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Eritrea in Africa has a rich and fascinating history. Evidence of
pre-humans have been found in the Buya region of Eritrea and from
around ten thousand years ago history records the presence of
various indigenous groups including the Afar, Tigrinya, Nilotic
and Pygmoid peoples. By the sixth century BCE, the search for ivory and slaves for trade with India and
Persia led Arabs into the area and this influx led to the rise of
the Ethiopian Kingdom of Askum (above) which was to develop to be
considered to be one of the four great civilisations together with
Rome, Persia and China. However, the forming of the Kingdom of Persia in the 6th
century CE saw the Arab world redraw its trade map, excluding Aksum which, together with the rise of Islam, witnessed the
kingdom disintegrate and fragment into a small Christian
enclave. The history of the following centuries was one of
isolation until the tenth century when Eritrea became a province of Ethiopia
called Midri Bahri, ruled
by an administrator, known as the Bahr Nagash.
Events
around this time were to be the foundation for the subsequent
history of conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia. While Ethiopia saw Eritrea as part of its territory and
history, large parts of Eritrea were more firmly tied to
the Ottoman and other Sudanic empires. Indeed the Ottoman Empire
was extending its grip throughout the 16th century and in 1557,
during the reign of Suleiman I, seized the important
island and harbour of Massawa along with the city of Arqiqo and
Debarwa, from where the Bahr Nagash administered Midri Bahri.
The history of the present day Eritrea then panned out with the
Ottoman Empire controlling the coastal region whilst other areas
looked to Ethiopia and some areas operating a non aligned week
feudal system. By the 1850s Ottoman power was waning and in 1865 their
control of parts of Eritrea was ceded to the Egyptian Khedevites
who made the Port of Massawa their seat of local government.
During these years the history of Eritrea was one of conflict
with the Egyptians being defeated by the Ethiopian army forcing
them to retreat to the lowlands of Eritrea with the highlands
again coming under Ethiopian control.
With the opening of the
Suez Canal in 1869, Eritrea took on new significance as it
offered a secure port on the new trade route from the
Mediterranean to the east. The Italian Societa di Navigazione
Rubattino company purchased the Port of Assab along with
stretches of the coastline on 15th November that year from the
local Sultan. Italian influence and control of Eritrea continued over the
next few decades. In 1889 Ethiopian Emperor John IV died
in fighting against an army from Sudan and was replaced by Emperor Menelik
who saw advantage in developing a friendship with the Italians
by signing the
Treaty of Uccialli in 1889 which effectively recognised Italian
'ownership' of Eritrea along with territories around
Keren, Massawa and Asmera in northern Ethiopia in exchange for
30,000 muskets and 28 cannons to secure his own position.
It was this treaty that was to prove so
contentious in later years as Ethiopia saw the treaty as a
mechanism for calling upon Italian military support when
required, whilst the Italians saw it as a recognition that
Ethiopia was effectively an Italian protectorate. So concerned
was Menelik that he tore up the treaty four years later and
marched 70,000 troops into Eritrea inflicting one of the most
disastrous and bloody defeats on a colonial power throughout
Africa's colonial history above). A peace treaty was signed in Addis Ababa in 1896 in which
Italy acknowledged Ethiopia as a fully independent state and the
border between Ethiopia and Eritrea was defined as the Mareb
river. Italy then began its colonial rule in Eritrea in earnest
concentrating its energies on taking land from the indigenous
population and giving to to Italian incomers. However Eritrea was on the wrong side of the allies in World War II. The British
defeated the Italian Army there in 1941 and placed the colony under British
military control.
Eritrea was eventually given to Ethiopia
in 1952 as part of the settlement following the Second World
War, despite its plea to be granted self-determination and
independence although some degree of autonomy was guaranteed. However,
following the establishment and the crushing of Eritrea
liberation movements, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia
unilaterally dissolved the Eritrea parliament and annexed the
country in 1962. That action marked the beginning of a thirty year struggle for independence,
and then, following the defeat of Ethiopian troops in 1991 by Eritrea rebels, the
long awaited opportunity for independence was confirmed following a 1993
referendum. However war between Eritrea and Ethiopia erupted once more in 1998 over
disputed borders. The matter was settled in principle in 2000, however conflict
remains as Ethiopia had refused to recognise the Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary
Commission's findings of 2007, and there are concerns that the border dispute
may well flare up again. Today Eritrea, despite its rich past, is an impoverished nation,
with around 80% of its population reliant upon subsistence
farming. The video documentary (below) explores the history of Eritrea.
Eritrea History: Volunteer in Eritrea
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Eritrea History: Eritrea Independence
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Eritrea History: Child Sponsor Eritrea
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Eritrea History: Eritrea Country Profile
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