Hanish Islands

The Hanish Islands, are a group of small islands found in the Red Sea. While a little more than half of the islands belong to Yemen, during 1991 - 1993 they were claimed by Eritrea as well. After a long trial with an international court under the guidance of Dr. Abdul Karim Aleryani, Yemen was granted full ownership of the larger islands while Eritrea was awarded the peripheral islands to the southwest.

The Hanish Islands were claimed by the Ottoman Empire, a claim abandoned by Turkey in 1923. From that point forward they were administered by the Italian Colony of Eritrea until 1941. In 1941, after the surrender of the Italian colonial forces, the British army established Eritrea as a protectorate. Throughout the 1970s Ethiopia (which had annexed Eritrea) and Yemen claimed the islands as one of it's own. Ethiopian interest in the Islands stemmed from the fact that Eritrean independence groups used the Hanish Islands, Ethiopia under the Derg regime had also, given the Soviet Union unrestricted access to the Islands. and the nearby Zuqar Island, as a base to attack Ethiopian military interests.

In 1991 Eritrea gained independence and in 1995 attempted to exercise sovereignty over the archipelago. This started the Hanish Islands conflict, which was eventually ended after a brief conflict between Eritrea and Yemen over the islands. In all, 3 to 12 Eritreans and 4-15 Yemenis were killed in the fighting.