ERITREA | How did it become INDEPENDENT? | The remarkable story of its secession from ETHIOPIA
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- čas přidán 8. 07. 2024
- Eritrea's independence from Ethiopia, in 1993, is one of the most interesting cases of secession in modern politics. While many think of it as a case of unilateral secession, it wasn't. It was done with the blessing of Ethiopia. However, the way in which it secured the agreement of the Ethiopian Government is highly unusual, if not unique, story amongst modern independence movements.
Welcome to Independent Thinking. A channel dedicated to international relations, independence disputes, secession and the origins of countries.
Eritrea lies on a key trading route. Colonised by Italy in 1890, it came under British rule in 1941. In 1950, the UN decided that it should join Ethiopia in a federation. However, before long, the relationship broke down and in 1961, Eritrea launched an uprising against Ethiopian rule. This was to last for the next 30 years, until 1991. Following the fall of the Ethiopian regime, Eritrea was permitted to become independence. This was confirmed in a referendum held in April 1993. In May that year, Eritrea became the 183rd member of the United Nations. This is the story of how, after decades of conflict, Eritrea managed to gain Ethiopian support for its sovereign independent statehood.
CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction and Titles
0:49 Eritrea, secession and international politics
2:15 Eritrea under Italian colonial rule
4:09 Decolonisation and federation with Ethiopia
5:37 War of Independence, 1961-1991
7:54 Independence and UN membership
9:23 Post-independence tensions with Ethiopia
10:19 Understanding Eritrea's secession
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FURTHER READING & USEFUL SOURCES
1952 UN Report on Eritrea digitallibrary.un.org/record/...
UN GA Resolution 47/114 www.refworld.org/docid/3b00ef...
Secession and State Creation: What Everyone Needs to Know amzn.to/2MPY3W2 [PRE-ORDER]
Ashgate Research Companion to Secession amzn.to/2FabXyh
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Satow's Diplomatic Practice amzn.to/2sF1Kak
Recognition in International Relations amzn.to/2SJJmaY
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KEYWORDS
#Eritrea #Ethiopia #Independence
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#Secession #Statehood #Independence
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This is actually one of my favourite stories of secession. Eritrea has a fascinating history. (By the way, it actually takes its name from the Latin for the Red Sea - Mare Erythreum, which is in turn derived from Greek.) But what really made it stand out for me is the way that, when faced with opposition to its secession by Ethiopia, it completely turned the tables. I hope you find it as interesting as I do.
Thanks for watching. If you found this video useful, please do consider giving it a 'Like' and sharing it with others who might be interested. And do all consider subscribing. It helps the channel to grow! Much appreciated!
Could you do a video on the associated states in the Pacific? Like the Marshall Islands, ect?
Thanks sop much for the great suggestion. This is something that I have been thinking about quite a lot recently. It is such an interesting subject. I hope to do something on this soon. I have already been working on a video that is very closely linked to it, but explores a specific case study. I hope to publish this in the next few weeks.
@@JamesKerLindsay that sounds great, I can't wait to see it.
there is indeed an error in your Statement regarding the U.S support to the TPLF .TPLF was a Communist Group following the Albanian Model it was mainly supported by the EPLF .The EPLF Tank Units and Commando divison were on the side of the TPLF during the push in Ethiopia 1989-1991
Thanks a lot for the clarification. Yes, this was an interesting point. However, the Cold War often made strange bedfellows. From what I could find out, the US did ‘tacitly’ back the takeover. (See page 166 ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:c4c9ae33-0b5d-4fd6-b3f5-d02d5d2c7e38/download_file?file_format=pdf&safe_filename=Toni%2BWeis%2B-%2BDPhil%2Bthesis%2Bcomplete%2Bpre-viva.pdf&type_of_work=Thesis) But maybe the way it came across suggested that this US support was stronger than it was.
Only Eritrea 🇪🇷 do the impossible. Long live Eritrea and the heroes who sacrificed their lives for their fellow Eritreans
God bless our country 🇪🇷
@@gfgg7252😂
No heroes just pawns of Isayas! Eritreans are suffering in every way & federation with Ethiopia is the only way forward
GOD BLESS ERITREA 🇪🇷
Thanks professor, we Eritreans paid such a heavy price for our independence and we appreciate anyone who would spend time admiring the bravery of our fallen martyrs. Thanks again. Keep up the good work .
Thank you. It is an incredible story. In fact, as I said, it is unique in International relations.
@@JamesKerLindsay it WASN'T OVER HALF. IT WAS 98%
Every now and then we find a country that did the impossible, that found a way to not only secede, but also receive widespread recognition. Eritrea is one of those countries. What a fascinating story.
Thanks. It really is such an interesting story of secession, isn't it!? It is also one of the remarkably few successful cases secession in recent decades. (South Sudan being another. I will hopefully cover that in another video.) It really underscores just how hard it is to get independence without the permission of the parent state.
@@JamesKerLindsay permission of parent state? Don't worry, you will hear what is the truth one day. For now, I just want to tell you that NO ONE permitted Eritreas independence but her own heroes sons and daughters. The truth is the other way around EPLF was the one led TPLF to 4 Kilo(Arat kilo)
It’s because the TPLF was close to EPLF and they were in control of the country. Those close relations didn’t last long
Sorry but with all due respect F your "heroes", they were just pawns for Isayas, Look at your "country" now & you better thank Meles & TPLF, without them the huge blunder would've never been made@@08dawit
Kinda like Timor leste
As a Somali, I proud your victory over Ethiopia.
with somalias help we are grateful 🇪🇷🇸🇴❤
As an Eritrean we didn't asked a blessing from ethiopia or ethiopian we fought for 30 years and and we achieved it and spiking of overthrowing the derg from Addis Ababa was olso done by Eritrean special forces you can get the facts from tplf them self . I may have said a lot because you misrepresented Eritrea in some cases and I hope you look forward to fix it.🇪🇷 🇪🇷 🇪🇷 🇪🇷 🇪🇷 🇪🇷 🇪🇷 🇪🇷 🇪🇷 🇪🇷 🇪🇷 🇪🇷 🇪🇷 🇪🇷 🇪🇷 🇪🇷 🇪🇷 🇪🇷 🇪🇷 🇪🇷
I read the comments and I also left my comment using my husband’s page. Please take this with the utmost respect in my attempt to help you understand where some of us who corrected the presentation of this video. I don’t think people want to argue a professor in the field of international studies/law about the technical process in which a country can be internationally recognized as a nation state as you know the process more than the average person. The challenge with this video is in how you presented it in your explanation. For many that don’t know the history of Eritrea and it’s journey to independence, your presentation to explain that “technical process/law” presents the overall accomplishment of Eritrean people as having been giving “permission/full support.” You actually explain yourself better in the response you gave me in the comments than in the video. You would have needed to clearly separate the facts of the “struggle “ and give big credit to that part of the history” and then explain delicately the “process of the international law” aspect. As you might have figured by now due to comments the Eritrean people are not concerned with UN procedures/laws given it was the UN and Western powers that denied Eritrean people’s right to self determination. So when you say things like I was being complimentary of Eritrea’s unique achievement, the compliment was very focused on “getting permission” rather than presenting the achievement of Eritreans success in its totality. It seemed your presentation somehow was coming off slighting/disrespectful to the fact that Eritrea forced the hands of the powers so that Ethiopia had no choice but to give that permission you speak of. So you are not wrong about the facts and neither are the people in the comments of their complaints. It’s all in how you presented it. You could have explained this process without over using words like “allow, permission” since it still comes off as a slight to the actual on the ground work done by Eritrean people. I do appreciate learning about how a country becomes internationally recognized but I wish you did it with more care and respect and considering how this might come off to those people you are speaking of. After all, most who took time to watch and comment are people who care deeply about the history created by them and not just nationals who can’t accept facts of your video. In the comments when you got negative feedback, I was disappointed at your reaction - coming off defensive, disrespectful, insensitive, thoughtless, and even pompous. You didn’t come off as much in your response to my comment although you did sound a bit judgmental and arrogant when you said that you can’t believe they don’t teach the standard in Eritrea about the process as if this is top of mind for people who spent centuries trying to be free and now trying to build their nation. As I said, UN and international law is taking with a grain of salt when it served Eritreans with unjust decisions numerous of times. Please don’t get offended when people want to correct you in the way you presented this and yes even a few facts you didn’t present correctly. For example - you can’t simply say Christian Orthodox wanted to stay united with Ethiopia. This just isn’t true and it’s more of a complicated discussion then just notes to be read in a short presentation. Honestly, this might have been a topic you spent time to make a longer video so you can properly with care explain the process of Eritrea becoming a nation state as to not offend the very people you speak of. Overall, I appreciate your intent and your compliment to Eritrea. It’s rare the West gives any real credit to Eritrea but you did spend time to do this and that is great. I hope you consider making a follow up that helps present this info in a more respectful and delicate and more accurate way that fulfills the intent which I gather seemed to be deep admiration in the way Eritrea achieved her independence.
