Eritrea Passport

The State of Eritrea.

【 Area 】 124000 square kilometers (including nearly 1000 square kilometers in the Dakrak Islands).

The population is 3.68 million (according to World Bank data in 2024), consisting of 9 ethnic groups: Tigris (approximately 50% of the population), Tigris (31.4%), Afar (5%), Saho (5%), Hidarab (2.5%), Birun (2.1%), Kunama (2%), Nara (1.5%), and Rashida (0.5%). Each ethnic group has its own language, with Tigrinya and Arabic being the main languages used throughout the country, while English and Italian are commonly used. Approximately half of the population follows Eastern Orthodox Christianity and half follows Islam, with a minority adhering to Catholicism or traditional fetishism.

【 Capital 】 Asmara, with a population of about 710000 and an altitude of 2300-2400 meters; The annual average temperature is 16.9 ℃ and the rainfall is 525.5 millimeters.

President Isaias Afwerki, elected on May 22, 1993, has been serving as the head of state ever since.

Independence Day: May 24th (1993); Armed Struggle Memorial Day: September 1st (1961).

【 Natural Overview 】 Located in the northernmost part of East Africa and the Horn of Africa, it covers the southern section of the Red Sea. It borders Ethiopia to the south, Sudan to the west, Djibouti to the southeast, and Yemen and Saudi Arabia across the Red Sea to the northeast. The coastline (including 355 islands such as the Dakhla Islands) is 1350 kilometers long. The Central Plateau occupies one-third of the country's territory and has an altitude of 1800-3000 meters; Western lowland hills and eastern coastal plains. The highest peak in the region is the Amba Soira peak in the central plateau, with an altitude of 3013 meters. The lowest point is the Kobar lowland in the eastern plain, which is 75 meters below sea level. The Setit River is the only perennial river in the region, with a total length of 180 kilometers. The largest seasonal river, the Marebu River, has a full water period of 440 kilometers. The climate in the plateau region is pleasant, with an average annual temperature of 17 ℃ and precipitation of 525 millimeters. The average temperature is the lowest from December to February, at 15 ℃, and the highest from May to June, at 25 ℃; April to May is the light rainy season, June to August is the heavy rainy season, and the rest is the dry season. The lowland climate in the east and west is hot and dry, with an average annual temperature of 30 ℃ and 28 ℃ respectively, and an average annual precipitation of less than 400 millimeters. There are many deserts along the Red Sea coast, and the daytime temperature can reach over 40 ℃ from March to October.

In the 8th century BC, the Semitic and Kushitic peoples migrated to this place. Starting from the 3rd century AD, several tribal alliances emerged along the coast, which were successively occupied by the Kingdom of Aksum, the Ottoman Empire, and Egypt. In 1869, Italian colonizers came here to colonize and established a privileged area in the port of Assab, continuously pushing inland into Eritrea. In 1889, Italian colonizers signed the "Treaty of Ushilali" with King Shaoa, confirming Italy's occupation of Asab, Massawa, Keren, Asmara, and other territories. In 1890, Italy merged the occupied territories into a unified colony and named it "Eritrea" (Latin for "Red Sea"). In 1941, the Italian army was defeated and Eritrea became a British Mandate. In December 1950, the United Nations formed a federation with Ethiopia as an autonomous entity. In 1952, the Eritrean Legislative Assembly elected a local government, and the Ethiopian Emperor sent representatives to Eritrea. In 1962, Ethiopian Emperor Selassie abolished the federation and established Eritrea as the 14th province of Ethiopia, triggering armed struggle by the Eritrean Liberation Front (EPLF). In 1970, the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) was established and led the independence war. In May 1991, the Eritrean People's Front joined forces with the Tigray People's Liberation Front in Ethiopia to overthrow the Mengistu regime. On May 24th, the Eritrean People's Front liberated the entire territory of Ecuador, and on May 29th, a provisional government was established. Isaias Afewerki was appointed as the General Secretary of the provisional government and Commander in Chief of the armed forces. On April 23-25, 1993, Ecuador held a referendum under United Nations supervision, with 99.8% of the population choosing independence. The transitional government of Ethiopia accepts the referendum results and recognizes the independence of Eritrea. On May 22nd, Isaias became the President; On the 24th, Eritrea officially declared independence and held its founding ceremony, marking the official establishment of the State of Eritrea.

