History of Eritrea

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The state of Eritrea since 1993

The Italian decree of January 1, 1890, with which various ethnic groups on the Red Sea were united to form the Italian colony of Eritrea , can be seen as the beginning of the history of the state of Eritrea . Eritrea has existed as an independent state since 1993.

Aksumite Empire

Around 500 BC The Aksumite Empire with its main port Adulis was founded in the region of Eritrea and northern Ethiopia . After the rise of the Islamic empire and the conquest of Egypt , the Christian Aksum lost all connection with other Christian empires. The Aksumites retreated south into the highlands and finally the empire fell in the 10th century AD (other dates speak from the 1st to the 7th century AD). After that, the various peoples who lived in the area of ​​today's Eritrea belonged partly to the Ethiopian Empire (the successor to Aksum) and partly to Egypt or the Sultanate of Adal .

Ottoman rule

The times after the rule of the Aksumite Empire were followed by the Ottomans and again the Egyptians, who extended their empire over the Arabian Peninsula, over the Red Sea to the coast of Eritrea. They themselves differed in terms of way of life, economy, language and religion. Although the coast was no longer ruled directly by the Ethiopian emperors, their governor in Mareb Malesh (old name of the Eritrea region) still held the title of Bahrä Nagasch or Bahr Negus - “Regent of the Sea”.

Time as an Italian colony

Palazzo del Governatore - colonial palace of the Italian governor of Eritrea

On November 15, 1869, two days before the Suez Canal was opened , the Italian explorer Giuseppe Sapeto bought the Bay of Assab . His company Rubattino bought another area near nearby Beilul in March / April 1870 , a six-kilometer-long strip, a military-protected trading post. Rubattino supplied ships with coal there . On April 29, 1870, the coastal strip was recaptured by the Egyptian Navy , and the company withdrew. The Italian government had failed to sign a friendship treaty with the British as security. On March 15, 1880, the "Rubattino" company bought Assab back. In July 1882 the state of Italy took over the port city and declared the colony of Assab .

In 1882 Egypt was conquered by Great Britain ; Assab was no longer in danger, especially since a friendly relationship developed between Italy and Great Britain, as those in Italy also wanted to build a counterweight to France that turned towards them. Various organizations, including the Società Geographica Italiana (founded in 1867) and the Società di Esplorazione Commerciale (founded 1879), undertook expeditions into the interior of Eritrea and Ethiopia. The Berlin Treaties of 1885, in which Italy remained virtually unheeded, were also an impetus for this .

In February 1885 Italian troops occupied the port city of Massaua with the help of a British gunboat , and in the summer Italy bought the Dahlak Archipelago in front of it . In Asmara , the Abyssinian provincial capital, Ras Alula Engida saw the Italian expansion with unease. On January 26, 1887, Abyssinian troops attacked Italian troops advancing into the Ethiopian highlands in Dogali, a severe setback for the emerging Italy. The regaining of national prestige was now at the center of Italian foreign policy, and the government decided to extend its influence to the whole area. In August 1889 the troops occupied Asmara and the areas of Assab and Massaua were united and expanded to form the colony of Eritrea, which was officially proclaimed on January 1, 1890. Again and again there were problems in the border areas to Sudan, especially around Cassala and Agordat.

The Generale Menabrea Bridge in Dògali

The settlement, especially with farmers , was continuously promoted. They were each allocated 20 hectares of land and given 4,000 lire for travel and first settlement. The land should become their property if the money was repaid within five years. The Italian colonial administration dealt with political opponents rigorously, and under Governor Baldissera the crackdown on rebels was particularly tough. In 1893 400,000 hectares of land were expropriated, numerous obligations and prohibitions for the population were introduced in the colony, which led to a revolt in 1894, which was bloodily suppressed. This was one of the reasons for the particularly strong resistance in the war for Ethiopia that followed the battles of Coatit and Senafe , which came to a catastrophic end for the Italian troops at the Battle of Adua .

The Martini, installed in 1897 as the governor of Eritrea, is clearly more loyal than its predecessor, it fought against corruption and introduced order. A transition from a military to a civil government was noted. Positive phenomena for the colony were an economic upswing, increasing urbanization (schools, hospitals, roads, railways), the emergence of new social classes and modernization. The exploitation of many Eritreans as cheap labor and soldiers as well as leopard and antelope hunting for the sale of fur was negative.

Italian colonial empire in East Africa after the occupation of Abyssinia, 1936 to 1940

Eritrea in World War II

During the Second World War , Eritrea was initially united with the occupied empire of Abyssinia , the colony of Italian Somaliland and the Oltre Giuba region in the Italian colonial region of Italian East Africa .

From April 2, 1941, however, Great Britain conquered Eritrea after the Italians had to admit defeat in Asmara on April 1 . Great Britain took over rule in the person of General Platt as General Officer Commanding in Eritrea (GOCE) for the remainder of the war .

