Editing Assab (section)

===20th century===
By the early years of the 20th century, the port of Assab had been rendered redundant. Ethiopia, suspicious of Italy, preferred to do business with the French at [[Djibouti City|Djibouti]]. The completion of the [[Ethio-Djibouti Railways]] led to further decline in trade passing through Assab. In the absence of any significant trade from the inland, the settlement depended on salt production which was exported to [[Japan]], as well as some nearby date plantations. The population during this time period was estimated to be between 1,000 and 3,000 inhabitants with 100 to 140 Italians.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pankhurst |first=Richard |year=1982 |title=History of Ethiopian towns from the mid 19th century to 1935 |page=299 |publisher=Steiner }}</ref>

A 1922 British [[War Office]] report stated that the settlement was no more than a small village and consisted of "less than a hundred round grass huts of the native population with a few European built houses and a modest custom house". The rise of fascism seems to have made an impression as the British traveller Hermann Norden observes "even without a sight of the flag from the Government buildings the traveller would know he was in an Italian possession, for the black children in the winding lanes give the fascist salute".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pankhurst |first=Richard |year=1982 |title=History of Ethiopian towns from the mid 19th century to 1935 |page=299 |publisher=Steiner }}</ref>

After the [[Second Italo-Ethiopian War]] the development of Assab was given a new impetus by the building of a road to [[Dessie]] and the reconstruction of the port. Assab was one of the last Italian holdouts to surrender to the Allies during the [[East African campaign (World War II)|East African Campaign]]. Assab was captured on 11 June 1941 by the 3/15th Punjab Regiment, which captured its entire garrison including its commander, [[Pietro Piacentini]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Uhlig |first1=Siegbert |title=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: A-C |date=2003 |pages=358}}</ref>

After Eritrea's federation with Ethiopia in 1952 (and incorporation in 1962), Assab became an important port of entry for the southern and central parts of the country. Assab was further expanded by construction work, with aid from the [[Soviet Union]] and [[Yugoslavia]] during the reign of [[Haile Selassie I]]. Construction of an [[oil refinery]] began in 1964 and it opened in 1967. This development motivated a large number of Ethiopian immigrants from [[Tigray province|Tigray]] and [[Wollo Province|Wollo]], to seek jobs as dock workers or work in the salt and fishing industries. The [[Derg]] military regime was eager to detach Assab from the rest of Eritrea administratively, espesically as nationalist sentiments among the Afar began to grow in the 1970s. Ethiopian trade in Assab increased to over 60% as war in other parts of Eritrea made other ports unsuitable. By 1989, Assab had a population of 39,600 inhabitants.  The oil refinery was shut down for economic reasons in 1997. [[Ethiopia]] used Assab as the port for two-thirds of its trade with the world until the [[Eritrean–Ethiopian War]] broke out in 1998. Borders between Eritrea and Ethiopia closed and trade with Ethiopia ceased. The port and the port town declined and by 2005 the population had dropped to an estimated 20,222 inhabitants.<ref>{{cite web |title=Asseb Eritrea |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Asseb |website=Britannica}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Uhlig |first1=Siegbert |title=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: A-C |date=2003 |pages=358}}</ref>