Eritrea

C

Communications

A single, government-owned radio station serves Eritrea, and a television service, TV ERI, for Asmara was initiated in 1993, broadcasting in English, Tigrigna, and Tigre. In 2000 the country had around 1,820,000 radios and 100,000 television sets. The government publishes the newspaper Hadas Eritrea (New Eritrea) in Arabic and Tigrigna, and the weekly Eritrea Profile in English. There are also a number of independent weeklies produced in Asmara in various languages. Telecommunications are inadequate; around 9 telephones per 1,000 people are in use.

V

Government

Following the de facto liberation of Eritrea from Ethiopian rule in 1991, the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) took administrative control but agreed to hold a referendum on independence. The electorate approved independence in April 1993, and sovereignty was proclaimed on May 24. The formal transitional government, under EPLF control, was set up by decree in May 1993. This provided for a president, a council of ministers, and an appointive national assembly. A new 1996 constitution allowed for a multi-party system but forbade the ethnic or religious affiliation of political parties. Regional elections in 1997 led to the formation of a constituent assembly.

Isaias Afwerki, secretary-general of the EPLF, was formally elected interim president by the national assembly in June 1993. The country’s nine provinces are under the control of administrators appointed by the president. In addition to the EPLF, other political organizations include the Democratic Movement for the Liberation of Eritrea and the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF).

A

Health and Welfare

In 2004 there were 19,986 people per doctor and in 2008 the country had an infant mortality rate of 44 deaths per 1,000 live births.

B

Defence

In 2004 Eritrea’s armed forces totalled 201,750. Its army was 200,000-strong and its navy had 1,400 personnel. In 2002 there were numerous exchanges of prisoners of war with Ethiopia.

C

International Organizations

Eritrea is a member of the United Nations (UN) and the African Union.