Nakfa: A State in WaitingEritrea / Ethiopia · 1961–1991"Africa's longest war of independence began when a federation was swallowed, and ended when a state walked out of the mountain."In 1950 the UN decided Eritrea's future without asking Eritrea: it was federated to Ethiopia, a compromise that satisfied Haile Selassie and the Western powers who needed his airbase. By 1962 the emperor had abolished the federation entirely and annexed the territory outright.The lesson the elders kept: A movement that builds a functioning state underground - with schools, hospitals and a third of its army composed of women - shows what determination looks like from the inside. The difficulty is that such movements sometimes become the thing they fought.