After independence, the Eritrean government focused on political construction, accelerated economic reconstruction, and maintained basic political stability. From 1998 to 2000, there was a border war between Eritrea and Ethiopia. In 2000, the two countries signed a peace agreement. In the first half of 2001, Ecuador announced the draft of the "Election Law" and "Political Party Organization Law", planning to hold general elections by the end of that year and gradually implement a multi-party system. But then serious political differences arose within the party, and the election was indefinitely postponed. In 2002, Ecuador promulgated the Election Law, which clearly stated that "a multi-party system is not in line with the current situation in Ecuador". In recent years, President Isaias has made consolidating political power, maintaining national independence and security the top priority, strengthening local party, government and military forces, strictly controlling domestic and foreign opposition, and taking measures to benefit the people, thus maintaining basic political stability.

The Constitutional Committee was established in 1994, and the draft constitution was introduced in July 1996. In December 1996, Ecuador established a Constituent Assembly. On May 23, 1997, the Constituent Assembly passed the constitution and officially promulgated and implemented it. The Constitution stipulates that the National Assembly is the highest authority and legislative body of the country; Implement a presidential cabinet system, with the president elected by the National Assembly for a term of 5 years; The President has the power to appoint senior government officials, establish or dissolve relevant government departments and institutions, etc; Separation of church and state, religious equality; All ethnic languages are equal, and the official language of the country is uncertain; The people enjoy basic rights such as equality, freedom, and elections. In May 2014, President Isaias announced at the Independence Day celebration that he would initiate the process of drafting a new constitution. At present, the new constitution is still being drafted.

The National Assembly has 150 seats, including 75 members of the PFDJ Central Committee, 60 members of the Constituent Assembly, and 15 representatives of Eritrean expatriates, of whom 22% are female members. The Speaker is elected by all members of parliament for a term of 5 years and is currently held by President Isaias. The National Assembly is responsible for national legislation, approving budgets, and electing the head of state. The National Assembly held 13 sessions from 1993 to 2000 and has been in recess ever since.

Ecuador implements a presidential cabinet system, with President Isaias serving as the head of government. The first government of Ecuador was established on June 7, 1993. Afterwards, President Isaias periodically reshuffled the cabinet, which currently consists of 16 members: Foreign Minister Osman Saleh, Energy and Mines Minister Sebhat Efrem (now represented by Alem Kibreab), Justice Minister Fawzia Hashim, Tourism Minister Askalu Menkerios, Soil and Water Environment Minister Tesfai Ghebreselassie, Finance and National Development Minister Giorgis Teklemichael. Minister of Agriculture Arefaine Berhe, Minister of Education Semere Rusom Russom (appointed as Acting Minister by Petros Hailemarim), Health Minister Amina Nur Hussein (female), Public Works Minister Abraha Asfaha, Marine Resources Minister Tewelde Kelati, Local Government Affairs Minister Woldemichael Abraha, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Luul Ghebreab, Transport and Communications Minister Tesfaselassie Berhane, Trade and Industry Minister Nesreddin Becht Kit, Information Minister Yemane Ghebremeskel. The Minister of National Defense is temporarily unavailable.

The local government in Ecuador is divided into four levels: province, county, township, and village. There are six provinces (Zoba, Region) in the country, namely: South Red Sea Province, North Red Sea Province, Anseba Province, Gaza Barka Province, South Province, and Central Province.