Good. I have tried to make him understand all what you wrote here. I was a bit angered when I heard him saying the words like "permission" Christian Orthodox" bla bla.
Well Said really
I requested him to read it
@@habtomtesfamichael6044 Thank you. I was a little surprised he did not respond since he responded to many of the comments. I think I was very fair in my feedback to him so he can understand rather than dismiss the complaints. Hopefully, he will take time to read my comment and decide to make another video.
One thing I thought of is that he made this video who know nothing about Eritrea because even in the comments he says things like what the meaning of the name Eritrea is. However, most Eritreans know plenty about Eritrea’s actual history.
I was so happy that Somali helped our Eritrean brothers and sisters to gain independence. Our late hero Siad barre said at one point Somali will support ertrean people even if super power try to attack us
We are one people forever 😍😍
Time to watch the Somaliland video it seems
@@mannyorange3098 Somaliland is still a state in Somalia 🇸🇴😂
🇪🇷🤝🇸🇴
@Justin Y. Bro, I be seeing you everywhere lol. You seem to be very knowledgeable. I would actually watch a video of yours if you made one to educate the uneducated.
Proud to be Eritrean ♥️🇪🇷♥️
As an Ethiopian i respect Eritreans for fighting so well and hard
Not y’all lost 🤣
Yes, Eritrea is Independent country since 30 years ago by breaking 4 big arms ( Ethiopia, America, Russia, and United Nation). It’s flag and ambassadors now all over the world. Awet N Hafash
Thanks. I really do think it was an incredible achievement and a truly fascinating story!
@@JamesKerLindsay it is a motivational revolution. The Eplf's fighters despline and moral has another level of dedication. Thank you
@@diddy558 I have to be honest with you in EPLF dictionary doesn't exist the way you explain them. It's not because EPLF accept that reality 100% . They have plan once they stabilized and concord 100% Ethiopian people. Separate Tigray with partially Assab Red sea that is the reason. That's the main reason the border conflict. Hopefully this will give you a little glimpse about crule terror EPLF
what about the ITALIAN COLONIALISM?
@@JamesKerLindsay what is fascinating about it?? Don't talk about history u don't know much.
To correct you Eritrea never been part of Ethiopia..It was an Independent country until colonized by some foreign countries including the so called the bloody Ethiopia...
@carl Johnson
It's reality Ethiopia is our enemies ever ..
@Carl Johnson specially considering he is a muslim. haha lol
This is just blatantly wrong
@@DahlaKabir-ERITREA-coast mybe ur enemy, I notice ur name isn't in geez script that answers alot
@@bobted6266
Eritrean history absolutely built based on ancient historical Islamic events. I'm not here to prove that but for such ignorant people like you, I would like to remind, once and forever Eritrea will only be for Eritreans .Yes we respect our Christian brothers but this doesn't give anyone right to make a judgemental competitive assumptions in country like Eritrea that has equality for all its citizens.
Thank you so much for your video!
Thank you so much for the kind comment. I really appreciate it.
The narrator states that the Italian colonialists were defeated by the British and Eritrean guerrillas. The primary antagonists were British and Indian troops vs Italians and Eritrean Askari. Also the post-WW2 British “administration” literally looted Eritrea of any transferable infrastructure thereby crippling any chance of an emerging Eritrea advancing economically. It was a criminal action by the British and a mainly untold story. It planted the seeds for what was essentially a UN/British hand-over of the country to Ethiopia and a horrible war to follow.
Eritrea gained its independence because the Eritrean people have voted with a procent of 99.83% to be an independence Country.
Ogaden voted... Djbouti voted... NFD voted...
Eritrea got independence because they done what somalis were not willing to do until the worst time which was March on Addis.
If said barre waited 5 years he could've skipped Jimmy useless Carter and the derg would've ripped itself apart.
Taking Addis you'd be able to negotiate Ogaden back take Djbouti and give afar part to Eritrea for support... and britian would give nfd back to somalia in exchange for the withdrawal without a complaint from the zanj
Eritrea has sacrificed many lives to achieved its independence, I was addis ababa when tplf enter the capital supported by Eplf. It was not possible tplf to stop eritrea to go its way to independent and was right path. Thanks.
I love Eritrea and its peoples without bias thinking our relationship was/still great as well regardless how they think or see thier current government. Love from Mogadishu.
Smart explanation thank you 👍👍👍
Thank you!
my borther eritrea by it selaf a country from the beging never been a part of Ethiopia but we ware under ethiopia ones a moment that is by force so eritrea is a country from the beging nover part of ethiopia and we got our super independency by our self no one give as as a gift bro so we dont need any ones help in all over to be endependent nation ........
Thank you. I know this is a sensitive point. But the international community considered Eritrea to be a part of Ethiopia. That is why it would not accept its independence until Ethiopia agreed. I know this is not what people in Eritrea are taught, but from the perspective of international law, that was the situation that existed. My video sought to explain how, given this restriction, Eritrea managed to overthrow the government in Ethiopia and so managed to secure the necessary agreement. It is an amazing story. Sadly, some seem to take offence at what I said. But that is only because the way the issue is taught in Eritrea doesn’t reflect the international legal and political problems Eritrea faced.
@@JamesKerLindsay so you are not telling the truth about Eritrea. Eritrea never belonged to Ethiopia. Eplf brought (helps) Tplf to arat kilo bro. We Eritreans achieved our independence on our own. Better to leave it instead of lying.
But didn’t the international law also say that those under colonies should get their independence but denied Eritrea the same right? So, does it mean we have to take the so called international as it’s face value? Did the moslems and Christian’s take a vote to say one of them voted for unity and the other one for independence? The Otherwise how do we say Christmas chose unity moslems for independence? British and the Ethiopian colonizers had also played a part for this division.
thank you dear!!!!
Thank you proff James
Thanks so much! I hope you enjoyed it.
@@JamesKerLindsay yes I live somaliland republic we hope to get recognition international community or all the world governments thank you James victory you
Thank You James every Eritrean Paid family member for indePendence Eritrea!!!
Yes. It is an amazing story that deserves to be better known and understood. Thank you for watching and commenting.
So how is that turned out more death and less freedom lol
@@teramnieritrea3167 if it feels better why is all Eritrean population want to die trying to find a different country than living in Eritrea?
@@amaharazion9686 bro it’s bad in Eritrea I know that, being an independent country with your own language and your own money, is better than being with Ethiopia a country that sold us to the British and Italians since Menelik days, being an Independent country is the best feeling in the world having 2 ports and Gold, a country that’s together, we are only a president death away from prospering.
Oh k
Great video as always!
If you want ideas I’d been interested in videos on maybe the federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland and gran Colombia. Both separated into multiple countries and lasted about 10 years. Both cobbled together without much for thought in my opinion. Both instances of decolonization. (2 different videos)
Thanks so much! I have had Rhodesia on my list of topics for a while. I’m really keen to cover it. It is such an interesting case. Gran Colombia is a great suggestion! I also have the Federal Republic of Central America in my list. The process of Spanish decolonisation in Central and South America is actually hugely important to the development of statehood. I must do some videos on it!
Brilliant! specially i love the conclusion
Thanks so much. It is such an interesting story. One of my favourites. Sadly, some Eritreans seem to be upset by it!
@Million K Berhe I certainly didn’t take a position. I think you are reading too much into it. In 1938, Britain went to war with Germany. In 1939, Germany went to war with Britain. Both are correct as statements of fact. By the way, you seem to be the first person to have raised this.
i’m not first
i’m not last
but when james ker lincy uploads
I click fast
The right of self determine, it is not the fake court or UN council to determine; it is the oppressed ones.
this video is amazing
Thank you so much. It is such a fascinating story.
James well done sir
I enjoyed the arguments in the comment section... I don't wanna be negative to ward ur presentation you did what you could. And it is not as bad as some people commented. One small comment I would give is that when preparing a video like this, I think you need to hear to the people of Eritrea at the first place. Especially the old generations who actually made the history. Because there is always two side of the story. So you need to be careful not to be biased...
Do you think was he wrong when mentioned the point that said the Christian chosen the federation with while the Muslim independence ?🤔🤔
@@DahlaKabir-ERITREA-coast Yes that was utterly nonsense, I have idea why he puts it that way. Probably it is written that way in international literature. You know the divide and rule strategy used to colonise countries, so I don't get surprised when people outside the country says such things by citing those articles for example.
