Roseline NgCheong-Lum - Eritrea

I N SEPTEMBER 2018, AN ETHIOPIAN MAN NAMED ASTEBEHA TESFAYE found out that he could finally go home. He had been waiting a very long time. He had traveled to Eritrea in 1998 to visit a friend, when a border war broke out between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Suddenly, Tesfaye could not leave the country. I was going to take the bus the next day [back to Ethiopia], he told the New York Times, but I heard that the roads were blocked, and that no one was going to move either to Eritrea or Ethiopia There wasnt any day that went by that I didnt think of my mother. I never thought this day would come.

Tesfaye was not the only person to rejoice as the two countries leaders signed a peace agreement. On both sides of the border, people cheered and hugged. Families were reunited. For the first time in 20 years, phone lines were reopened. Brothers called sisters, parents called children, and friends called friends. Commercial flights between Ethiopia and Eritrea were reinstated, and embassies unlocked their doors. It was a monumental moment for the young African state of Eritrea.

THE COUNTRY NOW

Eritrea is located in northeastern Africa, along the Red Sea. It looks like a flower spread out alongside the sea. Its stem stretches to the southeast to border Djibouti. It expands into a flower at the countrys capital city of Asmara, and the petals reach out to Ethiopia in the south and Sudan in the west.

The country is a land of extreme contrast. In the central plateau, the soil is rich and fertile, while in the lowlands, desert sand reigns and droughts are common. Asmaras Italian-style modernist architecture, which earned it UNESCO World Heritage status in 2017, exists in the same country as one of the worlds only red-hot and bubbling lava lakes. A mountain called Emba Soira soars almost 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) into the clouds, while the Danakil Depression ranks as one of the hottest, driest, and lowest places on the entire planet. With average temperatures of 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius), it is a place of little water and lots of camels.

Although Eritrea is one of the youngest independent countries in Africa, the land is actually ancient. The region in which it is found is sometimes referred to as the cradle of humanity because of the number and age of fossils found here. In fact, Eritrea has had more than 80,000 archaeological discoveries to date. One notable find is the Buya Woman, named for the area of her discovery. The well-preserved female skull is over 1 million years old and provides important information about the development of early humans.

Almost 6 million people live in Eritrea, a country about the same size as the US state of Mississippi. Some of the ethnic groups within Eritrea can trace their origins back to before 2000 BCE. Most people live in the rural areas of the country, working as farmers and shepherds. There is no national or official language, but instead the people speak more than 10 languages. From English to the main dialect of Tigrinya, each one is considered equal, as stated in the countrys constitution.

FREEDOM FIGHTERS

For decades, Eritreans have had to fight for their freedom. At first, it was oppression by Italian colonialists, whose influence is scattered throughout many of the buildings in cities like Asmara. Then, Britain took control for another decade. After that, the people of Eritrea had to battle against neighboring Ethiopia, a fight that made progress toward resolution in 2018. It is the only country in the world where elections keep being scheduled and then canceled. No elections have actually been held in Eritrea since the country gained its independence in 1993. The same president has ruled since that year.

Eritrea faces many different challenges, from rising sea levels and recurring droughts caused by climate change to maintaining international respect. In 2019, the African nation was voted the most censored country in the world. Along with North Korea and Turkmenistan, Eritrea does not allow independent reporters to discuss what is happening throughout the nation. It also refuses to allow foreign journalists into the country. Those who do make it in are typically imprisoned. Instead, all journalists in Eritrea must work for the state and will traditionally be told what to reportor what not to report. The peoples view of the world is often skewed by the inability to hear other ideas and information. Less than 2 percent of Eritreans are able to go online, and the country has the lowest rate of cell phone ownership in the world.

Religious freedom is also a challenge in Eritrea. The country refuses to recognize any religious group other than Sunni Islam, Eritrean Orthodox Christian, Roman Catholic, and Protestant. Homes where other religions are practiced are often raided by security officers. Offenders who refuse to immediately convert are jailed indefinitely. In 2019, Eritrean authorities took control of seven schools run by religious organizations outside of those that were sanctioned, or approved. The schools were given to the approved religious groups to run instead.