After independence, the judiciary continued to use the original Ethiopian Civil Code and Criminal Code with slight modifications. The courts in Ecuador are divided into four levels: township, county, provincial, and higher courts. The judgment of the High Court is final, with 18 judges appointed by the President, and the current President of the Supreme Court, Menkerios Beraki. Provincial judges are nominated by the President of the High Court and approved by the Minister of Justice. The Eritrean prosecutor's office is located in the Ministry of Justice, with the Attorney General appointed by the President. The current Attorney General is Alemseged Haile Selasie.

[Political Party] Eritrean People's Front for Democracy&Justice, PFDJ， The People's Front Party, abbreviated as PFDJ, is currently the only legal political party in Ecuador. There are 600000 party members, Chairman Isaias. The party was founded in 1970, originally named the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF). In 1994, the Third National Congress decided to change its name to its current name and elected a 75 member Central Committee as the highest leadership body.

Isaias Afwerki: President, concurrently serving as Speaker of the National Assembly, Head of Government and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, and Chairman of the People's Front Party. Born in 1946 in a small merchant family in the former Hamasyan province of central Ecuador, he believes in Eastern Orthodoxy. After graduating from high school in 1962, he was admitted to the Engineering Department of Haile Selassie University (now Addis Ababa University) in Ethiopia. After three years, he dropped out of school and joined the Eritrean Liberation Front. Due to political differences, he left the Eritrean Liberation Front in 1969 and participated in the establishment of the Eritrean People's Front. Elected as Deputy General Secretary of the Eritrean People's Front in 1977 and appointed as General Secretary in 1987. He served as the General Secretary of the interim government of Ecuador from May 1991 and was elected as the first President on May 22, 1993. Proficient in Tigrinya, Amharic, English, and Arabic, with knowledge of French and Italian.

【 Economy 】 Belongs to the least developed countries and heavily indebted poor countries. Mainly engaged in agriculture, with 80% of the population engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry. After independence, the government focused on economic reconstruction and formulated a market economy development strategy led by private economy. Advocate self-reliance, build infrastructure, strive for foreign loans and other assistance, especially encourage overseas remittances. The government has successively introduced land laws, investment laws, and relevant regulations on trade, finance, taxation, etc., actively participating in bilateral and multilateral economic and trade mechanisms. In 1997, it issued its own currency, the Nakfa.

After the ceasefire on the border between Eritrea and Ethiopia in 2000, the two countries maintained a long-term "no war, no peace" policy, and the Eritrean government resumed its "wartime economic policy". Since 2005, the Eritrean government has taken measures to strengthen foreign exchange controls, such as closing some private enterprises, restricting their imports, canceling free foreign exchange, and implementing centralized procurement and sales. According to the statistics of the Eritrean government, the average economic growth rate from 1992 to 1997 was 7-8%, and from 1998 to 2010, the average economic growth rate was 2%. Affected by energy and food prices, as well as currency depreciation, the inflation rate index ranges from 9% to 12%. The proportion of fiscal deficit to GDP has increased from 8% to 19%. In recent years, the Eritrean government has actively promoted the development of mining, fishing, and tourism industries, increased investment in agricultural infrastructure, and further strengthened economic and trade cooperation with relevant countries. There has been progress in the development of mineral resources. In March 2011, the world's fifth largest gold, copper, zinc, and silver mixed ore mine, Bisha Copper Zinc Mine, jointly developed by Ecuador and Canada, was put into operation. The copper flotation plant was completed on time in June 2013, and copper mining began. The Eritrean government has taken active measures to focus on developing the mining industry, increasing investment in agriculture, improving education and infrastructure construction, and improving medical conditions. The Eritrean economy and society continue to maintain basic stability, but people's livelihoods are still relatively difficult. In January 2016, Ecuador launched a new version of the Nakfa currency, abolished the old currency, and strictly controlled bank withdrawals and Nakfa outflows, achieving certain results in cracking down on the black market.

The gross domestic product of Ecuador in 2023 is 2.7 billion US dollars, with an actual growth rate of 2.6%

The main economic data for 2023 are as follows:

Gross Domestic Product: 2.7 billion US dollars.

