Independence Day (Eritrea)

Independence Day is a public holiday in Eritrea, observed on May 24 each year. The holiday commemorates the anniversary of when Eritrea declared independence from Ethiopia on this day in 1993.

Eritrea is a country in Eastern Africa. Following the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, an Italian company bought the lands surrounding the Bay of Assab and transferred them to the Italian state three years later. This made Italians settle in Eritrea without much difficulty. As a result, Eritrea became an Italian protectorate in 1889 and an Italian colony in 1897.

The British forces defeated the Italian army in 1941 in Eritrea. The territory was under the British military administration temporarily. In 1952, Eritrea became part of Ethiopia's autonomous federal province following the United Nations' decision.

However, people had different opinions within Eritrea. In 1960, the Muslim leaders formed the Eritrean Liberation Front fighting for independence, and started the War of Independence on September 1, 1961.

The Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) was formed in 1970 as the left-wing nationalist group that split from the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF). It quickly became the dominant armed group fighting against the Ethiopian government. On May 24, 1991, the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) moved into the capital Asmara. The Eritrean authorities declared independence on April 27, 1993.

The following is the list of Independence Day in Eritrea from 2022 to 2026.

Please check more public holidays in Eritrea: