Today, a fragile peace prevails and Eritrea faces the gigantic tasks of rebuilding its infrastructure and of developing its economy after more than 30 years of conflict.

OVERVIEW

A former Italian colony, Eritrea was occupied by the British in 1941. In 1952 the United Nations resolved to establish it as an autonomous entity federated with Ethiopia as a compromise between Ethiopian claims for sovereignty and Eritrean aspirations for independence. However, 10 years later the Ethiopian emperor, Haile Selassie, decided to annex it, triggering a 32-year-long armed struggle.

This culminated in independence shortly after an alliance of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) and a coalition of Ethiopian resistance movements defeated Haile Selassie's communist successor, Mengistu Haile Mariam.

In 1993, in a referendum supported by Ethiopia, the Eritrean people voted almost unanimously in favour of independence, leaving Ethiopia landlocked.

Nonetheless, the two countries hardly became good neighbours, with Ethiopian access to the Eritrean ports of Massawa and Assab and unequal trade terms being among the main stumbling blocks to improved relations.

In 1998 border disputes around the town of Badme erupted into open hostilities. This conflict formally ended with a peace deal in June 2000, but not before leaving both sides with tens of thousands of soldiers dead. A security zone, patrolled by UN forces, separates the two countries.

The unresolved border issue compounds other pressing problems. These include Eritrea's inability to provide enough food; two thirds of the population receive food aid. Moreover, economic progress is hampered by the proportion of Eritreans who are in the army rather than the workforce.

FACTS

• Population: 4.4 million (UN, 2005)
• Capital: Asmara
• Area: 117,400 sq km (45,300 sq miles)
• Major languages: Tigrinya, Tigre, Arabic, English
• Major religions: Islam, Christianity
• Life expectancy: 51 years (men), 55 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary unit: 1 Nakfa = 100 cents
• Main exports: Livestock, hides, sorghum, textiles, salt, light manufactures
• GNI per capita: US $190 (World Bank, 2005)
• Internet domain: .er
• International dialling code: +291

LEADERS

President: Isaias Afewerki

Isaias Afewerki was elected president of independent Eritrea by the country's national assembly in 1993. He had been the de facto leader before independence.

Isaias Afewerki - president since 1993

Presidential elections, planned for 1997, never materialised. Eritrea remains a one-party state, with the ruling People's Front for Democracy and Justice the only party allowed to operate.

Mr Afewerki has been criticised for failing to implement democratic reforms. His government has clamped down on its critics and has closed the private press.

Born in 1946 in Asmara, Isaias Afewerki joined the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) in 1966. He received military training in China the same year, then went on to be deputy divisional commander.

In 1970 he co-founded the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) and in 1987 he was elected secretary-general of the organisation.