The name of Érythrée goes up at the time of the ancient Greece ( Erythraía , Ερυθραία , then in Latin Erythræa ). In the past, the Érythrée gave its name to the Red Sea, then called sea of Érythrée.

Érythrée obtained its independence of Ethiopia the May 24th 1993.

Old story

The known history of Érythrée is one of oldest of sub-Saharan Africa and the world. Éryhtrée is considered, with the Ethiopia and the coast of the Sudan, like the country named Punt or Your Netjeru (Country of the Gods) by the Égyptiens, whose first mention goes back to the XXV E. The oldest reference known to the Sea of Érythrée is allotted to Eschyle (Fragment 67), which indicates it as the jewel of Ethiopia ( Ethiopia then indicated probably the Nubie or the part of Africa located at the south of Egypt in general). Towards the VIII E, a kingdom known under the name of Of MT is established in the north of Érythrée and Ethiopia, with Yeha like capital. It was followed by the Royaume of Aksoum, with I er. The Tour of the sea Érythrée , a document of the 2nd century specifies that there existed in East Africa trade route which connected the Roman world to the China. The people of the center of Érythrée and north of what currently forms Ethiopia divide a common heritage historical and cultural, resulting from the Royaume of Aksoum and dynasties which followed to the length of and from the language Guèze. The Culture swahilie, strongly marked by the Arab world, is it developed on the coast and more in the south.

The Tigrinya and the Amharique, official languages respectively in Érythrée and Ethiopia, derive from the old language guèze. Moreover, the Eritreans and the Ethiopian ones very early shared their religion within the orthodoxe Église of Ethiopia

Medieval history

The culmination of the Moslem influence in Érythrée goes up with 1557 with the Othoman invasion of Soliman the Magnificent the and the conquest of Massaua, Arqiqo and Debarwa, capital of Bahr negus Yeshaq (which reigned on an area very similar to Érythrée contemporary). Yeshaq took again Debarwa and the gold which the invaders had piled up there. In 1560, Yeshaq made alliance with the Othomans against the new Ethiopian Emperor but broke his alliance during the crowning of king d' Ethiopie Sarsa Dengel. At the time of the attack of the Eritrean top-plates by the Imam Ahmed Gragne, the negassi Yeshaq could count on its soldiers carried out in particular by the Adkamé Melaga, governor of the province of Seraye. It tied the second alliance with the Othomans little time after but was beaten definitively in 1578, leaving to the Othomans the control of Massaua (one of the largest ports of the area), of Arqiqo and the surrounding coasts.

For the period decentralized in Ethiopia of the Zemene Mesafint, lords of wars originating in the Ethiopian province of Tigré had influence on certain areas of Érythrée current. The Moslem incursions continued, in particular on the coast and the plains which were Islamized at the end of the medieval period. In the middle of the XIXe century, some immigrants resulting from the Arabic Peninsula, the Rashaida settled in Érythrée where they form today less than 1% of the population.

The Othoman State kept the control of the coastal areas of north lasting nearly three centuries before yielding their possessions, the province of Habesh, in Egypt in 1865, which will yield it in its turn with the Italy in 1885. The interior of the grounds, in particular the high plateaus of Hamasien, Akkele Guzay and Serae, mainly orthodoxe Christians kept their independence. A catholic Italian priest of the name of Sapetto bought the port of Assab to the Sultan Afar, vassal of the emperor of Ethiopia, on behalf of the commercial conglomerate Italian Rubatinno. Later, when Egypt withdrew Sudan during the Révolte Mahdiste, the Great Britain concludes an agreement making it possible the Egyptian forces to withdraw itself through Ethiopia, in exchange of what they would authorize the Emperor to occupy the plains of which it had disputed the possession with the Ottoman Empire and Egypt. The Emperor Yohannès IV believed that included Massaua but Egypt and Great Britain yielded the port to Italy which links it with the port of Assab to form a counter. Italy benefitted from the disorders which agitated the north of Ethiopia following the death of Yohannès IV to occupy the high plateaus and to establish a new colony in Érythrée, recognized by the new emperor of Ethiopia, Ménélik II.

