Eritrea

 

Bureau of African Affairs                                                     
June 2007                                                                     
                                                                       
  Background Note: Eritrea                                                    
                                               
  An Eritrean woman in the highland of                                        
  Senafe, Eritrea, March 14, 2006. [©                                         
  AP Images]                                                                  
                                                                       
  Flag of Eritrea is red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) dividing
  the flag into two right triangles; the upper triangle is green, the lower one
  is blue; a gold wreath encircling a gold olive branch is centered on the    
  hoist side of the red triangle.                                             
                                                                       
  PROFILE                                                                     
                                                                       
  OFFICIAL NAME:                                                              
  State of Eritrea                                                            
                                                                       
  Geography                                                                   
  Area: 125,000 sq. km. (48,000 sq. mi.); about the size of Pennsylvania.     
  Cities: Capital--Asmara (est. pop. 435,000). Other cities--Keren (57,000);  
  Assab (28,000); Massawa (25,000); Afabet (25,000); Tessenie (25,000);       
  Mendefera (25,000); Dekemhare (20,000); Adekeieh (15,000); Barentu (15,000);
  Ghinda (15,000).                                                            
  Terrain: Central highlands straddle escarpment associated with Rift Valley, 
  dry coastal plains, and western lowlands.                                   
  Climate: Temperate in the highlands; hot in the lowlands.                   
                                                                       
  People                                                                      
  Nationality: Noun and adjective--Eritrean(s).                               
  Population (2004 est.): 3.6 million.                                        
  Annual growth rate: 2.5%.                                                   
  Ethnic groups: Tigrinya 50%, Tigre 31.4%, Saho 5%, Afar 5%, Beja 2.5%, Bilen
  2.1%, Kunama 2%, Nara 1.5%, and Rashaida 0.5%.                              
  Religions: Christian 50%, mostly Orthodox, Muslim 48%, indigenous beliefs 2%.
  Education: Years compulsory--none. Attendance--elementary (net 2002) 45.2%; 
  secondary (net 2002) 21.2%.                                                 
  Health: Infant mortality rate (2003)--45/1,000. Life expectancy--52 yrs.    
  Work force: Agriculture--80%. Industry and commerce--20%.                   
                                                                       
  Government                                                                  
  Type: Transitional government.                                              
  Independence: Eritrea officially celebrated its independence on May 24, 1993.
  Constitution: Ratified May 24, 1997, but not yet implemented.               
  Branches: Executive--president, cabinet. Legislative--Transitional National 
  Assembly (does not meet). Judicial--Supreme Court.                          
  Administrative subdivisions: Six administrative regions.                    
  Political party: People's Front for Democracy and Justice (name adopted by  
  the Eritrean People's Liberation Front when it established itself as a      
  political party).                                                           
  Suffrage: Universal, age 18 and above (although no national elections have  
  been held).                                                                 
  Central government budget (2005 est.): $485 million.                        
  Defense (2004 est.): $185 million.                                          
                                                                       
  Economy                                                                     
  Real GDP (2004 est.): $700 million.                                         
  Annual growth rate (2005 est.): 4.8%.                                       
  Per capita income: $900 (on a purchasing power parity basis); per capita GNI
  (World Bank Atlas method), 2004 est. $180.                                  
  Avg. inflation rate (2004 est.): 25%.                                       
  Mineral resources: Gold, copper, iron ore, potash, oil.                     
  Agriculture (12% of GDP in 2004): Products--millet, sorghum, teff, wheat,   
  barley, flax, cotton, papayas, citrus fruits, bananas, beans and lentils,   
  potatoes, vegetables, fish, dairy products, meat, and skins. Cultivated     
  land--10% of arable land.                                                   
  Industry (25% of GDP in 2004): Types--processed food and dairy products,    
  alcoholic beverages, leather goods, textiles, chemicals, cement and other   
  construction materials, salt, paper, and matches.                           
  Trade: Exports (2005 est.)--$12 million: skins, meat, live sheep and cattle,
  gum arabic. Major markets--Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Yemen), Europe (Italy),
  Djibouti, and Sudan. Imports (2005 est.)--$474 million: food, military      
  materiel, and fuel, manufactured goods, machinery and transportation        
  equipment. Major suppliers--U.A.E., Saudi Arabia, Italy, Germany, Belgium.  
                                                                       