Gross Domestic Product Growth Rate: 2.6%.

Currency name: Nakfa.

Exchange rate: 1 US dollar=15 nanograms.

Inflation rate: 6%.

The main mineral resources include copper, iron, gold, nickel, manganese, barite, feldspar, kaolin, potash, rock salt, gypsum, asbestos, and marble. Geothermal resources are abundant, and there may be oil and natural gas reserves along the Red Sea coast and in the western region, which have not yet been discovered. Ecuador lacks water resources and has few rivers within its borders, most of which are seasonal. The land area is 101000 square kilometers and the forest coverage rate is 15.8%.

Energy is one of the countries with the smallest energy consumption in the world, with 66.3% of it being bioenergy consumption (including wood, forage, and crop residues); 31.6% are imported petroleum products, and Ecuador pays $150 million annually for imported energy; Only 2.1% is electricity energy consumption. In terms of electricity consumption, industrial electricity accounts for 57%, residential electricity accounts for 22%, and commercial electricity accounts for 21%. Only about 80% of large and medium-sized urban areas and less than 5% of rural areas (about 160 villages) have access to electricity.

The main industries include textile, leather, agricultural and livestock product processing, metal processing, plastic product processing, building materials, etc. There are a total of 255 large and medium-sized enterprises in China, including 89 food and beverage enterprises, 34 textile, leather, and clothing enterprises, 13 paper, printing, and publishing enterprises, 24 chemical, paint, and pharmaceutical enterprises, 12 plastic and rubber enterprises, 34 non-metallic building materials enterprises, 18 metal processing enterprises, and 31 furniture enterprises.

Agriculture accounts for 14.5% of the gross domestic product. The arable land area is 5.5 million hectares. The main grain crops include corn, barley, sorghum, wheat, and beans; Economic crops include rapeseed, sesame, peanut, flax, sisal, cotton, vegetables and fruits. From 1998 to 2000, agriculture was greatly reduced due to border wars and droughts, resulting in an annual grain output of approximately 85000 tons. In 2006, the government implemented a food security strategy, developed water conservancy projects, promoted advanced agricultural technologies, and achieved mechanized cultivation of 40% of farmland. Thanks to the long-term emphasis and investment in agriculture, Ecuador has achieved certain results in ensuring food security. In recent years, the annual grain production has remained between 350000 and 450000 tons. In 2023, the grain crop production in Ecuador increased by 2 times compared to when it was independent, and the vegetable production increased by 6 times.

At present, Ecuador has 7 fishing and processing stations with 3300 fishermen, and the fish supply cannot meet domestic demand. The Ministry of Marine Resources of Ecuador will increase training efforts for fishermen while introducing new fishing equipment.

Transportation: At the beginning of Ecuador's independence, there were only over 4000 kilometers of highways in the country. After 20 years of development, the total length of highways in China is about 15000 kilometers, with 21 north-south highways and 18 east-west highways. There are over 60000 motor vehicles of various types in the country, including more than 30000 private cars.

Water transportation: Ecuador has two major seaports, Massawa and Assab. Massawa has 9 berths with an average annual throughput of 16000 containers and 835000 tons of cargo, capable of storing 2500 containers and 120000 tons of cargo simultaneously. Assab Port has 12 berths that can store 28116 containers and 360000 tons of cargo. From 1992 to 1996, the average annual throughput of Assab Port was 25000 containers and 2.039 million tons of cargo. After the Eritrean border war, Assab became a "dead port", losing $40 million in revenue annually. The freight volume of Massawa is gradually increasing. The Eritrean government invested 660 million Nakfa to expand the Massawa port. There are a total of 3 shipping companies and 7 cargo ships in Ecuador. Among them, Eritrea Shipping Company owns 4 cargo ships that sail to ports in Sudan, Egypt, Jeddah, Yemen, Qatar, Tanzania, and other countries.