Part of Ethiopia

On December 2, 1950, the General Assembly of the United Nations, with Resolution 390 (V) A, extended the British mandate over Eritrea, which Italy recognized in the 1947 Treaty. Eritrea was handed over to the United Nations on September 15, 1952 .

Flag of the autonomous region of Eritrea from 1950 to 1962

In 1947 elections were held in which Christian pro-independence parties (including the New Eritrea Party ) won. In 1950 the UN unilaterally insisted on a so-called federation with the Abyssinian Empire , which was later enforced. The autonomy of Eritrea was abolished bit by bit by Abyssinia, for example by the downgrading of the autonomous government to an administrative authority on May 20, 1960, until 1961 the empire finally occupied Eritrea and annexed the country after the parliament had dissolved itself.

In 1961 the Eritrean Liberation Front ( ELF ) was created. In 1970, the Eritrean People's Liberation Front ( EPLF ) split off from this . The Ethiopian government received temporary support from Soviet, Cuban, Israeli and American troops and military advisers, but was unable to shut down the liberation movement. Further independence movements emerged and the conflict intensified after the fall of the monarchy.

In 1989 the Eritrean People's Liberation Front began a large-scale offensive against the Ethiopian troops. In 1991 the Eritrean People's Liberation Front defeated the Ethiopian army together with Ethiopian resistance groups. Then she supported the Ethiopian rebels to take over the Ethiopian government in the capital Addis Ababa . In April 1993 there was a referendum in Eritrea under the supervision of the United Nations, in which 99.8% voted for the country's independence. Independence was proclaimed on May 24, 1993. The separation of Eritrea from Ethiopia took place peacefully and with the consent of the Ethiopian government.

Eritrean independence

The Eritrean President Afewerki

Religious affiliation creates identity for Christians and Muslims and divides the population into two camps. In Eritrean history, however, there have not yet been any open conflicts over belief, most of the population groups were held together by the unifying goal of their own state until independence. Disputes between them have since been suppressed by the one-party government under Isayas Afewerki with means of power that restrict freedom and human rights.

Conflicts with neighboring countries

After independence, Eritrea's relations with Ethiopia gradually deteriorated. The government of the independent state of Eritrea pursued a nationalist foreign policy and Eritrea got into border conflicts with all of its neighbors in the following two decades. Border disputes developed with Ethiopia shortly after independence. In 1995 there were clashes with Yemeni troops around the Hanish Islands . In 1998 the border conflict with Ethiopia escalated after Eritrean troops occupied disputed border areas. In the Eritrea-Ethiopia war there was heavy fighting, especially over the actually meaningless border area Yirga , which according to the Eritrean view belongs to the Gash-Barka region , according to the Ethiopian view it belongs to the Tigre .

In May 2000, Ethiopia refused to participate in peace negotiations with Eritrea and began its third offensive. After their partial failure, a ceasefire agreement was reached in June and the Algerian peace plan was accepted and signed by both sides in December after the Ethiopian army had conquered around a third of Eritrea and it was recaptured by the Eritrean army. According to the peace plan, an independent border commission in The Hague should decide on the disputed border line. In October 2003, however, Ethiopia did not accept their award.

In 2008 there was an armed Eritrean-Djiboutian border conflict .

In 2006 and 2007, Eritrea was accused of supporting the Union of Islamic Courts in Somalia, which is hostile to Ethiopia . It was feared that the civil war in Somalia could develop into a proxy war between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

On June 5, 2018, the Ethiopian government declared its readiness to implement the provisions of the 2002 border agreement with Eritrea. This also included the handover of the controversial town of Badme to Eritrea. On July 8, 2018, Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced that Ethiopia and Eritrea would resume diplomatic relations . At the same time a peace treaty was concluded between the two countries.

See also

literature

  • Eyassu Gayim: The Eritrean Question: The conflict between the right to self-determination and the interests of State . Iustus Verlag, Uppsala 1993.
  • Bocresion Haile Gebre Mussie: The Collusion on Eritrea . 2nd edition Asmara 2007.
  • Martin Zimmermann and Wolbert Smidt: Documentation of the border conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Cologne 1998.
  • Michela Wrong : I Didn't Do It for You. How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation. HarperCollins, New York 2005, ISBN 978-0-06-078092-0 .

Web links

Commons : History of Eritrea  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The United Nations and the Independence of Eritrea - With an Introduction by Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Secretary-General of the United Nations . In: The United Nations Blue Books Series . tape XII , 1996, ISBN 92-1100605-8 (English, pdf ).
  2. ↑ Eritrea 'arming' Somali militia. BBC News, July 27, 2007
  3. ↑ Ethiopia 'accepts peace deal' to end Eritrea border war. BBC News, June 5, 2018, accessed June 5, 2018 .
  4. ^ After a long border war: Ethiopia and Eritrea establish diplomatic relations. In: FAZ. July 8, 2018, accessed July 8, 2018 .
  5. ↑ Ethiopia and Eritrea make peace. Time online from July 9, 2018