The transitional government in Eritrea based on democratic principles and human rights is actually a product of a long drawn history of Eritrea. The History of Eritrea can be studied from the times of the first Ethiopian Kingdom of Aksum. The first kingdom to start dating of history in Eritrea saw the first change in the 8th Century. These were followed by a series of dynasties that took possession of the lands over the centuries only to submit to the foreign power of the Ottomans in the 16th Century.
It was after the fall of the Ottoman Empire that the Egyptians took over the reins of government. In the last quarter of the 19th century the Italians slowly began to capture the coastal areas of the Red Sea which they named it as Eritrea after the Roman name of the Red Sea. They continued to rule over the region till the Second World War when after their surrender was taken over and placed under the British Military administration. On September 15, 1952, it was made a federation of Ethiopia. The period following this was a period of turmoil. This turbulent period saw many uprisings and coups which forced the US to intervene in order to find an amicable solution to the problems.
A free and fair referendum was held in 1993 under the supervision of the UN. The outcome of the referendum was a clear mandate for a free Eritrea. Ethiopia recognized sovereignty of Eritrea which was declared independent on May 3, 1993. It was after this that the history of Eritrea got a new turn. Eritrea and Ethiopia had a conflict over the demarcation line and a fresh conflict broke out at the border which resulted in a huge loss of men and money. Lots of money was spent by these two economically weaker countries on weapons. The whole conflict ended in a stalemate and a fresh peace agreement was signed between the two conflicting nations under the auspices of the United Nations in December 2000. However, the dispute remains unresolved until November 2007 when the Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission remotely demarcated the border.
The history of Eritrea had a great effect on the culture of the country that has resulted in the formation of a demography comprising of nine ethnic groups consists of Muslims, Roman Catholics, Protestants and Coptic Christians. The coexistence of all these religious groups have given a secular color to the nation which is the greatest contribution of the History of Eritrea.
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