Eritrea

Eritrea is a country in the Horn of Africa, on the southwest coast of the Red Sea. It is bounded on the west and northwest by Sudan, on the south by Ethiopia, and on the southeast by Djibouti. It has a population of approximately 3.75 million. There are nine major ethnic groups, including the Tigrinya and Tigre, who make up four-fifths of the total population. They speak different Semitic or Arabic languages. English is widely spoken as well,rift gold especially in academic settings. About 50 percent of the population is Christian, mostly Orthodox, while 48 percent is Muslim, and the remainder hold indigenous beliefs.

An Italian colony since 1885, Eritrea became a federate state joined with Ethiopia at the end of World War II. On May 24, 1993, Eritrea achieved independence after a thirty-year war led by the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) against Ethiopia. Its leader, Isaias Afwerki, continues to be the president of the Provisional Government of Eritrea. The EPLF has established itself as the sole political party, changing its name to the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ). Eritrea is still in the process of establishing a permanent government. A new constitution was promulgated in 1997, but has not yet been implemented. New general elections were scheduled for the year 1997, but they were delayed and indefinitely postponed following an outbreak of conflict at the Ethiopian border. In addition, Sudan’s attempt to spread Islamic fundamentalism to neighboring countries since 1993 has increasingly forced Eritrean military forces to deal with terrorist attacks organized by Eritrean Islamic Jihad, a Sudan-based insurgent group.

The present government provides for the separation of powers. The legislature, the National Assembly, holds the highest legal power until the establishment of a democratic, constitutional government. The ministers of the cabinet and the president hold the executive power that is accountable to the National Assembly. The judiciary is independent. Eritrea is a member of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), and maintains a close relationship with the United States, Italy, and other European nations, which have become important aid donors. It has also close relations with Ethiopia,rift gold its largest trading partner, and with Uganda. Eritrea’s economy is slowly recovering from the devastating effects of the independence war, which left the country in extreme poverty. The development process aims to replace a centrally planned economy with a free market and privatization. Agriculture remains the main source of employment; nevertheless, it accounts for only a small percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP). Instead, trade, services and manufacturing provide the greatest portion of the GDP. Eritrea has obtained international economic assistance for several development projects.

In May 1998, a war broke out with Ethiopia that continued into the middle of 2000. Although, as of this writing, the fighting has stopped, tensions between the two nations remain high.