How did the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front gain control of Eritrea in 1991?

In 1991, the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) gained control of Eritrea as the Ethiopian central government collapsed under the pressure of multiple internal rebellions and the loss of Soviet military support.12

During the late 1980s, the EPLF formed a strategic alliance with other guerrilla groups, most notably the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which had been fighting for autonomy within Ethiopia. As these allied forces launched a final military offensive and swept toward the Ethiopian capital in May 1991, the Ethiopian army disintegrated. With the central government overthrown, the EPLF assumed complete control of Eritrea and established a separate provisional government. This transition was supported by the new regime in Ethiopia, leading to an amicable separation that was later formalized through a United Nations-supervised referendum on independence in 1993.12