Eritrea and its Struggles

Free at Last!

The struggle for Eritrean independence was aided actively – and almost alone – by Eritreans living in Europe and North America.  Many non-Eritrean progressives from Western countries viewed that struggle as iconic and its aims as compelling.  In 1991 the Ethiopian regime finally fell – to Ethiopian rebels in Ethiopia, and to the Eritrean fighters in Eritrea.  They had defeated not only the oppressive Ethiopian regime but its successive super-power sponsors.  It was an unparalleled victory, that many observers believed would enable Eritrea to lead post-colonial Africa into a new era of progressive democracy.  In 1993 an independent Eritrea proudly took its seat at the United Nations.