You broke down the history but still call Ethiopia the parent state of Ethiopia confusing.You said half of the population was against the unification with Ethiopia in particular the Muslims true , but not all the Christians were in favor of unity. There were three political parties that represented the Christians and only one of them was pushing for unification with Ethiopia.
well explained Mr James 😘🇪🇷😘
Thank you very much!
Thank you for your content, not just a great video, but also for providing extensive links to provide additional information. I was wondering if you could make a video regarding Barotseland's desire to gain independence from Zambia and to re-establish their pre-colonial kingdom, after the 1964 agreement to ensure their autonomy was abrogated? Thank you
Thank you so much for the kind comment. I really appreciate it. (Especially welcome as I am taking a short break from editing today’s video!) What a brilliant suggestion! I have made a note of it. I can’t guarantee I will get around to it soon, but I will certainly try to do something on it. In the meantime, I am so glad you like the channel and took the time to let me know. It means a lot.
Sorry. But you are wrong. I have already explained this to you. However the union between Eritrea and Ethiopia came about, it was recognised as legal by the UN and the international community. Now, it may well have been completely unjust. But that doesn’t change the legal way it was viewed internationally. Therefore to become independent it officially needed Ethiopia’s consent. I know you don’t like this view. But from a legal and political perspective, that’s just how it was. This doesn’t deny that Eritrea liberated itself. In fact, I make that point. I also show why that liberation was particularly remarkable from a legal point of view. Again, if you’d really try to understand what I said, instead of wanting to take offence, then I think you’d see that this video was made with a positive intention, not a negative one!
It is very interesting topics you always reveal
Today this topic of the seccesion of Eritrea from Ethiopia and its history
As our issue of Somaliland also it is same.
--------_-------------------
THE HISTORY OF THE ERITREA STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE DEFINATELY LOOKS VERY MUCH LIKE THE HISTORY OF OUR STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE TILL TODAY IN SOMALILAND FROM THE PREVIOUS UNHAPPY UNION WITH SOMALIA AND STILL IT IS STANDING UNSOLVED ISSUE.
Thank you James
Thank you so much. I am really glad you found it interesting. I must say that I did think about Somaliland a lot while I was making it. The links between the cases are so interesting.
@@JamesKerLindsay bro i am somali but what i want tell u is that somaliland is comlpetely different from eriterea u may not understand this since u are not native person but i will tell u 6 regions in somaliland 3 of them are pro union meaning that they want to be part of somalia that is almost 47 percent of somaliland land area but why? becos they are not isaq clan they come from different clan but there population is small even though they settle almost half of somaliland in that case if there is refrendum or election they will lose and the isaq will win so in that scenerio is very clear to say its more of one clan democracy rather than democracy based on values like economic policies so please dont be very naive to say somaliland vs somalia its one clan only who are advocating for break away u need to do more reasearch before u say certain things and i will encourage to do becos in the issue of somalia as nation things are very complex its not easy at all those who are dominant .do what they want to do so dont be naive its not simple as u thing good luck
finally if somalilnd has to break away they will have to have permision of somalili federal governmnet do u think that will happen why becos its only one clan who want to break away in somalia they are almost more than 17 clans just think about it its not possible for one clan to be country that will mean the rest of other clans will want to be country than what u will have 17 countries even within somaliland they will be countries within imagine that that is why the world will not recognize somaliland becos of that it will be disaster so please dont be naive again somalis ethnically homogenous not like ethiopia or sudan
It’s not the same Isaaq wants independent other clans in the north don’t want to independent they all want to be part of Somalia
@@shacabweynaha801 He doesn’t care he is British so will justify the role of British played in dividing the somali lands into regions giving haud to Ethiopia and half of jubaland to Kenya
Thanks. I'm your subscriber now
Thank you very much! Do let me know if there are any topics you would like to see me cover. Always keen to hear ideas.
@@JamesKerLindsay Yeah. How about Western Sahara? Morocco doesn't want them to be recognized by anyone.
Thanks. I’ve actually done a couple of videos on Western Sahara. Here we go: czcams.com/video/ctjfFNmZfF8/video.html
I'm really appreciate your clear and true presentation ...Mainly I thank you for clarifying on the point which has been always as a matter of debating and criticisms !
The Christian chosen federation with Ethiopia while the Muslim independence 😍😍😍😍.Some of our politicians they hide it because it can't fit into their interests 😀😀😀.
The father of Eritrean revolutionaries who founded ELF and the one who started to fight aginst Ethiopian enemies was our hero of Adal region
Idris Hamid Awate ....R I P 🤔
Thank you so much. That’s really interesting. I hadn’t thought that the religious angle might be significant today. This might also explain some of the very hostile responses I’ve been getting from some nationalists. They seem really angry that I could suggest that Eritrea was ever formally a part of Ethiopia. In any case, thanks again. Take care and best regards from London.
But by saying that don't you think you are irradiating the sacrifices that many Christians succesionist underwent way before the the start of the revolution. People like woldeab woldemariam, ras tesema, degiat asmerom, degiat bahta hagos and the whole eritra n eritrawian party paid a huge sacrifices, escaping assassination attempts and brutal crack downs.
@@erismara9099
Weldaab was probably dreaming about creating tigray tigrinya nation
He wasn't serious about Eritrean liberation but finally when he realizes his ideology had failed he played his second Card on Eritrean independence..
bro jebha was muslim hizbawi ginbar was christian and who won where is jebha in sudan now if you want you can go sudan too nobody wants you except medri fara
@@erismara9099 wrong! Read Eritrean history before Italian colonization. It is good to open because it is mid day.
thank u for helping me with my paper lol 🙏🏾
Great. Glad it helped. 😀
Very smart man!
God bless my beloved eritrea!
It really is an amazing story. I know some people feel angry at the way I presented it, but I think that most viewers have understood that I made it with a lot of admiration at how it secured its independence. It is a unique case in modern international relations.
@@JamesKerLindsay
Thank a lot you are blessed!
well we have unique history, since we fought the enemy with their own weapons. We never asked permission from Ethiopia to get our independence, so many heroes sacrificed themselves for 30 years so we can get our independence. EPLF is the one who liberated adissabeba and handed it to TPLF, Ethiopia was in no position to give permission
Thanks. But from an international law perspective, Eritrea was a part of Ethiopia. (Whether this was fair or legal is a separate question.) This meant it had to get permission to secede. The international community would not have recognised it otherwise. Just look at Somaliland. This is my point. In order to get that ‘permission’, Eritrean forces overthrew the Ethiopian Government. Now, I know that this is not the story that is told in Eritrea. But from an international political and legal perspective, which is what this channel covers, this is how things happened. I mean no insult here. Quite the contrary. I admire what Eritrea did. It is a unique case. That’s why I made the video. I am just sad that so many Eritreans feel that somehow I have denigrated their history simply by putting what happened in its correct international context and explained why it is such an unusual case in international relations.
You are disgraceful. Eritrea was part of Ethiopia. You even don't have a common knowledge history yet someone is telling you about it who is a European man. Be a good person. They are one people. Don't be boastful and prideful. Don't say that we gain our independence by ourself only. There was many reason for that. However they are one country despite of their fake differences by artificial border.
@@rezenegebreab4743 typical Ethiopian, YES WE ARE PROUD, we got rid of mengstu despite his huge army and help from different countries. Ethiopia is not even able to handle the crises of Tigray yet you want us to joint with you, what a joke
TPLF took down Mengistu, gave you your silly country, get that through your thick skull@@erigirl9358
Good trial but need some correction
Thank you for your endeavour doing this video.
God bless you!
Thank you so much. It is always very difficult to take complex situations and reduce them down to ten minutes. There are always things that need to be cut out or covered very quickly. (And inevitably errors will occasionally creep in. Although I take a lot of tine to research each video.) But I do hope that the main point gets through. Eritrea’s independence is a fascinating story. In any case, thanks for the kind support. I appreciate it. Keep well.
interesting as always!
Thanks a lot! I hope you are well.
Secession is not the right word... you haven’t done your research we got back what was ours unfortunately through bitter struggle... you are twisting to make fit your narration
I can assure you I have done my research. (I’m a professor of international relations who writes on secession.) In international law, it was a case of secession. However, I also understand that in Eritrea the official history is that the country was taking back what was always rightfully its own. That is fine for an official narrative. But from a purely legal point of view, and international relations, it was certainly an act of secession - albeit a fascinating one. I tried to explain what made it so interesting and genuinely thought most Eritreans would be pleased to hear their story told. I must say that I really don’t understand why some many Eritrean nationalists seem upset by this!
