1993 — Eritrea Becomes Independent

On May 24, 1993, exactly two years after its fighters entered Asmara, Eritrea formally declared independence from Ethiopia. A United Nations-monitored referendum had returned an overwhelming yes, giving legal form to what the long war had already decided and allowing a new flag to rise over the capital in peace.

The declaration ended a 30-year war, the longest armed conflict in African history. Days later Eritrea joined the United Nations as its 182nd member, the first African country to win independence from another African state, under an emblem of a camel in an olive wreath. Endurance, at last, had become statehood recognized by the world.