Eritrea wrested its independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after decades of sometimes violent struggle for autonomy.
The UN gave Eritrea – which is on the eastern African coast, in the Horn of Africa, and sandwiched between Sudan and Djibouti – to Ethiopia in 1952, intending for it to be part of a two-country federation. Ten years later, Ethiopia annexed Eritrea, sparking a 30-year independence struggle that concluded in 1991 when Eritrean rebels defeated government forces.
Finally, a 1993 referendum reflected overwhelming support for independence among Eritreans. Still, much of the border between the two countries remains disputed, and border skirmishes are common.
