Eritrea

One of the youngest nation states in the world, Eritrea might best be described as a country of conflict. Its struggle for independence from Ethiopia lasted for 30 years. Shortly after, a dispute with Yemen erupted, which was followed by the Ethiopia-Eritrea border war – 1998-2000. Currently, Eritrea has unstable relations with Sudan and Ethiopia, not to mention a wide range of internal difficulties.

In 1960 the Eritrean Parliament voted to dissolve the UN created federation with Ethiopia and the long war for independence began. The movement was led by two main groups, the ELF (a Muslim grassroots movement) and the Marxist EPLF (later called the People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ) which eventually dominated and took over the ELF. The war ended in 1991 and in 1993 the National Assembly, composed solely of PFDJ members, was created as a transitional governing body. The leader of the PFDJ, Isaias Afewerki became the provisional president.

After a brief war with Yemen over the Hanish Islands, Eritrea again entered conflict with Ethiopia in 1998 concerning the demarcation of the border between the two states. The results were devastating, with tens of thousands killed on both sides. Eritrea was left with masses of internally displaced persons and thousands of refugees crossed borders to seek asylum. The border area is littered with landmines and severe economic underdevelopment affects the entire country. The signing of the Algiers Agreement in 2000 ended the war and a shaky peace prevails.

Six years later the border has not been demarcated, as Ethiopia claims there were errors in the borders drawn up by the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC), namely disputing the award of the town of Badme to Eritrea. The conflict is exacerbated by the continual assistance of each government of the others’ opposition as well as Ethiopia’s concern over access to Eritrea’s ports. The border is maintained by a UN force which patrols a 25-kilometer-wide strip between the two states.

Internal struggles in Eritrea abound. An estimated two-thirds of Eritreans receive food aid, and the economy continues to be severely hampered by military costs. Though elections have been scheduled several times since Afewerki came to power in 1993, they have never been held, and the constitution has never become more than a draft. In addition, freedom of expression and religion are not enjoyed. All the private media was closed in 2001 and government critics are reportedly detained without trial. In 2004 the US State Department issued warnings concerning Eritrea for its history of religious persecution.

Refugees fleeing from Eritrea make their claims for asylum on such grounds as forced military service (for men and women), persecution due to mixed nationality (Ethiopian/Eritrean) as well as religious persecution and political activities.