May 24, 1991 – Eritrean War of Independence: Eritrea gains its independence from Ethiopia
On May 24, 1991, Eritreagained its independence from Ethiopiafollowing a 30-year armed revolution. Ethiopiahad annexed Eritreaas a province in November 1962, inciting Eritrean nationalists to launch arebellion.
Following the war, as Eritrea was still legally bound aspart of Ethiopia, in early July 1991, at a conference held in Addis Ababa, aninterim Ethiopian government was formed, which stated that Eritreans had theright to determine their own political future, i.e. to remain with or secedefrom Ethiopia.
Then in a UN-monitored referendum held in April 23 and 25, 1993, Eritreans voted overwhelmingly (99.8%) for independence; two days later (April 27), Eritrea declared its independence. In May 1993, the new country was admitted as a member of the UN.
(Excerpts taken from Eritrean War of Independence – Wars of the 20th Century – Volume 4)
Background In September 1948, a special body called the Inquiry Commission, which was set up by the Allied Powers (Britain, France, Soviet Union, and United States), failed to establish a future course for Eritrea and referred the matter to the United Nations (UN). The main obstacle to granting Eritrea its independence was that for much of its history, Eritrea was not a single political sovereign entity but had been a part of and subordinate to a greater colonial power, and as such, was deemed incapable of surviving on its own as a fully independent state. Furthermore, various countries put forth competing claims to Eritrea. Italy wanted Eritrea returned, to be governed for a pre-set period until the territory’s independence, an arrangement that was similar to that of Italian Somaliland. The Arab countries of the Middle East pressed for self-determination of Eritrea’s large Muslim population, and as such, called for Eritrea to be granted its independence. Britain, as the current administrative power, wanted to partition Eritrea, with the Christian-population regions to be incorporated into Ethiopia and the Muslim regions to be assimilated into Sudan. Emperor Haile Selassie, the Ethiopian monarch, also claimed ownership of Eritrea, citing historical and cultural ties, as well as the need for Ethiopia to have access to the sea through the Red Sea (Ethiopia had been landlocked after Italy established Eritrea).
Ultimately, the United Statesinfluenced the future course for Eritrea. The U.S.government saw Eritrea inthe regional balance of power in Cold War politics: an independent but weak Eritrea could potentially fall to communist(Soviet) domination, which would destabilize the vital oil-rich Middle East. Unbeknown to the general public at the time, a U.S. diplomatic cable from Ethiopia to the U.S. State Department in August1949 stated that British officials in Eritrea believed that as much as75% of the local population desired independence.
In February 1950, a UN commission sent to Eritrea todetermine the local people’s political aspirations submitted its findings tothe United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). In December 1950, the UNGA, which was strongly influenced by U.S. wishes, released Resolution 390A (V) thatcalled for establishing a loose federation between Ethiopiaand Eritrea to befacilitated by Britainand to be realized no later than September 15, 1952. The UN plan, which subsequently wasimplemented, allowed Eritreabroad autonomy in controlling its internal affairs, including local administrative,police, and fiscal and taxation functions. The Ethiopian-Eritrean Federation would affirm the sovereignty of theEthiopian monarch whose government would exert jurisdiction over Eritrea’sforeign affairs, including military defense, national finance, andtransportation.
In March 1952, under British initiative, Eritrea electeda 68-seat Representative Assembly, a legislature composed equally of Christiansand Muslim members, which subsequently adopted a constitution proposed by theUN. Just days before the September 1952deadline for federation, the Ethiopian government ratified the Eritreanconstitution and upheld Eritrea’sRepresentative Assembly as the renamed Eritrean Assembly. On September 15, 1952, the Ethiopian-EritreanFederation was established, and Britainturned over administration to the new authorities, and withdrew from Eritrea.
However, Emperor Haile Selassie was determined to bring Eritrea under Ethiopia’s full authority. Eritrea’s head of government(called Chief Executive who was elected by the Eritrean Assembly) was forced toresign, and successors to the post were appointed by the Ethiopianemperor. Ethiopians were appointed tomany high-level Eritrean government posts. Many Eritrean political parties were banned and press censorship wasimposed. Amharic,Ethiopia’s officiallanguage, was imposed, while Arabic and Tigrayan, Eritrea’s mainlanguages, were replaced with Amharic as the medium for education. Many local businesses were moved to Ethiopia, while local tax revenues were sent to Ethiopia. By the early 1960s, Eritrea’sautonomy status virtually had ceased to exist. In November 1962, the Eritrean Assembly, under strong pressure fromEmperor Haile Selassie, dissolved the Ethiopian-Eritrean Federation and votedto incorporate Eritrea as Ethiopia’s 14th province.
Eritreans were outraged by these developments. Civilian dissent in the form of rallies anddemonstrations broke out, and was dealt with harshly by Ethiopia,causing scores of deaths and injuries among protesters in confrontations withsecurity forces. Opposition leaders,particularly those calling for independence, were suppressed, forcing many toflee into exile abroad; scores of their supporters also were jailed. In April 1958, the first organized resistanceto Ethiopian rule emerged with the formation of the clandestine EritreanLiberation Movement (ELM), consisting originally of Eritrean exiles in Sudan. At its peak in Eritrea, the ELM had some40,000 members who organized in cells of 7 people and carried out a campaign ofdestabilization, including engaging in some militant actions such asassassinating government officials, aimed at forcing the Ethiopian governmentto reverse some of its centralizing policies that were undercutting Eritrea’sautonomous status under the federated arrangement with Ethiopia. By 1962, the government’s anti-dissidentcampaigns had weakened the ELM, although the militant group continued to exist,albeit with limited success. Also by1962, another Eritrean nationalist organization, the Eritrean Liberation Front(ELF), had emerged, having been organized in July 1960 by Eritrean exiles inCairo, Egypt which in contrast to the ELM, had as its objective the use ofarmed force to achieve Eritrean’s independence. In its early years, the ELF leadership, called the “Supreme Council”,operated out of Cairoto more effectively spread its political goals to the international communityand to lobby and secure military support from foreign donors.
