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Eritrea was an Italian colony before Ethiopia annexed it in 1962.

The Claim

Eritrea was a colony of Ethiopia.

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The Short Version

The recognized historical sequence does not classify Eritrea as an Ethiopian colony. Eritrea was an Italian colony, became an autonomous unit federated with Ethiopia in 1952, and was annexed by Ethiopia in 1962. Although Ethiopian rule is sometimes characterized as colonial, Eritrea’s formal status under Ethiopia was not that of a colony.

Caveats

  • The claim conflates annexation and provincial incorporation with formal colonial status.
  • It omits Eritrea’s autonomous federation with Ethiopia from 1952 to 1962.
  • Describing Ethiopian rule as colonial is an interpretive position, not the recognized formal status.

The Receipts

  1. 1952 UN Yearbook

    cdn.un.org

  2. documents.un.org

    documents.un.org

  3. A9R350B.tmp

    d-nb.info

  4. Eritrea - Oxford Public International Law

    opil.ouplaw.com

  5. pcacases.com

    pcacases.com

  6. Historical Documents - Office of the Historian

    history.state.gov

  7. Eritrea 1960–94

    media.defense.gov

  8. knyvet.bailii.org

    knyvet.bailii.org

  9. brill.com

    brill.com

  10. To Claim a Colony: The Evolution and Impact of Italian Colonial Land Laws in Eritrea from 1884 to 1907.

    sites.asit.columbia.edu

+ 29 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

EritreaEthiopia

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