@@JamesKerLindsay its because they are being emotional and doesnt have the knowledge to argue with aprofessor of international relations,you can see that when they made bold claims that eritrea was never part of ethiopia even if it was federeted and later annexed to ethiopia.obviously you know more about history of eritrean independece than they do.as an ethiopian i have always wondered how eritrea managed to be independent and you have answered it.keep it up
@@gechogebeyehu5836 Thank you very much. It has been surprising to see the way some from Eritrea have reacted. (Though I have also had lots of really positive comments from Eritreans as well. Again, it seems to be a particularly nationalist viewpoint that dislikes it.) in any case, I’m glad you found it interesting and useful. Very best regards from London.
@@gechogebeyehu5836 Ayenante dogmo,mshnef lenante eko bekimerjanow, 3.5million people and 85million, endesu kehone ahun tgray mashenf nebrbat bahunsat, Esu hasottarik slawera Aseb atagatm ok, but at least Hakigigna triklelgachu mstemar alach, weddkm tlakm Eritrea was not apart of Ethiopia, but Ethiopia was paped of western then they forested Eritrea by fedration tobe under you guys, 1thing GOD is allwsys with Eritrea even thought the world is still against us,GOD BLESS THE PEOPL AND LEADERS OF ERITREA AS ALLWAYS 🇪🇷❤🇪🇷❤🇪🇷❤🇪🇷❤🇪🇷❤🇪🇷❤🇪🇷❤🇪🇷❤🇪🇷
Can you do a video on the Somali region recognized under Ethiopia and its fight for independence.
Thanks.great suggestion. I have touched on Ogaden in my video on Somalia, but I hope to come back to it.
Yes and do make a video about Somaliland that is a country that fight for independence from Somalia
Exploring these fascinating and phenomenally-well researched videos in the opposite chronological sequence in which they appeared, I find myself with more questions than I can ask. Now in November 2020 with a looming (if not already sparked) crisis between the Federal Ethiopian government in Addis Ababa and Tigray separatists in the north, is it possible that neighboring Eritrea (with about half of its population Tigrinya speakers) will involve itself in the fray, ostensibly to assist its brethren in the Tigray Region? Sadly, this seems to have the potential to resurrect the border dispute with Ethiopia, the cessation of which brought Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed the Nobel Peace Prize.
Thanks James for yet another great video. I wm surprised how 20 countries expressed that Eritrea should not be forced to union before Ethiopia decided. Somaliland is now on the opposite is told to talk with Somalia. Do you have a comment ans can you share the link for that reference
Thanks so much. It is so interesting to compare the two cases isn't it?! I also found it fascinating that the decision on federation was taken by the UN. (And remembering that, at the time, Ethiopia was one of the very few African states in the UN and so would have been in a strong position to lobby other members.) Ultimately, it really underlines just how important the permission of the 'parent state' is in cases secession. Countries really don't want to set a precedent for unilateral secession. As long as the state a territory is breaking away from agrees to the separation, then everything is fine. If it doesn't, then the territory seeking independence is trapped. Sadly, this is exactly the position that Somaliland now finds itself in, even though its claim to independence and statehood is obviously one of the strongest in the world. Anyway, I am really glad you found it interesting and took the time to let me know. I always appreciate it! (And do please share it with anyone else who might be interested.)
Thanks a million u did fantastic, always what bothering me is why Italy and British as colonizers didn't help Eritrea and eritreans, never supported nor witnessed the truth, we have been thought a lot in front of their eyes. It is sad .thanks
Thank you. It is a really incredibly story that has had a special place in the list of Independence movements. And hopefully I explained why no one was willing to help. As far as the world saw it, it was part of Ethiopia and they didn’t want to question it.
You have shallow knowledge on this case try to read and learn more about Eritrea . Ethiopia annexed Eritrea. Eritrea was never a part of Ethiopia you can mention axumait empire but it doesn't mean Eritrea was part of Ethiopia, you can check when was Ethiopia formally founded and got its name it you will learn that Eritrea was never part of Ethiopia, and Eritrea didn't get the permission form Ethiopia, Eritrea gained it independence and practice referendum to assure the international community that people of Eritrea want their independence ,
Thanks. Tell yourself whatever you want! But Eritrea couldn’t unilaterally secede. It had to get Ethiopia’s permission. You might not like that. But that is how it was viewed by the international community. So, Eritreans did that in a really interesting and unusual way. I’m really amazed how many Eritreans seem upset by this video. They should be proud. But they’re not. Which tells me that you are being taught a very distorted view of international relations!
@@JamesKerLindsay we are upset because what you're saying is far away from the truth . Eritrea was a country before the Italian occupation Eritrea was never ever part of Ethiopia and Ethiopia annexed Eritrea with the blessing of western countries the un etc , so how can you said Eritrea is a breakaway country we're not a partof etiopianin first place. And we proud because we got our independence by our blood sweat and voice no one gives us, period , don't misinform your few followers get your facts straight
Sorry. But you can’t get me to rewrite reality to fit some of national narrative that you’ve created. Eritrea was considered to be a part of Ethiopia by the international community. Now, that may have been done unfairly. And I show how it was done by the UN rather arbitrarily. But the fact remains that it was seen as a part of Ethiopia. It then broke away in a fascinating and unusual way. Seriously, what is so hard to accept here!?
@@JamesKerLindsay how is that Eritrea alone seen as part of Ethiopia if all African countries are created by colonial treaty. You tell so many distorted info to your followers. But you are not the first one twisting Eritreas story
@carl Johnson silly boy, do Not dream a day dream. Ethiopa brought Africas largest military arsenal, sport from USA, Soviet Union, Cuba, East Germany........ to crash us Eritrea and wished to make part of Ethiopia. Eritreas right for sovernity was violated. 115 million populated Ethiopia vis 5 million Eritrea with all Super power support lost the battle big time. After relatively few years peace between the two neighbouring countries, again another aggression against sovereign Eritrea making excuses of flash point Badme a massive attack failed again in 1998. Since then, they done all kind of trick, sanctions, different master minded dirty games on little but never kneeling down the unbreakable stable brave and smart people. But failed. They had only one choice and that is to make long lasting peace. Silly boy you need to learn history and lessons
Yes sacrificed the blood of Eritreans for Eritrea 🇪🇷 to exist.
Do you know how the African states were formed and took their present shape? Ethiopia ,for it self, took its present form with the advent of the European colonialism. Therefore, if Ethiopia didn't for itself had a clear boundary, how do you think Eritrea was possibly part of it. All the boundaries in Africa are more or less the same. And they gained their independence based on the newly created boundaries. For your knowledge, this imposed boundaries were divided arbitrarily without any consideration to the local inhabitants which would later have far reaching effect. It divided brotherly peoples in to two. A lot of problems today in Africa are associated with this. They left us with a lot of misery
Agreed. But I also have to explain the world as it is and operates, not as you, I or anyone else would like it to be. I can’t say that Eritrea wasn’t a part of Ethiopia when that is how the international community saw it. It would be incorrect to say otherwise. Whether that was fair is another question. And people from Eritrea should make it clear that they never felt that annexation was just or legal. But to start accusing me of being a liar or anti-Eritrean because I explain the situation as it existed - even though the overall message of the video was to tell Eritrea’s remarkable story of independence - does not reflect well on those commenters.
@@JamesKerLindsay How about you show us a map of a nation called Ethiopia that inludes Eritrea before 1951? What does the "international comunity" even mean?
@@JamesKerLindsay I'm Eritrean and I think some of the comments are overblown and too harsh, sorry about that on behalf of all Eritreans. It's just that any real or perceived statement undermining Eritrea's sovereignity is a sensitive matter. But how they're reacting is too harsh, you did your best and with the best intentions. Thanks for making a video on the war of independence, I haven't seen anyone else do it.
@@JamesKerLindsay the international community would have seen it as such for imperialistic interests as they do with most African nations.
It's not interesting It's the naked truth. You said it.
Very shallow presentation from an Eritrean perspective. We fought against all odds and finally we defeated the Ethio army backed by both super powers.
Ethiopia wasn't backed by any super powers bro stop capping
@@mikupro3359 You should go back learn Ethiopia history in 20th century. The Emperor was best allie of the West. And the socialist Mengstu Hailemariam was backed by Russia (USSR).
@@mikupro3359 Lies, Ethiopia was openly backed by the Soviet Union in the means of combat officers, arms, fighter jets, tanks, and lots of money. Not to mention Ethiopia was 12 times larger than Eritrea in terms of population and Ethiopia also had more soldiers.
Prof James very interesting, Eritrea's struggle sounds similar to Somaliland's one.
Most likely Somaliland will have internationally back referendum, after all dialogue fails.
@Merciful The video is in that language, what you don't understand English?
@Merciful I'm Djiboutian, didn't you ask me same question the other day.
I dont got time for weirdos.
Prosperous Is Somalia language Swahili
@Prosperous you wished dummy.
@Zakaria Ali Unlike Somaliland those places you listed weren't a independent state, so stop wasting your time on a pointless argument, go fixed your failed state of Zoomalia before you talk about others.
I just saw your narration about Ethiopian recent war.
You missed the background of the story - was it intentional like your elite fore fathers?
There is no need for such tone. There will be some omissions in a short youtube video but he touched on most important points to explain the events leading to Eritrean independence. Most people don't care enough to go into every miniscule detail that will be argued back and forth between involved parties.
Eritrea fought for decades but Somaliland deserved recognition more than Eritrea Somaliland took independence from 🇬🇧 in 1960 26 June and now it has its own currency flag and passport its democratic and peaceful
Somaliland will get recognized one day or another
do you like traveling james ker lincy?
There is a lot of flawed information in this video. To People who need to know about Eritrea - this is not certainly a credible source. it would be better to read or watch other sources,. You can refer independent journalists and or read books about Eritrea.
I must say that I am fascinated. Of all the videos I have done, this seems to be the one that gets the most unexpected criticism. I tell the story of Eritrea's amazing path to independence, and all I seem to get is Eritrean nationalists who seem angry that I put the story in the context of international law. Whether you like it or not, or whether you agree or not, Eritrea was considered by the international community to be a part of Ethiopia. It therefore needed Ethiopia's permission to secede. I know you don't believe this was the case. But seen from outside, it was. I show how it found a war to get that permission. Really, it is an incredible story. And yet Eritrean nationalists, instead of trying to understand what makes the country's path to independence so interesting and special from an international perspective, seem to get themselves upset because it doesn't fit with the story you want to tell yourselves. Seriously, you might want to take a moment to realise when outsiders might actually be supporting you!
@@JamesKerLindsay With all due respect- when I (to represent myself) criticize to what it seems misleading info, it is to correct. I don’t have any other motive or ultra-nationalist feeling. You can never know my country’s history more than I do, in the first place.
Why you have got unexpected criticism, it’s because there are mistakes. As simple as that.
When comes to the so called international law, it was because of the absence of international law that we were forced to take arms. You need to understand that, when most of the African countries were getting their independence from European colonialism, Eritrea was denied this right. Instead it was forced to be federated with Ethiopia despite a vast majority’s choice for independence for the strategic interest of the USA. Remember what the then secretary of state of the USA, John Foster Dulles said at that time “from the point of view of justice, the opinion of the Eritrean people must receive consideration. Nevertheless, the strategic interests of the USA in the red sea basin and world peace make it necessary that the country be linked with our ally Ethiopia”. Based on this flagrant violation of people’s right and international law Eritrea was federated with Ethiopia for ten years under the trusteeship of the UN. But when Ethiopia violated the federal rules and annexed Eritrea the UN which was intended to apply the international law and guarantee peace said nothing and the people of Eritrea’s plea fell on deaf ears. That is how the armed struggle was started.
While the struggle was going on the field, the Eritrea liberation organization (the EPLF) was preparing all necessary measures that were deemed necessary to make the Eritrean struggle for independence a reality. This includes toppling the government that doesn’t recognize Eritrea’s right to self-determination, by forces who are loyal and dependent on to the EPLF. At last the EPLF entered to the capital of ADDIS ABBEBA, the capital of Ethiopia with other Ethiopian opposition forces. This was done preemptively to not fall on the mercy of Ethiopia and beg “permission” .
So what I want to say is that we didn’t achieved our independence by the “permission” of Ethiopia but by our “BLOOD & VOICE”. It was a choice for the Ethiopians whether to accept the outcome of the referendum or reject it. And we made sure that this can’t be rejected - beforehand.
Another thing what you said is that ….upset because it doesn't fit with the story you want to tell yourselves.
Why wouldn’t we? We made the history and we tell it ourselves and we don’t accept it when it is told wrongly.
Habtom Tesfamichael Thanks. I tried to explain, but my comments were obviously completely ignored. I’ll let you believe what you want to believe. No point taking this further.
James the problem you don't know is Eritreans have been taught a different version of history. That they were never part of Ethiopia. Which isnt true. That they were occupied by Ethiopia. Even during the 16 century it was a vassal province of abyssinia as Ethiopia was called at that time. Some times the midri bahri leadership would pay tribute to the king in Addis Ababa. And some times not and fight. Nevertheless it was part of Ethiopia. Eritrean mother used to name their daughters Ethiopia in the 40s 50 60 70s. Also Eritreans are being misled by their govt. They aren't told that Eritrea gained independence through Ethiopia accepting and allowing a referendum in Eritrea. They how ever installed a favorite govt in Addis. To their bidding nevertheless. It needed the permission of Ethiopia to have recognition. It could have unilaterally declared independence though. And maybe even get some states like Arabs States to recognise it. Arabs supported ertrea independence. From the beginning. But UN acceptance wouldn't be possible. Gives James a break he told the truth about Eritrea its history with regards to international law and legality of states.
@@milla411 "What you did to us and our country" What??? Has this professor invaded Eritrea or smt? he didnt do shit
Good presentation but i was expecting you to mention some of the operations that were turning points for the EPLF's victory over the fascist Derg-regim. The battle of Afabet 1988 was related by a then foreign observers to the battle of 'Dien Bien Phu' between america and vietam .
Thank you so much for the comment. I really appreciate it. Unfortunately, in a short video, I can over cover a certain number of points. I have to omit a lot of information in all my videos. Also, as my focus is more on politics and international relations, rather than military history, I had to leave out many specific details leading to the historic events of May 1991. But thanks a lot for raising them!
God will is done for Eritrea
Your explanation of Eritrea's "unique" way of achieving independence is a bit misleading. When you say , "it's independence was achieved with the full support of the parent country"...not by wearing down the parent country. This is not a factual statement but more of your perspective in how it looks to you. Eritrea did wear down Ethiopia and even supported the TPLF to gain power in Ethiopia against the Derg. So the 30 years war was the wear down that it took to bring the independence to fruition. It helped put in place the TPLF who supported Eritrea's independence at the time given the support EPLF gave TPLF in it's efforts to over throw the Derg from Ethiopian leadership. So the idea that Eritrea achieved it's independence via the full support of the Ethiopian government is incorrect. Eritrea essentially over threw it's oppressor in order to achieve independence. There was no real permission. The government it needed to over throw was gone and so had the greenlight to continue with the formal process to gain independence. I just don't get why you are saying things like "permission or full support" from the parent country. This makes no sense. Whoever wins the war gets the spoils and for Eritrea it was it's full right to nationhood. Also, Eritrea was not part of Ethiopia and the part about Christian Eritreans were not for independence is also misleading.
So in summary it was a unilateral secession for all the points I made above.
Thanks. I am getting this a lot. The point us that from a legal perspective, Eritrea was considered to be a part of Ethiopia. Of course, it could break away. But it would not have been recognised by the international community. Under international law, and usual international political practice, a territory seeking independence needs the permission of the parent state - as the country it is breaking away from is usually known. In this case, the international community regarded Eritrea as a part of Ethiopia and so it would not accept Eritrea’s independence without Ethiopia’s permission. That’s just how it works. If you watch my other videos on international law and self-determination you will see why. I understand that people in Eritrea believe that they had a right to independence and that they didn’t have to ask for permission. However, from the international perspective, they did. But this is why I think Eritrea’s independence was so interesting and special. Faced with this problem, it overthrew the government that opposed its independence and installed over that did accept it, thereby opening the way for the international community to accept it too. I think the problem is that the way the story is told in Eritrea fails to explain how things usually work. This is why Scotland, even though it was once an independent country, can’t simply break away at will. It also explains the problems Somaliland, a nearby neighbour of Eritrea, faces. Really, the root of the criticism I get is not because I’ve got it wrong from the position of international law and politics, but because that standard international law perspective is never taught in Eritrea for some reason.
@@JamesKerLindsay We don't really care about the international law or UN etc. they are all nonsense. These were not applied to us and it was the UN, the guarantor of the Federation who was supposed to overlook it if it's violated, said nothing when it was abrogated by Ethiopia.
