Eritrea reveals human cost of war

All Eritrean families were affected by the war

President Isaias Afewerki has announced that 19,000 Eritrean soldiers were killed during the two-and-a-half year border conflict with Ethiopia, which ended last year.

This is the first time that any figure for Eritrean losses during the war has been made public.

The war claimed high casualties on both sides

The announcement was made at a ceremony to mark Eritrea's Martyrs Day, which commemorates the soldiers lost during the war of independence and the more recent conflict with Ethiopia.

The number of Eritrean soldiers wounded was not announced, though the figure is thought to be very high.

Our correspondent in Asmara, Alex Last, says the impact on Eritrean society of the recent war with Ethiopia has been enormous, not least because every Eritrean family has someone in the armed forces.

Eritreans believe its losses are less than those suffered by Ethiopia - its much larger neighbour - which has not announced official figures.

Ethiopia reacts

Ethiopia Foreign Ministry spokesman Yemane Kidane told BBC News Online he believed the Eritrean figure to be ridiculously low - but refused to give any official figures for Ethiopian casualties, saying few governments would give out details like that.

Thousands of Eritreans were displaced by the fighting (UNMEE photo Jorge Aramburu)

Since the end of the war, there have been growing popular demands in Eritrea for the government to announce the number of dead and to start the process of informing the families.

Religious figures in the community and village heads are currently being organised to help the families deal with the trauma.

However, many people had already assumed that their loved ones were gone if they had not heard from them since the end of the war.

The number of Eritrean losses announced is lower than many expected, but in a nation of only three million, it is still a heavy price to pay.