Independence Day in Eritrea 2023: Every year, Eritrea celebrates Independence Day on May 24, although the festivities last an entire week. Included among these are carnivals, street performances, concerts, parades, tent gatherings, and flag waving. There is no doubt that Eritreans know how to celebrate! Eri-TV, the country’s state-owned television station, also airs documentaries during this week to remind citizens of the sacrifices made to liberate Eritrea. Picnics and barbecues are another way in which people of Eritrean descent around the globe express their patriotism.
HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE DAY IN ERITREA
After a conflict against the Ethiopian military regime, the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front moved into the capital city of Asmara on May 24, 1991 and restored the country’s independence. This conflict lasted thirty years. It is one of the most significant national festivals, alongside Martyrs’ Day and Revolution Day.
This day marked the conclusion of a lengthy and turbulent liberation struggle dating back to the 1800s. General Oreste Batratieri of Italy seized control of the coastal highlands of Eritrea and proclaimed it an Italian colony known as “Italian Eritrea.” The colonial government made substantial investments in the region’s infrastructure and agriculture and established new factories producing, among other things, pasta, cooking oil, meat packaging, and tobacco. Asmara, the capital metropolis of Eritrea, is still marked by the Italian influence.
During the Battle of Keren in 1941, the Italians were defeated by the British, who then assumed control of the country’s administration. The British administration lasted until approximately 1950, when they proposed dividing the country into two portions, one controlled by Britain and the other by Ethiopia. Eritrea was federated into Ethiopia in December 1950 at the urging of the United States, ignoring Eritrea’s demands for independence.
The Eritrean People’s Liberation Front ultimately defeated Ethiopian forces and established a one-party state after years of war and multiple liberation attempts by Eritrean organisations. From 1998 to 2000, there was another war between the two nations, which entailed a major border conflict between Badme and Zalambessa. In 2018, the conflict was resolved.
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FIVE ERITREA FACTS THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND
- A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Asmara is also known as New Rome or Italy’s African City.
- Although Tigrinya, Tigre, Saho, Kunama, Rashaida, Bilen, Afar, Beni, Amir, and Nera are widely spoken, there is no official language in Ethiopia.
- Since gaining independence, national elections have never been conducted.
- A million-year-old cranium with Homo Sapien and Homo Erectus characteristics was discovered in Eritrea’s Afar region.
- During the Aksumite Kingdom (100 A.D. to 940 A.D.), one of the ancient African cities known as Adulis was founded as a port.
INDEPENDENCE DAY IN ERITREA DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | May 24 | Wednesday |
| 2024 | May 24 | Friday |
| 2025 | May 24 | Saturday |
| 2026 | May 24 | Sunday |
| 2027 | May 24 | Monday |