  GEOGRAPHY                                                                   
  Eritrea is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered on the northeast and
  east by the Red Sea, on the west and northwest by Sudan, on the south by    
  Ethiopia, and on the southeast by Djibouti. The country has a high central  
  plateau that varies from 1,800 to 3,000 meters (6,000-10,000 ft.) above sea 
  level. A coastal plain, western lowlands, and some 300 islands comprise the 
  remainder of Eritrea's landmass. Eritrea has no year-round rivers.          
                                                                       
  The climate is temperate in the mountains and hot in the lowlands. Asmara,  
  the capital, is about 2,300 meters (7,500 ft.) above sea level. Maximum     
  temperature is 26o C (80o F). The weather is usually sunny and dry, with the
  short or belg rains occurring February-April and the big or meher rains     
  beginning in late June and ending in mid-September.                         
                                                                       
  PEOPLE                                                                      
  Eritrea's population comprises nine ethnic groups, most of which speak      
  Semitic or Cushitic languages. The Tigrinya and Tigre make up four-fifths of
  the population and speak different, but related and somewhat mutually       
  intelligible, Semitic languages. In general, most of the Christians live in 
  the highlands, while Muslims and adherents of traditional beliefs live in   
  lowland regions. Tigrinya and Arabic are the most frequently used languages 
  for commercial and official transactions. In urban areas, English is widely 
  spoken and is the language used for secondary and university education.     
                                                                       
  HISTORY                                                                     
  Prior to Italian colonization in 1885, what is now Eritrea had been ruled by
  the various local or international powers that successively dominated the Red
  Sea region. In 1896, the Italians used Eritrea as a springboard for their   
  disastrous attempt to conquer Ethiopia. Eritrea was placed under British    
  military administration after the Italian surrender in World War II. In 1952,
  a UN resolution federating Eritrea with Ethiopia went into effect. The      
  resolution ignored Eritrean pleas for independence but guaranteed Eritreans 
  some democratic rights and a measure of autonomy. Almost immediately after  
  the federation went into effect, however, these rights began to be abridged 
  or violated.                                                                
                                                                       
  In 1962, Emperor Haile Sellassie unilaterally dissolved the Eritrean        
  parliament and annexed the country, sparking the Eritrean fight for         
  independence from Ethiopia that continued after Haile Sellassie was ousted in
  a coup in 1974. The new Ethiopian Government, called the Derg, was a Marxist
  military junta led by Ethiopian strongman Mengistu Haile Miriam.            
                                                                       
  During the 1960s, the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) led the Eritrean      
  independence struggle. In 1970, some members of the group broke away to form
  the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF). By the late 1970s, the EPLF  
  had become the dominant armed Eritrean group fighting against the Ethiopian 
  Government, with Isaias Afwerki as its leader. The EPLF used material       
  captured from the Ethiopian Army to fight against the government.           
                                                                       
  By 1977, the EPLF was poised to drive the Ethiopians out of Eritrea. That   
  same year, however, a massive airlift of Soviet arms to Ethiopia enabled the
  Ethiopian Army to regain the initiative and forced the EPLF to retreat to the
  bush. Between 1978 and 1986, the Derg launched eight major offensives against
  the independence movement--all of which failed. In 1988, the EPLF captured  
  Afabet, headquarters of the Ethiopian Army in northeastern Eritrea, prompting
  the Ethiopian Army to withdraw from its garrisons in Eritrea's western      
  lowlands. EPLF fighters then moved into position around Keren, Eritrea's    
  second-largest city. Meanwhile, other dissident movements were making headway
  throughout Ethiopia. At the end of the 1980s, the Soviet Union informed     
  Mengistu that it would not be renewing its defense and cooperation agreement.
  With the withdrawal of Soviet support and supplies, the Ethiopian Army's    
  morale plummeted, and the EPLF--along with other Ethiopian rebel            
  forces--advanced on Ethiopian positions.                                    
                                                                       
