1990 - Eritrean People’s Liberation Front captures the Eritrean port of Massawa.
1991 - Eritrean People’s Liberation Front captures the Eritrean capital, Asmara and forms a provisional government; the United Nations sets a date for a referendum on Eritrean independence with Ethiopian backing.
1993 - Eritreans almost unanimously vote for independence; Eritrea becomes independent and joins the United Nations.
1995 - Eritrean troops invade the Yemeni-held Hanish islands at the mouth of the Red Sea.
1998 - International arbitration panel awards the Greater Hanish island to Yemen and divides other smaller islands between the two countries.
1998-2000 - Eritrean-Ethiopian border clashes turn into a full-scale war which kills some 70,000 people.
2002 February - Eritrea’s highest legislative body, the National Assembly, decides not to allow the creation of any political parties in the near future.
2005 December - Eritrea orders the expulsion of North American, European and Russian peacekeepers from the UN mission monitoring its border with Ethiopia.
2006 September - Eritrea expels five UN staff as “spies”, in a move seen as a further deterioration of dire relations with the UN.
2006 November - A UN report says seven countries - including Eritrea - have been providing arms and supplies to the rival Islamist administration in Somalia. Eritrea denies the charge. Eritrea’s arch foe Ethiopia was arming the interim government, the report says.
2007 August - US official Jendayi Frazer says Washington is considering putting Eritrea on a list of state sponsors of terrorism.
2008 January - UN extends mandate of peacekeepers on Ethiopia-Eritrea border for six months.
2008 April - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon warns of likelihood of new war between Ethiopia and Eritrea if peacekeeping mission withdraws completely. Outlines options for the future of the UN mission in the two countries.
2008 May - Eritrea calls on UN to terminate peacekeeping mission.
2008 July - UN Security Council votes unanimously to end UN peacekeeping mission monitoring disputed border between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
2009 December - UN imposes sanctions on Eritrea for its alleged support for Islamist insurgents in Somalia.

Source: BBC

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Timeline: Key events in Eritrea's history