The Tragedy of Eritrean Refugees Caught Up in Libyan and Sinai desert, Essay

The Tragedy of Eritrean Refugees Caught Up in Libyan and Sinai desert, Egypt - Essay Example The direct cause of the current abysmal situation that is often summarised as the â€Å"Eritrean Refugee Crisis† might be traced to the turbulent events of the second half of the 20th century. At the end of the 19th century, Eritrea was colonized by Italians and was eventually turned into the base for the former’s colonial expansion into neighbouring Ethiopia and Sudan. After WWII, the United Nations decided to establish a union between Eritrea and Ethiopia, which came into being in 1952. However, virtual refusal of Ethiopian government to take the interests of Eritrean population into consideration brought about the beginning of a large-scale Liberation War, which lasted for almost thirty years. It is widely believed among Eritreans and non-Eritreans alike that these events and the failure of the international community to prevent Ethiopia from its abuse proved to be a root of the current suffering in Eritrea. In 1974, the Soviet Union became aligned with Ethiopia when a military junta overthrew the traditionalist autocratic regime of Emperor Haile Selassie. Soon, the war escalated when $11 billion in new arms from Moscow were delivered to Ethiopia’s government.