  The United States played a facilitative role in the peace talks in Washington
  during the months leading up to the May 1991 fall of the Mengistu regime. In
  mid-May, Mengistu resigned as head of the Ethiopian Government and went into
  exile in Zimbabwe, leaving a caretaker government in Addis Ababa. Later that
  month, the United States chaired talks in London to formalize the end of the
  war. The four major combatant groups, including the EPLF, attended these    
  talks.                                                                      
                                                                       
  Having defeated the Ethiopian forces in Eritrea, EPLF troops took control of
  their homeland. In May 1991, the EPLF established the Provisional Government
  of Eritrea (PGE) to administer Eritrean affairs until a referendum could be 
  held on independence and a permanent government established. EPLF leader    
  Isaias became the head of the PGE, and the EPLF Central Committee served as 
  its legislative body.                                                       
                                                                       
  A high-level U.S. delegation was present in Addis Ababa for the July 1-5,   
  1991 conference that established a transitional government in Ethiopia. The 
  EPLF attended the July conference as an observer and held talks with the new
  transitional government regarding Eritrea's relationship to Ethiopia. The   
  outcome of those talks was an agreement in which the Ethiopians recognized  
  the right of the Eritreans to hold a referendum on independence.            
                                                                       
  Although some EPLF cadres at one time espoused a Marxist ideology, Soviet   
  assistance for Mengistu limited the level of Eritrean interest in seeking   
  Soviet support. The fall of communist regimes in the former Soviet Union and
  the Eastern Bloc convinced them it was a failed system. The EPLF (and later 
  its successor, the PFDJ) expressed its commitment to establishing a         
  democratic form of government and a free-market economy in Eritrea. The     
  United States agreed to provide assistance to both Ethiopia and Eritrea,    
  conditional on continued progress toward democracy and human rights.        
                                                                       
  On April 23-25, 1993, Eritreans voted overwhelmingly for independence from  
  Ethiopia in a UN-monitored free and fair referendum. The Eritrean authorities
  declared Eritrea an independent state on April 27, and Eritrea officially   
  celebrated its independence on May 24, 1993.                                
                                                                       
  GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS                                         
  Eritrea's Government faced formidable challenges following independence. With
  no constitution, no judicial system, and an education system in shambles, the
  Eritrean Government was required to build institutions of government from   
  scratch. Currently, the Government of Eritrea exercises strict control of   
  political, social, and economic systems, with nearly no civil liberties     
  allowed.                                                                    
                                                                       
  On May 19, 1993, the PGE issued a proclamation regarding the reorganization 
  of the government. The government was reorganized, and after a national,    
  freely contested election, the Transitional National Assembly, which chose  
  Isaias as President of the PGE, was expanded to include both EPLF and       
  non-EPLF members. The EPLF established itself as a political party, the     
  People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ). The PGE declared that during
  a 4-year transition period it would draft and ratify a constitution, draft a
  law on political parties, draft a press law, and carry out elections for a  
  constitutional government.                                                  
                                                                       
  In March 1994, the PGE created a constitutional commission charged with     
  drafting a constitution flexible enough to meet the current needs of a      
  population suffering from 30 years of civil war as well as those of the     
  future, when prospective stability and prosperity would change the political
  landscape. Commission members traveled throughout the country and to Eritrean
  communities abroad holding meetings to explain constitutional options to the
  people and to solicit their input. A new constitution was ratified in 1997  
  but has not been implemented, and general elections have not been held. The 
  government had announced that Transitional National Assembly elections would
  take place in December 2001, but those were postponed and new elections have
  not been rescheduled.                                                       
                                                                       
