Landscape of Eritrea
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Eritrea

Africa

Eritrea gained its independence from Ethiopia in 1993, and was locked into a conflict with its neighbor for over 20 years, with casualties rising to over 80,000. The war caused thousands of migrants to exit the nation, and Eritreans became one of the leading people groups in the climax of the European refugee crisis. However, in summer of 2018, Ethiopia and Eritrea declared an end to the state of war, resolving to create a peaceful, friendly relationship.1 Eritrea is currently under the control of a totalitarian government.2 Eritrea has a president who acts as the chief of state and head of government. The president was elected in 1993 for a five year term, and the second election was postponed indefinitely. The constitution drafted in 1997 was also suspended, though it recognizes universal human rights. The drafting of a new constitution began in 2014, but has yet to be implemented.3 Access to clean drinking water and sanitation are low; 43 percent of the population lacks access to clean water, and 84 percent of the population lacks access to proper sanitation facilities.4 The issue of water security in Eritrea has caused significant malnutrition issues in children under the age of five.5 38 percent of Eritrean children under the age of 5 are underweight or malnourished.6 1 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/09/world/africa/ethiopia-eritrea-war.html 2 https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2017/country-chapters/eritrea 3 https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/er.html 4 https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/er.html 5 http://www.unicef.org/arabic/hac2011/files/HAC2011_4pager_Eritrea.pdf 6 https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/er.html

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About Eritrea

The UN established Eritrea as an autonomous region within the Ethiopian federation in 1952. Ethiopia's full annexation of Eritrea as a province 10 years later sparked a violent 30-year struggle for independence that ended in 1991 with Eritrean rebels defeating government forces. Eritreans overwhelmingly approved independence in a 1993 referendum. ISAIAS Afworki has been Eritrea's only president since independence; his rule, particularly since 2001, has been highly autocratic and repressive. His government has created a highly militarized society by pursuing an unpopular program of mandatory conscription into national service, sometimes of indefinite length. A two-and-a-half-year border war with Ethiopia that erupted in 1998 ended under UN auspices in December 2000. The Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) created in April 2003 was tasked "to delimit and demarcate the colonial treaty border based on pertinent colonial treaties (1900, 1902, and 1908) and applicable international law." Eritrea for several years hosted a UN peacekeeping operation that monitored a 25 km-wide Temporary Security Zone. The EEBC on 30 November 2007 remotely demarcated the border, assigning the town of Badme to Eritrea, despite Ethiopia's maintaining forces there from the time of the 1998-2000 war. An increasingly hostile Eritrea insisted that the UN terminate its peacekeeping mission on 31 July 2008. Eritrea has accepted the EEBC's "virtual demarcation" decision and repeatedly called on Ethiopia to remove its troops. Ethiopia has not accepted the demarcation decision, and neither party has entered into meaningful dialogue to resolve the impasse. Eritrea is subject to several UN Security Council Resolutions (from 2009, 2011, and 2012) imposing various military and economic sanctions, in view of evidence that it has supported armed opposition groups in the region.

Quick Facts

Population
6,233,682 (July 2013 est.)
Area
117,600 sq km
ISO Code
ER
Continent
Africa
Government
transitional government
Active Causes
12
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Geography & Environment

Climate

hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually, heaviest June to September); semiarid in western hills and lowlands

Terrain

dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains

Natural Resources

gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish

Environmental Issues

deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing; loss of infrastructure from civil warfare

People & Society

63.19 years
Avg. Life Expectancy
68.9%
Literacy Rate
21.3% of total population (2011)
Total Urban Population

Languages

Tigrinya (official), Arabic (official), English (official), Tigre, Kunama, Afar, other Cushitic languages

Religions

Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant

Health Expenditure

2.7% of GDP (2010) of GDP

Education Expenditure

2.1% of GDP (2006) of GDP

Economy

$800
GDP per Capita (PPP)
NA%
Unemployment Rate
50% (2004 est.)
Below Poverty Line

Economic Overview

Since independence from Ethiopia in 1993, Eritrea has faced the economic problems of a small, poor country, facing chronic drought. These have been exacerbated by restrictive economic policies. Eritrea has a command economy under the control of the sole political party, the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ). Like the economies of many African nations, a large share of the population - nearly 80% - is engaged in subsistence agriculture. That sector only produces a small share of the country's total output. Since the conclusion of the Ethiopian-Eritrea war in 2000, the government h...

