24 May 1890 – Italy Reorganizes its Red Sea Territories as Colony of Eritrea

Prior to Italian colonization in 1885, what is now Eritrea had been ruled by the various local warlords or international powers that successively dominated the Red Sea region. On 24 May 1890 Italy reorganized its various Red Sea territories into the single colony of Eritrea.

After World War II Italy's colonial holdings in Africa were placed under mandates, and Africa Orientale Italiana divided up into Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea. Eritrea was then federated to Ethiopia and its hopes for independence strangled by Haile Selassie's increasingly dictatorial rule.

Just over 100 years later, on 24 May 1993, Eritrea achieved independence from Ethiopia. The struggle for independence was long and bloody, and diplomatic relations between the two countries are still very tenuous.

Find out more about the history of Eritrea
• A Brief History of Eritrea: Part 1 – Warlords to Independence
• A Brief History of Eritrea: Part 2 – Independence to Present Day
• Eritrea Country Guides

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