Eritrea's assembly voted to dissolve
the federation and join Ethiopia,
becoming Ethiopia's 14th province. This
was opposed by Eritrean liberation
movements, the earliest of which was
the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF)
formed in 1961, largely among Muslim
areas of the country. In the early
1970s, the Eritrean Peoples Liberation
Front (EPLF) was set up, appealing
more to Christian elements. In a brief
civil war in 1981-92, the EPLF defeated
and expelled the ELF from Eritrea, and
after the ELF fragmented, the EPLF
became the principal liberation
movement in Eritrea. In 1991 under
pressure from the EPLF and from the
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary
Democratic Front (EPRDF, a coalition
group dominated by the TPLF)
operating elsewhere in Ethiopia, the
military government in Ethiopia
collapsed. In May 1991, as the EPLF took
control of all Eritrea, the EPRDF
entered Addis Ababa.
THE ECONOMY (Foreign Office UK)
GDP (US$): 599.7 million
GNP per capita (US$): 200 (1998)
Annual Growth: -9.0%
Inflation: Estimated at 25%
Major Industries: Food processing,
beverages, clothing and textiles
Major trading partners: Exports -
Sudan 27.2%, Ethiopia 26.5%, Japan
13.2%, United Arab Emirates 7.3%, Italy
5.3% (1998). Imports - Italy 17.4%,
United Arab Emirates 16.2%, Germany
5.7%, UK 4.5%, Korea 4.4%.
Exchange rate: 22 Nafka = £1 pound
sterling (April 2003)
Trade Partners UK Country Profile:
Eritrea
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Eritrea's Relations with Neighbours
Ethiopia
A dispute over an ill-defined border
between Eritrea and Ethiopia flared
into military conflict in May 1998.
There were an estimated 100,000
casualties.
On 18 June 2000 a Cessation of
Hostilities Agreement (CHA) was
signed. The agreement called for an
immediate cease-fire, for both sides to
withdraw to positions held before
hostilities began in May 1998, and for a
UN peacekeeping force to be deployed
in a 25km-wide buffer zone until
international arbitrators demarcate the
600-mile long border. A round of
shuttle diplomacy led by the OAU,
Algeria and the US led to the signing of
a Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
This provided for a permanent
termination of hostilities, the release
and repatriation of prisoners of war
and civilian detainees, and investigation
into the origins of the conflict. It
established two neutral Commissions.
One, the Boundary Commission, was to
delimit and demarcate the border using
colonial treaties and international law. A
second, to resolve compensation
claims, has begun its work but is
unlikely to report for at least another
year. Both Commissions are based in
The Hague. A third Commission to
apportion responsibility for the events
of May 1998 has not yet been set up.
Progress on implementation of the
peace agreements has been difficult
and drawn out. Only on 18 April 2001
did the UN Mission to Ethiopia/Eritrea
(UNMEE) announce the establishment
of a 25km buffer zone between the
two forces - the Temporary Security
Zone (TSZ). Both sides have been
unable to agree to the route of a
high-level air corridor to allow UNMEE
to fly direct between Addis Ababa and
Asmara, and UNMEE peacekeepers had
some difficulties over their freedom of
movement.
UNMEE deployed a 4000-strong
peacekeeping force in the Zone. This is
now headed by a British Force
Commander. India, Jordan and Kenya
are the major troop contributors. The
agreement on Cessation of Hostilities
linked the termination of UNMEE with
the completion of the process of
delimitation and demarcation of the
border.
Both sides accepted the Boundary
Commission decision on 13 April 2002
on the position of the border between
the two countries. The maps have been
issued to the parties and demarcation
is expected to begin around November
2003.
UK support to the peace process
In 2000 the UK provided £450,000 to
support an emergency survey of mines
and unexploded ordnance in the border
area. In 2001 the UK contributed
£700,000 to support the work of the
UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), and
£250,000 to the UN Trust Fund for
the delimitation and demarcation of the
Ethiopia/Eritrea border; and £200,000
on demining training for Kenyan
engineers in UNMEE. In 2002 the UK
provided a further £500,000 for the
UN Trust Fund.
Flags Of The World: The State of Eritrea
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