18 years ago today was the eve of independence for Eritrea. Following 30 years of war against the rest of Ethiopia and a UN-sponsored referendum in which the people overwhelmingly voted for independence, Eritrea finally became an independent country and gained international recognition on 24 May 1993. Relations with neighbour Ethiopia remained tense, and war erupted again in 1998 over a border dispute.
Eritrea is governed as a single-party state. Opposition political groups are not allowed, human rights are disregarded, and last year the country was ranked worst in the world for press freedom. A Constitution was drawn up in 1997 but it has never been implemented. National elections have been scheduled on several occasions but subsequently cancelled, so that elections have never been held. Freedom of religion is very limited.
Eritrea maintains reasonably good relationships with Italy, its former occupying power, and the European Union, although its relationship with the US is often strained due to alleged terrorist activity. In 2009 the US claimed that Eritrea was supplying weapons to the terrorist group al-Shabab in Somalia, and the UN and AU imposed sanctions and an arms embargo.