Eritrea on minibus

Eritrea’s struggle for independence ended in 1991, when the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front drove the Ethiopian army out of Eritrean borders and joined other Ethiopian resistance movements to overthrow the Derg dictatorship, which fell that same year. Two years later, a referendum was held, supervised by the United Nations mission called UNOVER. Both the populations resident in Eritrea and those who had fled to other African nations after the diaspora participated in the universal suffrage, and it was decided whether Eritrea should become an independent country or maintain its federation with Ethiopia. Over 99% of Eritreans voted for independence, which was officially declared on May 24, 1993. EPLF leader Isaias Afewerki became Eritrea’s first interim president, and the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front, renamed the Popular Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), formed the first government. It is currently the only existing political legal entity in Eritrea. Presidential elections, scheduled for 1997, never took place. In 1998, a border war with Ethiopia over the town of Badme led to the deaths of approximately 19,000 Eritrean soldiers, a massive migration of Eritrean populations, and a disastrous economic impact. The Eritrean-Ethiopian conflict ended in 2000 with a negotiation known as the Algiers Accords, which entrusted an independent United Nations commission with the task of defining the border between the two nations. The Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) completed its investigation and arbitration in 2002, ruling that the city of Badme should belong to Eritrea. However, the Ethiopian government has not yet withdrawn its army from the city, which is feared to erupt again. The dispute was resolved on June 5, 2018, with Ethiopia’s announcement that it accepted the Algiers Accords to foster reconciliation between the two countries, withdrawing its army from Badme and returning the city to Eritrea. The first time I visited Eritrea was in 1992, with an initial exploratory group using the cars we had in Sudan, a destination planned at the time with my travel agency, Dune Viaggi. The immediate atmosphere was one of enthusiasm and excitement for the country’s future, which lay ahead after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the war with Ethiopia, and the first free elections to confirm the constitution. Over 90% of the population participated, with a 99% vote in favor of a new constitution. From that year on, and for the next five or six years, we were able to organize trips, including renting local cars from agencies that had since opened to tourism, especially from Italy for obvious historical reasons. Unfortunately, a series of political vicissitudes have blocked the country’s development and the opening to tourism, which has been dormant for several years. However, in recent years it has resumed, allowing Africa enthusiasts to live a unique experience, especially for Italians, allowing them to return to see a country that is trying to rise again!