ABSTRACT
The Eritrean arid Tigrayan insurgents finally succeeded after several decades in winning their respective wars against the government of Ethiopia. Abyssinia, the precursor to modern-day Ethiopia, was a feudal, tributary empire. Italy conquered and created the colony of Eritrea in 1890 and successfully invaded Ethiopia in 1935-1936. The Ethiopian government's recognition of China in 1971 ended Chinese support for the Eritrean cause. Phase I of the Eritrean insurgency began in 1959 with emergence of the Eritrean Liberation Movement, a relatively small armed organization operating in urban areas. In both Eritrea and Tigray, the failure of the government and sutcess of the insurgents in the area of legitimacy confirmed Manwaring's thesis that legitimacy is the most important single dimension that can determine the outcome of an insurgency. According to Manwaring, if a threatened government is provided unobtrusive material and/or nonmaterial support consistently over a long term, its chances of success in a counterinsurgency situation are considerably enhanced.
