Eritrea and Ethiopia Split: Colonial Rule, Independence, Border War

Outer Side

Eritrea and Ethiopia were once tied together by history, but a chain of colonial rule, political decisions, and war pushed them apart. This historical documentary follows the path from Italy’s colonization of Eritrea to Ethiopia’s independence after the Battle of Adwa, then to the UN decision that joined Eritrea with Ethiopia in 1952. It also explains how Eritrea’s autonomy was removed in 1962, setting off a long struggle for independence.  The story continues through the Eritrean War of Independence, the 1993 referendum, and Eritrea’s official independence on May 24, 1993. It then turns to the later border dispute, the 1998 conflict, and the uneasy peace that followed, showing why Eritrea and Ethiopia split and why tensions still matter today.  Created for viewers interested in African history, Eritrea Ethiopia relations, border conflict, independence movements, and geopolitical documentary content. It’s a useful watch for history research, classroom learning, and anyone searching for a clear explanation of the Eritrea and Ethiopia split, Eritrea independence history, and the Ethiopia Eritrea border conflict.

Transcript

00:00Have you ever looked at a map and noticed a small country on the Red Sea in Africa

00:04called Eritrea and actually realized that it used to be a part of Ethiopia?

00:09So why isn't Eritrea a part of Ethiopia anymore? And why did these two countries actually split?

00:16Well, to find out the answer, we have to go way back into history.

00:20This is the story of why Eritrea and Ethiopia split and the reason might surprise you.

00:26First off, back in the late 19th century, Italy colonized Eritrea and made it their colony.

00:32Ethiopia, on the other hand, managed to stay independent after defeating Italy at the Battle of Adwa in 1896.

00:40So at the start, these two countries were already a bit separated.

00:44But after World War II, things changed.

00:47Italy lost Eritrea and the United Nations decided Eritrea would be combined with Ethiopia in 1952.

00:54At first, it was fine. Eritrea had its own government, flag and autonomy.

01:00But in 1962, Ethiopia's Emperor Haile Selassie dissolved that and added Eritrea as a province,

01:07removing the government, flag and autonomy.

01:10That didn't sit well with Eritreans and so began a long struggle, the Eritrean War of Independence.

01:17For 30 years, from 1961 to 1991, Eritrea fought against Ethiopian governments,

01:24from Selassie's monarchy until 1974 to the Derg military regime, the time period after that.

01:31Finally, in 1991, the Eritrean rebels, along with Ethiopian rebels fighting against the Derg, managed to win.

01:39In 1993, Eritrea held a referendum supervised by the United Nations.

01:45The result? 99.8% of the people voted for independence.

01:49On May 24, 1993, Eritrea officially became an independent country.

01:56But the story didn't end there.

01:58At first, Eritrea and Ethiopia had good relations.

02:02But by 1998, a border dispute escalated into a brutal two-year conflict.

02:07Even after peace was signed, tensions were around for decades.

02:11Only in 2018 did the two sides finally remain peaceful, at least officially.

02:17But today, that peace is still escalating, with border closures, military buildups,

02:23and mistrust threatening to pull the two countries back into conflict.

02:26And it remains to be seen what happens in the future.

02:29So why did Eritrea and Ethiopia split?

02:32Because decades of colonization history and conflicts made them to be separate.

02:37And what do you guys think will happen between these two countries in the future?

02:42Let me know in the comments.

02:43This story shows you, sometimes for independence, you might have to pay a heavy prize.

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