Eritrea Country Facts
Bureau of African
Affairs
August
2007
Background Note: Eritrea Country
Facts
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 charg? 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
Charg? 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).
TRAVEL AND BUSINESS
INFORMATION
The U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program advises
Americans traveling and residing abroad through Consular Information
Sheets, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings.
Consular Information Sheets exist for all countries and include
information on entry and exit requirements, currency
regulations, health conditions, safety and security, crime,
political disturbances, and
the addresses of the U.S. embassies and consulates abroad. Public
Announcements are issued to disseminate information quickly
about terrorist threats and other relatively
short-term conditions overseas that pose significant
risks to the security of American travelers. Travel Warnings are
issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel
to a certain country because the situation is dangerous or
unstable.
For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling
abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Bureau
of Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://www.travel.state.gov, where the
current Worldwide Caution, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings
can be found. Consular Affairs Publications,
which contain information on obtaining passports and planning a safe
trip abroad, are also available at http://www.travel.state.gov.
For additional information on international
travel, see http://www.usa.gov/
Citizen/Topics/Travel/International.shtml.
The Department of State encourages all U.S citizenstraveling or
residing abroad to register via the State
Department's travel registration website or at the nearest U.S.
embassy or consulate abroad. Registration will make your presence and
whereabouts known in case it is necessary to contact you in an
emergency and will enable you to receive up-to-date information on
security
conditions.
Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may be
obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. and
Canada or the regular toll line 1-202-501-4444 for
callers outside the U.S. and
Canada.
The National Passport Information Center (NPIC) is the U.S.
Department of State's single, centralized public
contact center for U.S.
passport
information. Telephone: 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778). Customer
service representatives and operators for TDD/TTY
are available Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight,
Eastern Time, excluding federal
holidays.
Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.
A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) and a web site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm
give the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations
or requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety for
regions and countries. A booklet entitled "Health
Information for International Travel"
(HHS
publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S.
Government Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202)
512-1800.
Further Electronic
Information
Department of State Web Site. Available on the Internet at
http:// www.state.gov, the Department of State web
site provides timely, global access to
official U.S. foreign policy information, including
Background Notes and daily press briefings
along with the directory of key officers of Foreign Service
posts and more. The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) provides
security information and regional news that impact U.S. companies
working abroad through its website http://www.osac.gov
Export.gov provides a portal to all export-related assistance and
market information offered by the federal
government and provides trade leads, free export counseling, help
with the export process, and
more.
STAT-USA/Internet, a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce,
provides authoritative economic, business, and
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trade-related releases, international market research, trade
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National Trade Data Bank.
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Eritrea Country Facts