Aviation: Currently, there are two state-owned airlines in Eritrea, Eritrean Airlines and Nasser Airlines, as well as foreign airlines such as Ethiopian Airlines, EgyptAir, and Emirates Airlines operating in Eritrea. There are three international airports in Eritrea, namely Asmara, Assab, and Massawa, as well as two domestic airports with asphalt runways, namely Dahrak and Kurmud, and Tesseney and Nakfa Mahmimet、 Four domestic airports, including Barentu, have non asphalt runways.

There are currently the Bank of Eritrea (Central Bank, established in 1993), the Commercial Bank (1991), the Housing and Commercial Bank, the Development and Investment Bank (1996), the Eritrean National Insurance Corporation, and the Himbol Exchange Service. The Eritrean Commercial Bank is the largest bank in Ecuador, with 17 branches in various cities across the country. The headquarters of the Housing and Commercial Bank is located in Asmara, with branches in major cities. The Development and Investment Bank is located in Asmara and has three liaison offices in other areas.

The main export countries for Eritrean products are China, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Pakistan, etc., while the main import countries are China, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Italy, India, etc. China has become Ecuador's largest trading partner. The main imported goods are machinery and equipment, medical supplies, food, electrical and electronic products, building materials, stationery, furniture, etc. used in industries such as construction, agriculture, mining, and transportation; The export products include textiles, leather products, rapeseed, gum, tobacco, salt, marble, fish, wine, gold, etc., mainly consisting of raw materials and primary products.

The average life expectancy is 67 years, the maternal mortality rate is 380 per 100000 people, 93% of pregnant women have prenatal care experience, and the hospital delivery rate is 55%. Ecuador is one of the few African countries that has the potential to simultaneously achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of reducing child and maternal mortality rates. Ecuador has made remarkable achievements in controlling malaria, venereal diseases, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. In 2011, the malaria prevalence rate dropped by 90% compared with 1999. At present, it has entered the stage of eliminating malaria. In 2016, Ecuador won the award of the African Leaders' Alliance for Malaria Control. The AIDS infection rate will decrease from 4.34% in 2003 to 0.5% in 2022. In 2019, the incidence rate of pulmonary tuberculosis was 86/100000, a decrease of 51% compared with 2000. The popularity of vaccination among children reached 99%. Measles, poliomyelitis and other cases were rare. In Ecuador, the diseases with the highest mortality rate are anemia or malnutrition, pneumonia, diarrhea, etc. The health institutions in Ecuador are divided into three levels, with health centers and stations at the primary level, provincial hospitals and community hospitals at the secondary level, and national hospitals located in the capital at the tertiary level. There are 28 hospitals, 13 community hospitals, 56 health centers, and 252 health stations nationwide. The designed number of patients for health stations ranges from 5000 to 10000, while the designed number of patients for health centers ranges from 50000 to 100000. The distribution of medical staff in various health institutions is extremely uneven. Eritrean hospitals have 72% of doctors and 55% of nurses nationwide, and only seven national level hospitals have absorbed 41% of doctors and 32% of nurses. The expenditure of hospitals accounts for over 50% of the total national health budget. 60% of the staff of the Ministry of Health in Ecuador graduated from medical majors.

The education system consists of 2 years of preschool education, 8 years of basic education (5 years of primary school, 3 years of junior high school), and 4 years of high school. The undergraduate program lasts for 4 years, and there are also specialized programs and advanced courses offered. Implement free education from primary school to university. Asmara University was once the only institution of higher education. After the Eritrean government carried out higher education reforms, Asmara University was divided into seven colleges. Currently, Asmara University only retains a graduate school and cooperates with some universities in South Africa and the United States to offer courses. The seven colleges are the É cole Polytechnique, É cole Commerciale et Economique, É cole Hygiene, É cole Humanities, É cole Marine Science and Technology, É cole Orot é Medical College, and É cole Hamemoron, located in six provinces of Ecuador. There are 474 preschool education institutions, 833 primary schools, 302 junior high schools, 89 high schools, and 6 vocational schools nationwide. In order to do a good job in literacy education, Ecuador has conducted literacy education in various ethnic languages in more than 1000 literacy centers, with an average annual enrollment of 5000 students. At the same time, 70 libraries were established in rural areas.