@@habtomtesfamichael6044 Well, that just sums up the problem nicely then. Not really much to discuss on a channel dedicated to examining issues within the framework of international law and political norms. If you want a serious discussion, then I’m open to it. If you want to ignore objective reality, then there’s not much ground for debate.
James Ker-Lindsay You should understand that the UN does not always do what is morally just but rather works for their own interests and many times for the interest of the West. For example, in the 1998-2000 border war the UN declared that Badme rightfully belongs to Eritrea in the Algiers Agreement, which resulted in a definitive ruling on the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea. The international community backed the ruling, signed in 2002, and both sides agreed to the U.N. Boundary Commission's terms. But Badme is Ethiopian controlled territory today and has been since 2002. Unlawful occupation of foreign territory. This is a violation of international law and should be condemned on all grounds yet the world does nothing because it is to their interest.
👍true
We sacrificed so much for our independent country. The goal was to prosper, to be ruled by our own people. Isayas has done the exact opposite of what we wanted as people. And now involving himself on internal affair in the very country we fought to separate from smh 🤦🏾♂️
Exactly.
the Vastmajority ? this is clearly wrong .There was a movement supported by the King of Ethiopia that prefered Union based on cultural similarities but there was also force used to intimidate eritreans at that time .The Narration is very simplistic and superficial.The Orthodox Chruch played a role in the intimidation by telling mostly rural inhabitants that defying the King would bring them excommunication from the church and they were not allowed to baptise their children ...so please tell the whole story
Thanks. I was working off UN reports at the time that essentially presented the situation in binary terms. So thanks again for the clarifications. On a more general point, I can see that you obviously want to find points to argue with in the video. Fair enough. But please bear in mind that it is a 12 minute video explaining how Eritrea’s independence fits into our understanding of secession in international relations. The focus is on international politics, not the very particular specifics of the case, which cannot possibly be covered in detail in ten minutes. It is not meant to be a degree course on Eritrean history. It is meant to be a brief case study. I think it makes the point it needs to: that Eritrea’s secession is very unusual in modern international affairs. :-)
@@JamesKerLindsay i am not trying to find a point in your video ,for what reason but i want to correct you ,when i see error as i want to see my countries History in the right way and the point you raised with Orthodox christians favored Union with Ethiopia as Majority is misleading .I don't imply any bad intention on your side
Point well taken. Thanks again for the clarifications.
Thanks ❤️🇪🇷❤️🙏
Thank you. It is an amazing story.
OUR COUNTRY WAS LIBRATED BY OUR MARTYRS BLOOD! James good job though.
Interesting how you omit the facts that the US manipulated the UN into federating Eritrea with Ethiopia. John Foster Dulles famously statement on Eritrea. His brother running the state department also had a hand in the foreign policy of the US vis-à-vis Eritrea. The US was awarded with a military base in Eritrea by Ethiopia.
You also didn’t mention how Haile Selassie regime dissolved the Eritrean parliament, abolished our languages of instruction in schools Arabic and Tigrinya and burnt all our books. Many of the pro independent party leaders were also assassinated or detained and others left the country to seek refuge in Egypt.
They done the same to take ogaden they signed a deal with Italy to give them ability to build railway from Eritrea to dir dawa...
Lol not colonised my ass they sold everyone else out and worked with them
I am glad this history also verified the lies that Ethiopia was never colonized . It was colonized by the Italians at their 2nd attempt. Ethiopia wouldn't have gain back their independence without the help of the British.
That is false. They were occupied not colonised. 80%of the land was under the patriots and there was no colonial administration
Correction: To create the "Somali Republic" not Somalia 4:00
Thanks. Officially, it was indeed the Somali Republic. But it was just as an aside in this video, which is focused on Eritrea. If you are interested in Somalia and Somaliland, I cover them in more detail in this video: czcams.com/video/hOkZKiVUg10/video.html
James the official name is the Somali Republic but Somalia and somali Republic are used interchangeably.
Love for Eritrea from Ethiopia 🇪🇹🇪🇷
Eritrea 🇪🇷
The Idea of Eritrean independence from Ethiopia is portrayed as if u are amputating an arm from it's body, but in truth as all of African boundaries the boundary between Eritrea and Ethiopia is drawn by colonial powers same way as the borders of Ethiopia with other East African neighbouring countries is done so it was an invasion of Ethiopia against the will of Eritrea that the Eritrean fought and prevailed to get rid of, if you want to know about the History of East Africa before colonialism you have to work on your own finding because the story that you can find is tampered by the British and their puppets the Ethiopian monarchy our history is not different from Europe under the Roman Empire and the Middle East east under the Ottoman Empire and we don't see Italy claiming France or the Turkey claiming Jordan, and never have anyone stopped supporting Ethiopia when it comes against Eritrea in previous war of raising our flag the US was always there even during the time of the communist Derg regim the US was active trying to save them no matter their connections with USSR, and in 1998 the war that followed protecting our existence protecting our boundaries the US and it's Western alliance are the ones that spearhead the Invasion so the issue of Eritrea and it's struggles and it's achievements needs a great story teller
James Ker-Lindsey, thanks for the amazing video and very informative narrative from an international perspective. We Eritreans know our history mostly from the military aspect side of it only. We are raised watching a graphic footage of the 30 years war and really amazing battles wins over an overwhelmingly superior enemy with the latest war hardware. I couldn't be prouder of my history. Please forgive my brothers who are a bit feisty and could not accept some of your well researched points. Infact I can go so far as to say you really got the facts correct compared to many other annoying videos of Eritrea made by westerners. We Eritreans as you now found out from the comments care and are taught only the military wins of our guerilla fighters but rarely are exposed to what goes on behind the scenes. Now of course I'm a firm opposer of the dictator who evolved from EPLF/ PFDJ and I now reside in USA as a former Eritrean military serviceman. For such a great country birthed of an amazing struggle to which you attest, we have fallen far from grace and now we have became the equivalent of North Korea in Africa. The intolerant voices of some Eritreans here is a byproduct of 29 years of cheap communist style propaganda and self affirmation indoctrination.
Dear Tedros, thank you so much for your extremely kind comment. I really appreciate it. I have been a bit surprised by the reaction from a number of Eritreans, but it has given me a very interesting insight into the way that history is taught in Eritrea. I certainly didn’t mean to offend anyone. As you saw, and fortunately many other Eritreans have seen, I said it with genuine admiration. From the perspective of international law and international politics, Eritrea achieved something very special. It really is a fascinating, if not wholly unique, case. I hoped to bring that out and show that Eritrea actually achieved something amazing. And that it should be proud of its history. Sadly, many seem to have felt offended. Still, it is really kind of you to write such a nice message. Again, I really appreciate it. Take care and thanks again. Very best regards from London.
@@JamesKerLindsay As an Eritrean, you actually did a great job explaining how we won independence. It made me subscribe. Unfortunately things didn't go as good as we have hoped after the independence.
I lost my mam her first husband my Old bother too many people I now them.
2:26 Eritrea's flag has a wreath, not a star. That looks like a fan-fiction flag of a united Tigray-Eritrean state.
That was our eplf flag goofy
That was our flag till 93
Bro really called our Liberation flag "Fan fiction" 💀
an objektive analysis, in comparation to some liars of history. good job.
Thank you. Yes, I’m finding some very interesting responses to the video from some quarters.
Italy acquired overseas territory before it controlled Rome
Although you have mentioned important facts, I miss in your story that the real reason for federating Eritrea was not the difference between Eritrean christians and muslims. Instead, it was purposly planed by the US ans the British for their own geo-political interests. The British has taken everything of economic importance, and what they couldn't take, they sold it to countries like the Sudan. This is done to claim during the UN submit, that Eritrea can not take care of it self economically.You have told many details, but you still need to study the case again to understand why Eritrea did not get its independence when the colonizers left. I am left with two options after watching this video.1 you have not done your home work of studying the case proberly and I am not pleased you came with silly reasons why Eritrea did not get its independence when all african countries did.
2. You are purposely hiding some important facts.
Which one is it?
What about east Timor
I have done a video on East Timor. :-) czcams.com/video/zo752UfVwYk/video.htmlsi=vb9-Gkc6K6y813fW
That is how Eritreans is turned to south Korea of Africa lol
It is such a good portrayal!! Would you make a narrative about the Cushite people in Ethiopia being enslaved I find a reliable resource about it and want your insights about it? Keep up the good work! 👍🏼
Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. And thanks so much for the suggestion. I will look into it. I certainly plan to look at Ethiopia in more detail in future videos.
@@JamesKerLindsay bless🙏🏼
LMAO WHat?! You MUST be a Somali! Cushite being enslaved?