Colonization by Italy

Colonization in 1885 by Italy fixed the borders of modern Érythrée. The Italian presence in the Corne of Africa was formalized in 1889 with the signature of the Traité of Wuchale with Ménélik II - although Ménélik reconsidered the agreement later. The relations between Italy and Ethiopia were marked for the fifty years which followed by frequent attempts of Italy to extend its colonial base towards the Somalia and Ethiopia, in particular in 1896 when Ethiopia beat the Italian army in the Tigré.

The come to power of Benito Mussolini in 1922 was the occasion of deep rehandlings of the colonial government in Érythrée. The fascistic mode adopted laws racial and segregationist and the Eritreans employed in the public office were relegated to the stations subordinates. The agricultural reforms continued, but held for the farms had by Italians. In 1935 - 1936, Italy conducted a new campaign aiming at colonizing Ethiopia.

At the time of the Italian defeat of the Second world war, Érythrée was placed under British military administration.

Administration by Great Britain and federalisation

The British armed forces beat the Italian army in Érythrée in 1941 with the Bataille of Keren and placed the country under British administration while waiting for that the allied forces decide on its fate. For lack of agreement between the allies, the British administration continued until in the years 1950. With leaving the war, Great Britain proposed to divide Érythrée between Ethiopia and Sudan according to the religious borders. The USSR, cash on a communist victory at the time of the Italian elections, initially supported a retrocession of Érythrée in Italy under supervision or like colony. The Arab States supported as for them the formation of an independent State.

In 1950, noting the absence of an agreement between the allies and vis-a-vis the requests of Érythrée to self-determination, the the United Nations sent a commission in the hope to find a solution. The commission proposed a form of union with Ethiopia, proposal adopted by the General meeting of the United Nations with a provision putting an end to the British occupation for the September 15th 1952. Great Britain organized elections the March 16th 1952 in order to constitute an assembly representative of 68 members divided with equal shares between Christians and Moslems. The assembly approved a constitution project proposed by the police station of UNO the July 10th. The September 11th 1952, the Emperor of Ethiopia Hailé Sélassié Ier ratified the constitution. The representative Parliament became the Eritrean Parliament then and the resolution of the United Nations aiming at federating Érythrée with Ethiopia became effective. The resolution did not give following the desires of independences of the Eritreans but granted to them certain democratic rights and a certain autonomy. These rights were however repealed or violated shortly after the coming into effect of the federation.

According to the resolution of the General meeting of UNO of the September 15th 1952, Érythrée and Ethiopia were to be dependant by a rather free federal structure under sovereignty of the emperor. Érythrée would have its own administrative organization and legal, its own flag and an autonomy on its internal businesses, including the police force, the local government and the taxation. The imperial federal government would be in load of the foreign affairs (including commercial), defense, finances and transport. Hailé Sélassié however hastened to limit the autonomy of Érythrée and pushed the executive power with the resignation, declared the amharic official language in the place of the tigrinya and of Arabic, prohibited the use of the Eritrean flag, imposed the censure and moved the business districts out of Érythrée. In 1962, it made pressure on the Eritrean Parliament to abolish the federation and to entirely subject Érythrée to the imperial capacity.

Fights for independence

The opposition against the incorporation of Érythrée to Ethiopia began in 1958 with the foundation from the Liberation movement from Érythrée (MISS), made up mainly of students, intellectuals and town employed persons. Carried out by Hamid Idris Awate, MISS devoted herself to clandestine political activities to support resistance to the imperial central capacity. It was discovered and dissolves by the imperial authorities in 1962. In the tread, Hailé Sélassié dissolves the Eritrean Parliament in a unilateral way and annexed the country.

During years 1960, the combat for independence was taken again by the Front of release of founded Érythrée to the Cairo by exiled. Contrary to MISS, the FLE was a movement of armed struggle, composed as a majority of Moslems originating in the rural plains in the west in the country. It profited quickly from the military and financial support of Arab States like the Syria and the Iraq.