  The present government structure includes legislative, executive, and       
  judicial bodies. The legislature, the Transitional National Assembly,       
  comprises 75 members of the PFDJ and 75 additional popularly elected members.
  The Transitional National Assembly is the highest legal power in the        
  government until the establishment of a democratic, constitutional          
  government. The legislature sets the internal and external policies of the  
  government, regulates implementation of those policies, approves the budget,
  and elects the president of the country. The president nominates individuals
  to head the various ministries, authorities, commissions, and offices, and  
  the Transitional National Assembly ratifies those nominations. The cabinet is
  the country's executive branch. It is composed of 17 ministers and chaired by
  the president. It implements policies, regulations, and laws and is         
  accountable to the Transitional National Assembly. The ministries are       
  agriculture; defense; education; energy and mines; finance; fisheries;      
  foreign affairs; health; information; labor and human welfare; land, water, 
  and environment; local governments; justice; public works; trade and        
  industry; transportation and communication; and tourism.                    
                                                                       
  Nominally, the judiciary operates independently of both the legislative and 
  executive bodies, with a court system that extends from the village through 
  to the district, provincial, and national levels. However, in practice, the 
  independence of the judiciary is limited. In 2001, the president of the High
  Court was detained after criticizing the government for judicial            
  interference.                                                               
                                                                       
  In September 2001, after several months in which a number of prominent PFDJ 
  party members had gone public with a series of grievances against the       
  government and in which they called for implementation of the constitution  
  and the holding of elections, the government instituted a crackdown. Eleven 
  prominent dissidents, members of what had come to be known as the Group of  
  15, were arrested and held without charge in an unknown location. At the same
  time, the government shut down the independent press and arrested its       
  reporters and editors, holding them incommunicado and without charge. In    
  subsequent weeks, the government arrested other individuals, including two  
  Eritrean employees of the U.S. Embassy. All of these individuals remain held
  without charge and none are allowed visitors.                               
                                                                       
  Principal Government Officials                                              
  President of the State of Eritrea and Chairman of the Executive Council of  
  the PFDJ--Isaias Afwerki                                                    
  Director, Office of the President--Yemane Ghebremeskel                      
  Minister of Defense--Sebhat Ephrem                                          
  Minister of Foreign Affairs--Osman Saleh                                    
  Minister of Finance--Berhane Abrehe                                         
  Minister of National Development--Dr. Woldai Futur                          
  Ambassador to the United States--Ghirmai Ghebremariam                       
                                                                       
  Eritrea maintains an embassy in the United States at 1708 New Hampshire Ave.,
  NW, Washington, DC 20009 (tel. 202-319-1991).                               
                                                                       
  ECONOMY                                                                     
  The Eritrean economy is largely based on agriculture, which employs 80% of  
  the population but currently may contribute as little as 12% to GDP.        
  Agricultural exports include cotton, fruits and vegetables, hides, and meat,
  but farmers are largely dependent on rain-fed agriculture, and growth in this
  and other sectors is hampered by lack of a dependable water supply. Worker  
  remittances and other private transfers from abroad currently contribute    
  about 32% of GDP.                                                           
                                                                       
  While in the past the Government of Eritrea stated that it was committed to a
  market economy and privatization, the government and the ruling PFDJ party  
  maintain complete control of the economy. The government has imposed an     
  arbitrary and complex set of regulatory requirements that discourage        
  investment from both foreign and domestic sources, and it often reclaims    
  successful private enterprises and property.                                
                                                                       
  After independence, Eritrea had established a growing and healthy economy.  
  But the 1998-2000 war with Ethiopia had a major negative impact on the      
  economy and discouraged investment. Eritrea lost many valuable economic     
  assets in particular during the last round of fighting in May-June 2000, when
  a significant portion of its territory in the agriculturally important west 
  and south was occupied by Ethiopia. As a result of this last round of       
  fighting, more than one million Eritreans were displaced, though by 2007    
  nearly all have been resettled. According to World Bank estimates, Eritreans
  also lost livestock worth some $225 million, and 55,000 homes worth $41     
  million were destroyed during the war. Damage to public buildings, including
  hospitals, is estimated at $24 million. Much of the transportation and      
  communication infrastructure is outmoded and deteriorating, although a large
  volume of intercity road-building activity is currently underway. The       
  government sought international assistance for various development projects 
  and mobilized young Eritreans serving in the national service to repair     
  crumbling roads and dams. However, in 2005, the government asked the U.S.   
  Agency for International Development (USAID) to cease operations in Eritrea.
                                                                       