Some of ur facts r right but some are not true or not well fact checked to mention some
There were a lot of parties before the federation some who wanted autonomy some with the influence of the emperor of Ethiopia I don’t want to mention his name who wanted to unit with Ethiopia but even though there was religious base in some parties u forgot that the Muslim and Christian members of those parties joined together for the autonomy of Eritrea
Secondly Eritrea didn’t get its independence from Ethiopia no country gives independence to another country if it does belong to it before let me give u example the Ethiopians claim that they t the only country never to be colonized so u tell me this if Eritrea was part of Ethiopia it would mean that Ethiopia was colonized because just before the Ethiopians forcibly annexed Eritrea, Eritrea was colonized by four country’s the Turkish empire, Egypt, Italy and the uk
I would wanna say pls just don’t present the history of people who gave a lot for their independence skewed from the truth just so it can fit in 12 minutes better do ur homework thanks
Thank you. I realise that this is a sensitive point. In Eritrea you believe that you were never a part of Ethiopia. The problem is that this was not how it was seen by the international community. As far as the world was concerned Eritrea was part of Ethiopia. It therefore needed Ethiopia’s permission to become independent. Again, I know this is contrary to the official view in Eritrea, but this was how the situation more widely understood. (My channel is largely about secession and independence, and it is one of my academic area of academic specialisation, and so it is something I deal with a lot!) My video sought to explain how, given this situation, Eritrea became independent by overthrowing the Ethiopian government that stood in the way of independence. It is an amazing and unique story. I am just sorry that some (though certainly by no means all) viewers from Eritrea seem to have been offended. That was not my intention. Quite the opposite. It is an interesting and important story to explain for anyone interested in secession. But I cannot change the fundamental realities of the situation to fit a particular historical narrative. From a legal and political perspective, my main point stands. I think you’ll find that many territories seeking independence will argue that they should never have been incorporated into the state they now want to break away from. That may be true. But what matters is whether the international community regards that incorporation as legal or legitimate. If it does, then secession become very difficult without the acceptance of that state. This is what happened in the case of Eritrea. But Eritrea found a unique way to deal with this obstacle!
@@JamesKerLindsay France was part of Germany (Third Reich), England was part of the Roman Empire, China was part of Japan....are you telling us all this countries were GRANTED their independence from their respective overlords? Just like China, Burma, Egypt, Morocco, Iran, Oman and many more, Eritrea is an ancient nation that went through various occupation, the last being Ethiopian.
@@teages Thanks. I have covered this in various other videos and comments. We are dealing with the post-1945 international system.
🇪🇷🇪🇷🇪🇷🇪🇷🇪🇷🇪🇷
The fact that you down played Eritrean history and struggle shows your un educated in the history of Eritrea 🇪🇷.
Absolute nonsense. I placed a lot of emphasis on its unique struggle for independence - as evidenced by the fact that I even made this video!
@@JamesKerLindsay what’s nonsense is your documentation on Eritrea 🇪🇷. I suggest you re visit the subject and do a proper investigation… instead of undermining the history.
Sorry. But you are wrong. This is fully accurate. I realise that people are taught a particular version of history that says something else - and many countries do this. But from a legal and political position the video is accurate.
@@JamesKerLindsay 😂😂😂 what a lazy reply to justify nonsense. James your a young man..You have plenty of time to study and witness the continuous achievements of The Great Nation of Eritrea 🇪🇷. I hope you get to also visit Eritrea and meet its remarkable people and finally get to learn the truth. ✌🏾
@@meronghebresilassie8895 You do realise that I don’t just pull this out from thin air!? I have published extensively on these subjects. But you believe what you want to believe. There is clearly no point discussing it further.
What is the relationship like between the Muslims and Christians in Eritrea? Does it feel like a mixing pot of Arab and African? Cheers
It's complicated.
They live in harmony. It would be helpful if it could be taught elsewhere as an example.
@@mai-dmayoutubechaneal3476 No its not. They're both well mannered and they have respect for each other unlike other places.
More like Semites and Cushites living together for thousands of years. It transcends beyond religion.
Trust me Sir. half of the young Eritrean Generation does not have 1/3 of your knowledge about Eritrea. You Explained it well👍🏽 thank you 🇪🇷🇪🇷🇪🇷🇪🇷🇪🇷🇪🇷 from Eritrean brother in humanity.
Thank you so much for the very kind comment. I really appreciate it. It really is an incredibly interesting story. More people studying international politics should know about this very unusual case.
The Somali region needs independence from Ethiopia!!!
Most definitely
But you have to fight for it
Samuel you don’t understand ethoipia rule it’s worst one after another so it will be better every tribe take his land
I read on some book that the Cushite people of Ethiopia were being enslaved by the Abyssinian, especially Amhara Christians and collect a weapon as an exchange from Europe which leads Menelik II to achieve victory over Italy. Is it true?
@SMM Productions ok, thank you!
Most of the Africa problem is due to borderlines drawn during the colonization period. Redraw the border lines will bring peace and prosperity to Africa.
Eritrea has never been one country before the confederation. Eritrea was known as Midri Bahri(The land of sea ) and the land of Punt . Had many great civilaization as Adulis and Axumite civilazation.
You are our part of country
Ethiopia !
Deny it ?
@@Constantine895 ugh whatever foreigners
Midribahri was just the Highland of Eritrea it didn't not include beja saho and afar. Only hamasien akeleguzay and sereye. Eritrea as it stands today was created bij 1890 by italy
@@khalidqawdhan3265 all African territories are falsely defined. The area known as Eritrea was a separate entity. The whole Italy created Eritrea is eurocentric nonsense.
@@eyyen8233 Cry more please. I will use your tear drops to hydrate some plants.
It's a good video, just two things aren't correctly shown.
1. It was not that the Christian Eritreans wanted to belong to Ethiopia and the Muslims not. Firstly, they kept for 600 years, means since the Ethiopian Salomonic dynasty exist, their political independence until the 19.th century, when Ethiopia captured it and finally sold it to Italy. Secondly, In the 1940s and 50s many christian Eritreans were exchanged with Ethiopian Tigrays ( like the father of the current Eritrean president ) by Hailey Selassie, because the Eritrean society was good educated and Eritrea was an economic power house in that time, so they should build up Addis Abeba. Also they were surpressed, jailed and killed when they expressed the treatment by Ethiopia against the Eritrean Muslims, who went to the same occupation like the other Eritreans in the 100 years before.
2. The amount of ELF members, who colluted with Ethiopian Marxists, wasn't that influential on the decision to leave Eritrea in order to stop the distractive civil war with the EPLF. Eritreans of all the world were still supporting the fighters with sending food, clothes, money etc. The independence was for every Eritrean the sense of life, even the ELF members also were always aware that if the independence is gained one day, the EPLF leader, today's president, wouldn't establish a democracy.
3. The EPLF did indeed help the Ethiopian TPLF to the Ethiopian reign, for finding a international accepted process for independence. So the TPLF couldn't have "helped" the Eritrean independence movement, if the Eritreans didn't help the TPLF in the first place, when the TPLF concurred with many other inner Ethiopian movements against the ruling Communists.
It's the first non Eritrean education clip about the Eritrean way to independence and contains also many details, so I gave much credit for that! The points I tried to correct and a few more show, that the guy's view of the war is nearly congruent to the view of the Ethiopian government. But I did expect it, it might will change in a few years, so in general cheer up for the video! 👍👏
Wait, just a quick question. Didn't Melenik Sell Ethiopia to the Italians unintentionally due to a misunderstanding in the treaty? Then occupied Eritrea again from the Italians?
@@user-rc5oi5nc7y 20 years before Italy came, Ethiopia captured the autonomous christian highlands of nowaday Eritrea. When Italy arrived, Menelik removed its troops again out from Eritrea to the ethiopic originally borders and sold Eritrea to Italy for weapons etc. He signed the treaty in order to let Italy stay in Eritrea and to respect the Ethiopian border. In the Italian version of the treaty it wasn't clear enough that Ethiopia wasn't a part of Italys empire. Just THIS was the misunderstanding. The next italian General used this to attack nowaday Ethiopia and lost, which meant Italy couldnt get Ethiopia, so they stayed in Eritrea like Ethiopia wanted it from the beginning. That's all the Ethiopic glory people are talking about.
So Eritrea, the core region of "Ethiopias" ancient(!) history, was never interesting enough for the modern Amharic Ethiopian dynasties. Just in the era of colonialism this dynasty expanded to christian Eritrea for 20 years, until they sold it to Italy with no regrets. Eritrea itself was never a topic again for Ethiopia until the 1950s...
