Even in the shantytowns hardest hit by the storm, an independent Eritrea is expected to bring a brighter future.

It argued, as had the Emperor, that an independent Eritrea would mean a landlocked Ethiopia.

This was in order, he said, to allow stability in Ethiopia, where the idea of an independent Eritrea remains an emotional issue.

An independent Eritrea would leave the rest of the country landlocked, depriving it of ports on the Red Sea.

And not-yet independent Eritrea has offered to contribute battle-tested troops to an international force.

An independent Eritrea would leave Ethiopia landlocked.

Formal international recognition of an independent and sovereign Eritrea followed later the same year.

With its 600 miles of Red Sea coastline, an independent Eritrea would make Ethiopia a landlocked country.

The Addis Ababa Government doesn't particularly want to see an independent Eritrea, but it doesn't have much say in the matter.

Effective communication will play a vital role in the referendum planned for April 1993, when citizens will vote for or against an independent Eritrea.