Eritrea becomes a member of the United Nations.

Date: 28 May 1993
Updated: 30 Sep 2019

Several attempts were made by Eritrea to gain recognition from the United Nations (UN). Habte Selassie who represented the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) at the UN argued that the UN’s resolutions on decolonisation were to be applied to Eritrea. The Ethiopian Government agreed to support Eritrea’s right to self- determination. Ethiopia wrote a letter to the UN Secretary General. The UN approved an Observer Mission (UNOVER) to ratify Eritrean’s Referendum. Soon after gaining its independence after 30 years of struggle against its former ruler, Ethiopia, Eritrea joined the United Nations (UN) as an official member on 28 May 1993.

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How we know this

01Killion T. & Connell D. (2011), Historical Dictionary of Eritrea, (Scarecrow Press), pp.523-524
02Desta A., The Permanent Mission of Eritrea to the United Nations, [online], Available at: www.eritrea-unmission.org [Accessed: 6 May 2014]

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

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South African History Online. (2012, May 25). Eritrea becomes a member of the United Nations.. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0083907

South African History Online (2012) 'Eritrea becomes a member of the United Nations.', South African History Online, 25 May. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0083907 (Accessed: 13 August 2026).

South African History Online, Eritrea becomes a member of the United Nations. [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0083907, (accessed 13 August 2026).

"Eritrea becomes a member of the United Nations.." South African History Online, 25 May 2012, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0083907. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

South African History Online. "Eritrea becomes a member of the United Nations.." South African History Online. May 25, 2012. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0083907.