Causes in Eritrea

Environment

Eritrea is a primarily desert nation located along the Red Sea with some variation of climate in the highlands.1 Due to its location in the eastern horn of Africa, Eritrea is vulnerable to droughts and unpredictable weather.2 Rainfall patterns have become increasingly inconsistent, having negative implications for subsistence farmers who rely on agriculture for their livelihoods.3 The UNDP has been active in Eritrea to educate Eritreans on sustainable and efficient farming practices that will help them weather the effects of climate change.4 The country is currently facing desertification, deforestation and overgrazing in farming.5

Family

UNICEF has been active in Eritrea to help reduce maternal deaths and female genital mutilation, as well as increase the use of contraceptives. In 2010, according to a national health survey, 83 percent of women in Eritrea were affected by female genital mutilation, though the practice was outlawed in 2007.1 However, UNICEF reports progress, as the rate of girls under the age of 5 affected by FGM is now 12 percent.2 Child marriage is also a threat to women, with 13 percent of Eritrean women being married by the age of 15 and 41 percent married by the age of 18.3

Human Rights

Eritrea is one of the primary refugee source countries, and has been since the 1960s when it began its war for independence from Ethiopia. Many citizens leave seeking asylum from militarization, violence, human rights abuses or for job and education opportunities.1 Eritreans are frequently trafficked by Bedouins in the Sinai Desert region. As victims, they can be subject to rape, organ harvesting and extortion, among other forms of torture. Some are kidnapped in, or near, refugee camps, while others are kidnapped after crossing into Sudan or Ethiopia. Eritreans account for nearly 90 percent of the Sinai trafficked population.2 There are no independent political parties or news organizations in Eritrea.3

Education

Eritrea’s primary school enrollment rate is staggeringly low at just 44 percent.1 However, over the last twenty years, Eritrea has doubled its literacy rate, and it now sits at nearly 74 percent.2 The length of time an Eritrean child is likely to stay in school from primary to tertiary (the school life expectancy) is just five years — a low span.3 Due to recent educational reforms, Eritrea’s youth literacy rate is much higher for individuals ages 15–24, at 93 percent, collectively, for both men and women.4 UNICEF backs the education and mobilization of teachers in efforts to increase nationwide access to education, particularly in remote and nomadic communities, where 21 percent of children still lack the opportunity to attend school.5

Poverty

Despite moderate progress, Eritrea remains one of the poorest countries in the world. The Human Development Index ranks Eritrea 179th out of 188 countries.1 Women and children particularly are at-risk of malnutrition and growth impediments in Eritrea, as the effects of war and poverty limit development.2 As of 2004, approximately 50 percent of Eritrea was living below the international poverty line; this is the most recent data on the poverty rate.3 Eritrea is one of the primary refugee source countries, and has been since the 1960s when it began its war for independence from Ethiopia, Many citizens leave seeking asylum from militarization, violence, human rights abuses or for job and education opportunities.4 These same vulnerable populations are often the ones trafficked by Bedouins in the Sinai Desert region, and typically suffer various forms of torture and abuse.5

Religion

Eritrea’s religious demographic is estimated to be largely Sunni Muslim, 51 percent and Eritrean Orthodox Christianity, 42 percent.1 The nation’s religious minorities — Jehovah’s Witnesses, Wahabi Islam and non-Evangelical churches — can have difficulties weathering the religious climate in Eritrea, as all churches must register with the government, and the government has a heavy-handed role in church operations.2 Religious institutions operating without a license will be prosecuted and can face imprisonment.3

