1939-1952 Independence
since 1991






Under Ethiopian Rule; Struggle for Independence



In 1952, Eritrea's young parliament had passed a constitution. Thee were two official languages, TIGRINYA (used by the christians) and ARABIC (used by the Muslims); as far as public offices were concerned, a parity between Muslims and Christians was envisaged.
Ethiopia never intended to stick to the conditions of the federation. Arabic was eliminated as a language of administration and education, Muslims expelled from official positions, political parties outlawed (1955). In 1962, when the federal status of Eritrea was officially cancelled, it was already a dead letter.

In 1962, the ERITREAN LIBERATION FRONT was formed and armed resistance against Ethiopian rule began. The ELS soon was joined by a second organization, the EPLF (Er. People's Lib. Front). During the early 1970es, both organizations controlled much of countryside Eritrea. The EPLF, because of it's socialist ideology, received aid from socialist countries.
When Mengistu Haile Mariam toppled Negus Haile Selassie in 1975, Ethiopia switched from a western ally to a Soviet satellite. The Soviet Union now massively supported the regime in Addis Ababa, and Soviet aid to the EPLF as well as to the Somali enemies of Ethiopia dried up. Now armed with modern Soviet equipment, the Ethiopians expanded the territory under their control at the expense of the independence fighters.
In 1980, a conflict arose between EPLF and ELF, and the EPLF eliminated their competitors. Over time, the EPLF regained control of most of countryside Eritrea, the Ethiopians reduced to the major cities. With the end of the Cold War, it was now Ethiopia that suffered from suddenly withdrawn aid. The Ethiopian garrisons in Massawa and Asmara suffered siege; Ethiopia experienced rebellions in other parts of the country. The fall of the Mengistu regime in 1991 resulted in the de facto independence of Eritrea, although it took more time until the country received international recognition.






EXTERNAL
FILES 		History of Eritrea, from Eritrea.net
Links to Eritrean History, from BUBL
Eritrea Index, from ICL
CASCON Case ETE : Ethiopia-Eritrea 1974-1993, by L.P. Bloomfield, L. Moulton
DOCUMENTS Map of Eritrea, from UPenn, African Studies
REFERENCE Eritrea pp.159-160, in : Year Book and Guide to East Africa 1963 [G]



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2001, last revised on May 1st 2008

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