  According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), post-border war recovery
  was impaired by four consecutive years of recurrent drought that have reduced
  the already low domestic food production capacity. The government reports   
  that harvests have improved, but it provides no data to support these claims.
  Eritrea currently suffers from large structural fiscal deficits caused by   
  high levels of spending on defense, which have resulted in the stock of debt
  rising to unsustainable levels. Exports have collapsed due to strict controls
  on foreign currencies and trade, as well as a closed border with Ethiopia,  
  which was the major trading partner for Eritrea prior to the war. In 2006,  
  Eritrea normalized relations with Sudan and is beginning to open the border 
  to trade between the two countries. Large and persistent transfers from     
  Eritreans living abroad offer significant support to the economy.           
                                                                       
  The port in Massawa has been rehabilitated and is being developed. In       
  addition, the government has begun on a limited basis to export fish and sea
  cucumbers from the Red Sea to markets in Europe and Asia. A newly constructed
  airport in Massawa capable of handling jets could facilitate the export of  
  high-value perishable seafood.                                              
                                                                       
  DEFENSE                                                                     
  During the war for independence, the EPLF fighting force grew to almost     
  110,000 fighters, about 3% of the total population of Eritrea. In 1993,     
  Eritrea embarked on a phased program to demobilize 50%-60% of the army, which
  had by then shrunk to about 95,000. During the first phase of demobilization
  in 1993, some 26,000 soldiers--most of who enlisted after 1990--were        
  demobilized. The second phase of demobilization, which occurred the following
  year, demobilized more than 17,000 soldiers who had joined the EPLF before  
  1990 and in many cases had seen considerable combat experience. Many of these
  fighters had spent their entire adult lives in the EPLF and lacked the      
  social, personal, and vocational skills to become competitive in the work   
  place. As a result, they received higher compensation, more intensive       
  training, and more psychological counseling than the first group. Special   
  attention was given to women fighters, who made up some 30% of the EPLF's   
  combat troops. By 1998, the army had shrunk to 47,000.                      
                                                                       
  The moves to demobilize were abruptly reversed after the outbreak of war with
  Ethiopia over the contested border. During the 1998-2000 war, which is      
  estimated to have resulted in well over 100,000 casualties on the two sides,
  Eritrea's armed forces expanded to close to 300,000 members, almost 10% of  
  the population. This imposed a huge economic burden on the country. The     
  International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that the economy shrank by more 
  than 8% in 2000, although it rebounded somewhat in 2001. The war ended with a
  cessation of hostilities agreement in June 2000, followed by a peace        
  agreement signed in December of the same year. A UN peacekeeping mission, the
  UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), was established and monitors a  
  25-kilometer-wide Temporary Security Zone separating the two sides. Per the 
  terms of the cessation of hostilities agreement, two commissions were       
  established: one to delimit and demarcate the border and the other to weigh 
  compensation claims by both sides. The Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission 
  announced its decision in April 2002. Demarcation was expected to begin in  
  2003, but despite attempts to progress, it has been delayed by a stalemate  
  between Ethiopia and Eritrea.                                               
                                                                       
  The government has been slow to demobilize its military after the most recent
  conflict, although it formulated an ambitious demobilization plan with the  
  participation of the World Bank. A pilot demobilization program involving   
  5,000 soldiers began in November 2001 and was to be followed immediately    
  thereafter by a first phase in which some 65,000 soldiers would be          
  demobilized. This was delayed repeatedly. In 2003, the government began to  
  demobilize some of those slated for the first phase; however, the government
  maintains a "national service" program, which includes most of the male     
  population between 18-40 and the female population between 18-27. The program
  essentially serves as a reserve force and can be mobilized quickly. There are
  estimates that one in twenty Eritreans actively serve in the military.      
                                                                       
  Presently, the U.S. has no military-to-military cooperation with Eritrea.   
                                                                       