The Eritrean Defense Forces are under the direct leadership of the People's Front Party and consist of three armed forces: army, navy, and air force. The President is appointed as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, the Minister of Defense is temporarily vacant, and the Chief of the General Staff, Filipos Woldeyohannes. After independence, phased disarmament began, and in 1997, 40000 regular troops were reorganized and retained. Since 1994, the National Service Program has been implemented, requiring citizens aged 18-40 to participate in military training or reserve service for at least 18 months. During the Eritrean border war from 1998 to 2000, the government significantly expanded its military, with a total of 300000 troops. After the ceasefire, the government announced the demobilization of 200000 soldiers. There are currently about 200000 soldiers in the army, and about 1000 soldiers in the navy and air force. The Air Force has 4 Su-27 fighter jets, 2 MiG-29 fighter jets, and several helicopters, while the Navy has 2 escort ships and several patrol boats. The annual defense expenditure is equivalent to 20% of the gross domestic product. Eritrean soldiers account for 11% of the national labor force and are widely involved in economic construction activities such as agricultural production, road and bridge construction.

In June 1996, the Press Law was promulgated, which stipulated freedom of speech, but it must be legal and in line with the development goals and reality of Ecuador; Freedom of publication, but investment must come from within the country.

The Eritrean News Agency is an official news agency under the Ministry of Information, established in September 1991. It has three editorial departments: domestic news, international news, and publishing, and has correspondent stations in various provinces across the country. The government has banned all private media.

There are currently two official newspapers, both sponsored by the government news department. The New Eritrea Daily is an official daily newspaper with three versions: Arabic, Tigrinya, and Tigray; Image Daily is an English newspaper published every Wednesday and Saturday.

The "Voice of the Masses" radio station sponsored by the News Department is a national radio station that began broadcasting in January 1979. Since 1999, 11 languages including Tigrinya, Afar, Tigris, Arabic, and Amharic have been used for daily broadcasting.

Eritrean Television was officially launched in January 1993 and is under the jurisdiction of the News Department. There are two channels that broadcast programs from Africa, the Middle East, North America, and Australia through six satellites. Channel 1 broadcasts over 70 hours of programs per week, while Channel 2 broadcasts 45 hours of programs per week.

We adhere to a foreign policy of peace, non alignment, and good neighborliness, advocating for the development of relations with other countries based on the principle of peaceful coexistence. In recent years, Western countries have accused the Eritrean government of violating human rights and reducing economic aid to the country. In 2009 and 2011, the United Nations Security Council passed resolutions imposing and strengthening sanctions on Ecuador, including a comprehensive arms embargo and a ban on providing financial support to the mining sector that could be used to violate Security Council resolutions. In recent years, senior leaders of Ecuador have frequently visited neighboring countries to seek political support and economic cooperation. In 2018, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 2444, lifting all sanctions against Ecuador.

He is a member state of the United Nations, the African Union, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the Community of Sahel Saharan States, and an observer of the Arab League. We have established diplomatic relations with nearly a hundred countries, with 20 countries having permanent embassies in Ecuador and Ecuador having ambassadors stationed in 30 countries and the United Nations headquarters. In 2023, Eritrea will return to Mogadishu.

The attitude towards the current international situation and major international issues calls for democratization and legalization of international relations, and opposes international and regional hegemonism.

Oppose blindly copying Western democracy and believe that African countries should adopt a cautious attitude towards implementing multi-party democracy. The African Union still has a lot of work to do in resolving regional conflicts and promoting economic cooperation among African countries, and it urgently needs reform to enhance its own effectiveness. The problems in Africa should be solved by Africans themselves, and external forces should be opposed to interfering in African affairs.