The FLE launched its first military operations in 1961 and intensified its activities in answer to the dissolution of the federation in 1962. In 1967, the movement had gained considerably in popularity near the peasants, in particular of north and the west, and in Massaua. Sélassié tried to alleviate the disorders by visiting the country and by guaranteeing to its inhabitants an equal treatment under the new order. It granted titles, money and official functions with the opponents in the hope to see them joining itself the central government but resistance continued. In 1971, the emperor declared the coming into effect of the martial law in Érythrée and deployed its armies to contain resistance. Internal arguments with the FLE in connection with the tactics and strategies to be adopted led to the scission of the FLE and the foundation of the Liberation popular front of Érythrée, multi-ethnic movement directed by Christian dissidents speaking the tigrinya, language majority in Érythrée. The two movements clashed sporadically between 1972 and 1974. The combat for independence continued after the fall of Sélassié following the coup d'etat of 1974 and the accession with the capacity of the Derg, military junta Marxist with Mengistu Haile Mariam at its head. At the end of the years 1970, the FPLE became the independent group of fight against the Ethiopian government, with the future president Issayas Afeworki at its head.

In 1977, a massive delivery of Soviet weapons in Ethiopia made it possible the army of the latter to inflict defeats with the FPLE. Of 1978 with 1986, Derg launched eight offensives of importance against the independence movement; all failed. In 1988, the FPLE took Afabet, where the general headquarters of the Ethiopian army in the North-East of Érythrée were, forcing the withdrawal of Ethiopia towards the plains of the west. The FPLE was progressed then towards Keren, second town of Érythrée. At the end of the years 1980, the USSR informed Mengistu that it would not renew its agreement of defense and co-operation. The Ethiopian army was some weakened and the FPLE, supported by other Ethiopian rebellious forces, continued its advance towards the Ethiopian positions.

Independence

The the United States played a role of mediator during the peace talks with Washington, the months preceding the fall by the mode of Mengistu in May 1991 and the escape of this last to the Zimbabwe, leaving behind him a provisional government. After the defeat of Ethiopia in Érythrée, the troops of the FPLE took the control of Érythrée. The end of the war was formalized with London at the end of May within the framework of a conference which gathered the four combatants independent groups.

1 {{er}} with the July 5th 1991, the Conference of Addis Ababa establishes a transition government in Ethiopia. The FPLE took part in the conference as an observer and negotiated with the new government in connection with the relations between Érythrée and Ethiopia. That leads on an agreement in which Ethiopia recognized in Érythrée the right to organize a referendum on the question of independence.

The FPLE affirmed its will to set up a democratic government in Érythrée and to support a market economy. Some of its frameworks had been interested in the past in the Marxist ideology but the support of the Soviet Union for Mengistu had dissuaded some. The FPLE established a provisional government with at its head Isaias, leader of the movement. The Central committee of the FPLE held place of legislative body.

The Eritrean people decided for independence during a referendum held of the 23 with the April 25th under the monitoring of UNO. The Eritrean authorities declared independence the April 27th. The National Assembly elected Issayas Afeworki at the position of president of the country. The FPLE reorganized in political party, taking the name of Popular front for the democracy and justice.

After independence

The Eritrean Constitution was ratified in July 1996 but still is not materially applied.

In 1998, a territorial conflict with Ethiopia burst and carried a serious blow to the economic development and social of Érythrée, causing the displacement of civil populations. The Accords of Algiers reflect officially fine with the engagements by fixing the layout of the disputed border and issued the behavior of an operation of maintenance of peace, the Mission of the Nations in Ethiopia and Erythrée (MINUEE). In April 2006, more than 4 ' 000 soldiers of UNO were always stationed in the area. Ethiopia disputed the layout of the border as brought back in the Agreements of Algiers and in 2003, an independent commission (EEBC, Eritrean-Ethiopian Boundary Commission ) returned a new decision, which was also rejected by Ethiopia. In 2006, the question is still not settled.

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