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Eritrea in Africa has a rich and fascinating history. Its predecessor, the Kingdom of
Askum, was considered to be one of the four great civilisations together with
Rome, Persia and China, however the rise of Islam saw the kingdom disintegrate
and fragment. It became an Italian colony in the nineteenth century and, as an Italian
province, was on the wrong side of the allies in World War II. The British
defeated the Italian Army there in 1941 and placed the territory under British
military control. Eritrea was eventually given to Ethiopia in 1952 as part of the settlement
following the 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 triggered the beginning of a thirty year struggle for independence
and, following the defeat of Ethiopian troops in 1991 by Eritrea 'rebels', the
long awaited opportunity for independence was confirmed following a 1993
referendum, marking the first successful case of territorial separatism in post-colonial Africa. However war between Eritrea and Ethiopia erupted once more in 1998 over
disputed borders. The matter was settled in principle on 12th December 2000 when the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea concluded the Algiers Agreement which terminated military hostilities. However conflict flared again over the area of Badme when was resolved in 2018 when Ethiopia ceded the territory to Eritrea following a summit that led to the resumption of diplomatic relations.
Today Eritrea, despite its rich past, is an impoverished nation, with around
80% of its 6.081 million population (2020) reliant upon subsistence farming. Natural events have also played their role in preventing the country from
development, with poor rainfalls affecting harvests to the point where the
country is unable to grow enough foods to meet its populations needs. Abject
poverty, drought, famine and instability are the conditions into which children
in Eritrea are born. Despite this there has been some progress in Eritrea. Some 40,000 orphans have been
placed back within their extended families from institutionalised
orphanages. Eight thousand disabled children have left
institutions to be cared for at home whilst a further 3,500
children have been integrated into mainstream schools. Over 16,000 street
children have been brought within the educational framework and
the deaths rates of children from malnutrition have halved in
recent years. However Eritrea remains one of the world's least developed countries and is in 180th place out of 189 countries and territories in 2019 when ranked in terms of life expectancy, literacy, access to knowledge and the living standards of a country.
Eritrea Profile: Volunteer in Eritrea
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Eritrea Profile: Eritrea History
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Eritrea Profile: Eritrea Independence
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Eritrea Profile: Life in Eritrea
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Eritrea Profile: Children in Eritrea
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Eritrea Profile: Eritrea Images
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Eritrea Profile: Eritrean Culture
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Eritrea Profile: Asmara Profile
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Eritrea Profile: Asmara Airport
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Eritrea Profile: Child Sponsor Eritrea
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Eritrea Profile: Eritrea Map
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Eritrea Profile: Eritrea News
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