Very typical British Empire Fabricated history narrated from their perspective!! Nonsense!! If you want to know the real history ask the people of Eritrea!!
@QECHEW he /she one of the 1822
Hey Eritrea isn't part of Ethiopia there's difference
Did you watch the video?
Its was commonly known as Somalia Italiana, also Italian Somalia, only the English called it Italian Somaliland.
July 1st 1960, when British Somaliland voluntary joined union with Somalia Italiana it was officially called Somali Republic not Somalia, and later that year registered in UN as Somali Republic.
In 1969 Somali Republic was renamed Somali Democratic Republic.
In 1991 it became know as Somalia and in 2012 it changed it name once again to the federal Republic of Somalia. And May 18th, 1991 Somaliland dissolved the Somali Republic union and became the Republic of Somaliland.
It sounds confusing but after you look into it deeply it makes sense.
JSL 5000 Thanks, but it is known in English as Italian Somaliland. And yes, officially it was the Somali Republic formed in 1960. But this was very much an aside to the main topic of the video: Eritrea. I cover Somaliland in another video: czcams.com/video/hOkZKiVUg10/video.html
Eriterians were tough and united to reach at the peak of their endevour- The Question is , what Somaliland will learn from that successful destiny ?
Their will be another secession from Ethiopia this year or next year. It's my opinion 😉😉😉....Or as a whole Ethiopia will be next Yegoslavia.
Thanks. Yes, there does seem to be some developments on this front. I’ll certainly be keeping a close watch on the region.
@Asier Yosief of course they do. lol
@carl Johnson ogadon will become independent for tigray we will see, i hope it comes independent. amhara people always had war with eritera ethnic,tigray,somali and afar through out history including oromo.
Thomas ABABA Ogaden is Somali territory. Actually Ethiopia is an expansionist country aided by west that is composed of stolen lands.
Correction the population of Eritrea double since 1991 we were 3.5 million in 1991 we doubled right now
This is a very deceptive and dangerous narration. Here is some points I want you to keep in mind while watching this video:
1 - Eritrea IS NOT a product of secession. The coutry is one of the oldest in the world and has a national identity dating back to at least 4000 BC.
2 - Eritreans never voted to join Ethiopia, it WAS a forced UNification by Britain and the US after WWII. The idea that half of the population was pro-Ethiopian is utter non-sense.
3 - Eritrean Christians DON'T belong to "Ethiopian Orthodox Church"; in-fact, Eritrea was the first Christian nation in the world. Ethiopia became christian in the 11th century.
4 - Ethiopian national identity; it's national origin myth, national dishes, dresses, religion, is based on Eritrean identity and this is the real reason Ethiopians feel attracted to Eritrea.
5 - Despite being a cushitic nation, Ethiopia has been ruled by a small Semitic minority since it's inception in the 11th century. This minority claims to be a superior race originating in Eritrea.
6 - Eritrea defeated the 3 million strong Ethiopian/Soviet coalition Army and occupied the capital Addis Ababa in May 1991. It then installed it own puppet government. The idea that Ethiopia allowed Eritrea to suceed is utter nonsense.
I couldn't agree more . This is the truth.
Tǣges that is true
I agree 100/100👍🇪🇷
The eritera today is different it doesn't have thousands year of history of course if you talking about the ethnic leave their then yes but not as country. Today eritera is creation of italy just today Ethiopia is creation of menelik 2
@@A.D.540 that is false. Eritrea today is exactly how Medri bahri was bar two towns. This idea it was a creation of the Italians is a complete fallacy. Being under a different name does not change its history.
You independent thinking you did not include BIAFRA
No. I haven’t covered Biafra yet. But I have in fact been working on a script and I hope to cover it soon. It is an important case.
In 1991 the EPLF was able to overthrow the TPLF government in ethiopia and divide ethiopia if refused to give Eritrea the self determination .
We defeated the ethiopians and force them to make our independence legal .
@James Ker-Lindsay - Eritrea was forcibly federated with Ethiopia after the departure of the British against the will of its people but for the benefit of Western Powers. Before federation, Eritrea was never part of Ethiopia for 100s of years and it has been under colonization for 100s of years before the arrival of the Italians in 1891. Ethiopians brag about been the only country in Africa that has never colonized and this contradicts with their belief that Eritrea has been part of Ethiopia for generations before 1991. If the UN was fair at that time and even now, they should have asked our people at that time by running a referendum just like the one we had in 1993. In your video you said the Christians wanted Union with Ethiopia but Muslims wanted Eritrea to be independent. This is clearly false and our Christian and Muslim great grandfathers equally objected the federation to the UN and fought for independent Eritrea peacefully way before the start of the armed struggle in 1961. We got our independence not by the blessing or permission from Ethiopia but by our force and the result of 30 years old struggle against Ethiopia and all its supporters at the time. We first proved our independence by winning the war and then we didn't stop at that but we made our independence official by running a referendum to show the world the free choice of Eritreans. In fact EPLF didn't only liberate Eritrea but was very instrumental in overthrowing the Derge regime by helping TPLF all the way to Addis Ababa. EPLF was dominant force not only in Eritrea but also in Ethiopia and even TPLF leaders can prove this if you do a little more research. There are so many Ethiopian who are unhappy even now that Eritrea is independent and so we didn't depend on their permission or blessing to get our liberation or prove our indepdence by referendum. There are so many statements that I completely disagree in this video and you don't seem to know the history of Eritrea deeper than how you presented it in this video.
"However the story really begins in the 19th century with the expansion of European colonialism in Africa"
Hm.... that's a pretty Northern perspective on when the story of African nations begin. This kind of narrative is how these nations lost sovereignty in the first place. African nations stories DO NOT start with European colonialism.
Indeed. I am very clear about this. But thus is not a channel about history. It is about international relations and statehood. And my videos are just 10-15 minutes long. Thus is why I focus on the start of colonisation as the start of the story - especially as in most cases I am dealing the effects of that colonisation. If you read through the comments you’ll see that most viewers understand this.
Indeed. I am very clear about this. But thus is not a channel about history. It is about international relations and statehood. And my videos are just 10-15 minutes long. Thus is why I focus on the start of colonisation as the start of the story - especially as in most cases I am dealing the effects of that colonisation. If you read through the comments you’ll see that most viewers understand this.
@@JamesKerLindsay I am sure you did not mean to be harmful, Professor.
But a choice is a choice. As it has always been.
OK. Read into it what you will.
Great video but i correct you Eritrea was never ever part of Ethiopia
Then what was it before it became independent?
@@JamesKerLindsay - Eritrea was forcibly federated with Ethiopia after the departure of the British against the will of its people but for the benefit of Western Powers. Before federation, Eritrea was never part of Ethiopia for 100s of years and it has been under colonization for 100s of years before the arrival of the Italians in 1891. Ethiopians brag about been the only country in Africa that has never colonized and this contradicts with their belief that Eritrea has been part of Ethiopia for generations before 1991. If the UN was fair at that time and even now, they should have asked our people at that time by running a referendum just like the one we had in 1993. In your video you said the Christians wanted Union with Ethiopia but Muslims wanted Eritrea to be independent. This is clearly false and our Christian and Muslim great grandfathers equally objected the federation to the UN and fought for independent Eritrea peacefully way before the start of the armed struggle in 1961. We got our independence not by the blessing or permission from Ethiopia but by our force and the result of 30 years old struggle against Ethiopia and all its supporters at the time. We first proved our independence by winning the war and then we didn't stop at that but we made our independence official by running a referendum to show the world the free choice of Eritreans. In fact EPLF didn't only liberate Eritrea but was very instrumental in overthrowing the Derge regime by helping TPLF all the way to Addis Ababa. EPLF was dominant force not only in Eritrea but also in Ethiopia and even TPLF leaders can prove this if you do a little more research. There are so many Ethiopian who are unhappy even now that Eritrea is independent and so we didn't depend on their permission or blessing to get our liberation or prove our indepdence by referendum. There are so many statements that I completely disagree in this video and you don't seem to know the history of Eritrea deeper than how you presented it in this video.
@@JamesKerLindsay Do you know how the African states were formed and took their present shape? Ethiopia ,for it self, took its present form with the advent of the European colonialism. Therefore, if Ethiopia didn't for itself had a clear boundary, how do you think Eritrea was possibly part of it. All the boundaries in Africa are more or less the same. And they gained their independence based on the newly created boundaries. For your knowledge, this imposed boundaries were divided arbitrarily without any consideration to the local inhabitants which would later have far reaching effect. It divided brotherly peoples in to two. A lot of problems today in Africa are associated with this. They left us with a lot of misery