From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Sun May 23 2010 - 04:45:18 EDT
National Day of Eritrea
May 23, 2010, 3:52pm
Eritreans celebrate their national sovereignty today (Monday), commemorating
the country's 1993 declaration of independence from Ethiopia after waging
Africa's longest-ever civil war.
Led first by the Eritrean Liberation Movement (ELF), then by the ELF
breakaway group, the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF), the 30-year
struggle ended with a referendum on independence in which some 1.1 million
Eritreans voted for freedom from Ethiopian rule. National Day festivities
include soccer matches and street parties.
Eritrea is a country in the Horn of Africa, bounded on the east by the Red
Sea, on the southeast by Djibouti, on the south and west of Ethiopia, and on
the north and northwest by Sudan.
Traditionally, agriculture was the norm in the plateau region and in the
north and west where rainfall was sufficient. In the drier coastal plain and
the arid regions of the north and west, livestock raising predominated.
Italian and British colonial policy in the 19th and early 20th centuries
favored the production of raw materials for export. During this period,
light industry was developed. B most accounts, Eritrea enjoyed a higher
level of economic development than Ethiopia at the time of the 1952
federation.
Ethiopia's annexation of Eritrea caused industrial expansion to be
curtailed, and many factories were closed and moved to Ethiopia. After 1974,
the Marxist government of Ethiopia placed most Eritrean industry under state
control.
On May 28, 1993, the United Nations formally admitted Eritrea to its
membership. Eritrea is a full member of the African Union (AU), the
successor of the Organization of African Unity (OAU).
We congratulate the people and government of Eritrea led by President Isaias
Afewerki, and its Philippine Consulate headed by Consul George T. Yang, on
the occasion of their National Day. We wish them success in all their
endeavors.
----[This List to be used for Eritrea Related News Only]----