  FOREIGN RELATIONS                                                           
  Eritrea is a member of the Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa     
  (COMESA) and the African Union (AU) but does participate actively in the AU.
  Eritrea maintains diplomatic relations with the United States, Italy, and   
  several other European nations, including the United Kingdom, Germany,      
  Norway, and the Netherlands. Relations with these countries became strained 
  as a result of the 2001 government crackdown against political dissidents and
  others, the closure of the independent press, and limits on civil liberties.
                                                                       
  Eritrea's relations with its neighbors other than Djibouti also are somewhat
  strained. Although a territorial dispute with Yemen over the Haynish Islands
  was settled by international arbitration, tensions over traditional fishing 
  rights with Yemen resurfaced in 2002. The relationship to date remains      
  cordial. Relations with Sudan also were colored by occasional incidents     
  involving the extremist group, Eritrean Islamic Jihad (EIJ)--which the      
  Eritrean Government believes is supported by the National Islamic Front     
  government in Khartoum--and by continued Eritrean support for the Sudanese  
  opposition coalition, the National Democratic Alliance; however, Eritrea    
  normalized relations with Sudan in 2006.                                    
                                                                       
  U.S.-ERITREAN RELATIONS                                                     
  The U.S. consulate in Asmara was first established in 1942. In 1953, the    
  United States signed a mutual defense treaty with Ethiopia. The treaty      
  granted the United States control and expansion of the important British    
  military communications base at Kagnew near Asmara. In the 1960s, as many as
  4,000 U.S. military personnel were stationed at Kagnew. In the 1970s,       
  technological advances in the satellite and communications fields were making
  the communications station at Kagnew increasingly obsolete. In 1974, Kagnew 
  Station drastically reduced its personnel complement. In early 1977, the    
  United States informed the Ethiopian Government that it intended to close   
  Kagnew Station permanently by September 30, 1977. In the meantime, U.S.     
  relations with the Mengistu regime were worsening. In April 1977, Mengistu  
  abrogated the 1953 mutual defense treaty and ordered a reduction of U.S.    
  personnel in Ethiopia, including the closure of Kagnew Communications Center
  and the consulate in Asmara. In August 1992, the United States reopened its 
  consulate in Asmara, staffed with one officer. On April 27, 1993, the United
  States recognized Eritrea as an independent state, and on June 11, diplomatic
  relations were established, with a chargé d'affaires. The first U.S.        
  Ambassador arrived later that year.                                         
                                                                       
  In the past, the United States has provided substantial assistance to       
  Eritrea, including food and development. In FY 2004, the United States      
  provided over $65 million in humanitarian aid to Eritrea, including $58.1   
  million in food assistance and $3.47 million in refugee support. In 2005, the
  Government of Eritrea told USAID to cease operations. At the Eritrean       
  Government's request, the United States no longer provides bilateral        
  development assistance to Eritrea.                                          
                                                                       
  U.S. interests in Eritrea include consolidating the peace with Ethiopia,    
  encouraging progress toward establishing a democratic political culture,    
  supporting Eritrean efforts to become constructively involved in solving    
  regional problems, assisting Eritrea in dealing with its humanitarian and   
  development needs, and promoting economic reform.                           
                                                                       
  Principal U.S. Officials                                                    
  Ambassador--vacant                                                          
  Chargé d'Affaires--Jennifer McIntyre                                        
  Political/Military Officer--Holly Holzer                                    
  Consular Officer--Brian Shelbourn                                           
  Management Officer--Michael McCarthy                                        
  Public Affairs Officer--Margery Benson                                      
  Defense Attache--LTC Paul M. Phillips                                       
                                                                       
  The address of the U.S. Embassy in Eritrea is 28 Franklin D. Roosevelt      
  Street, P.O. Box 211, Asmara (tel. 291-1-120-004; fax: 291-1-127-584).      
                                                                       
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  the Federal government. The site includes current and historical            
  trade-related releases, international market research, trade opportunities, 
  and country analysis and provides access to the National Trade Data Bank.   

 

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See http://www.state.gov/r/pa/bgn/ for all Background notes
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