Clean Water

Eritrea is located in one of the driest regions of Africa, making the country highly susceptible to drought.1 Access to clean drinking water and sanitation are low; 43 percent of the population lacks access to clean water, and 84 percent of the population lacks access to proper sanitation facilities.2 The issue of water security in Eritrea has caused significant malnutrition issues in children under the age of five.3 38 percent of Eritrean children under the age of 5 are underweight or malnourished.4 Eritrea is often subject to drought — or flooding — both of which affect both the quality and quantity of water sources in the country.5 In 2017, UNICEF constructed 10 solar powered water processing systems for rural areas of the country, as well as repaired a number of hand-pump wells, cumulatively servicing over 46,000 people.6

Economy

The transition from a territory of Ethiopia to an independent nation has left Eritrea in a heavily militarized state, with the president’s People’s Front for Democracy and Justice at the government’s head. Eritrea supports military groups in the Horn of Africa, and as a result, the UN placed economic sanctions on the country.1 Currency controls have limited the amount of foreign investments that the country has access to, and the government tightly controls the majority of the economic sectors.2 Approximately 80 percent of Eritreans are involved in subsistence farming.3 Eritrea’s unemployment rate is at 8.6 percent, and the population below the poverty line is 50 percent.4 The GDP per capita is $1,400.5 Production of copper, gold and potash account for a large portion of the country’s limited growth, but the government’s military spending hampers the growth sparked by industries like the metal and mineral production.6

Government

Eritrea gained its independence from Ethiopia in 1993, and was locked into a conflict with its neighbor for over 20 years. However, in summer of 2018, Ethiopia and Eritrea declared an end to the state of war, resolving to create a peaceful, friendly relationship.1 Eritrea is currently under the control of a totalitarian government.2 Eritrea has a president who acts as the chief of state and head of government. The president was elected in 1993 for a five year term, and the second election was postponed indefinitely. The constitution drafted in 1997 was also suspended, though it recognizes universal human rights, and the drafting of a new constitution began in 2014 but has not been implemented.3 The militarized government utilizes a conscription system to complete various projects of its choosing. All Eritrean citizens are required to serve for 18 months at age 18, but often conscriptions last much longer than 18 months, continuing indefinitely.4 Projects assigned to the conscripts include personal projects from the leading general, domestic service, construction and agricultural projects. The pay for those conscripted is scarce, and inadequate to support a family.5

Health

The CIA classifies Eritrea as a nation at high-risk of major infectious diseases, including malaria, typhoid fever, hepatitis A, dengue fever and bacterial diarrhea.1 Access to clean drinking water and sanitation are low, as 43 percent of the population lacks access to clean water, and 84 percent of the population is without access to proper sanitation facilities.2 The issue of water security has caused significant malnutrition issues in children under the age of five;3 38 percent of Eritrean children under 5 are underweight or malnourished.4 In 2010, according to a national health survey, 83 percent of women in Eritrea were affected by female genital mutilation, though the practice was outlawed in 2007.5 However, UNICEF reports progress, as the rate of girls under the age of 5 affected by FGM is now 12 percent.6

Children

Women and children are particularly at-risk of malnutrition and growth impediments in Eritrea, as the effects of war and poverty limit development.1 The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Programme (WASH) is the largest United Nations organization in Eritrea, and has been involved in the country’s development since it gained its independence in 1991. WASH implements programs to increase awareness of proper child health and nutrition habits, as well as maternal and infant care and hygiene. 2 38 percent of Eritrean children under the age of 5 are underweight.3 Additionally, Eritrea is one of the remaining 18 countries in which child marriage is still legal.4 Approximately 13 percent of Eritrean girls are married by age 15, and 41 percent of girls are married before their 18th birthday.5

Animals

The raising of livestock is a common source of income in Eritrea. The European Union has sponsored initiatives to support farmers in each of the regions in Eritrea, providing enhanced breeds of various cattle, chickens and sheep, as well as bees and beehives.1 The EU supplemented these efforts with training on livestock raising and breeding.2

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