Eritrea is Christian in the same way that Ethiopia is except percentage wise it s about 10 less Christian Although there is a high percentage of Muslims most of them live in the arid lowlands and have less political power compared to their highland Christian mainly Tigrinya in Eritrea counterparts The Eritrean secession movement did not become a serious possibility until the 1970s when highland Christians began to join the movement the 10 15 years prior when it was primarily led by the ELF a Muslim group and supported mainly by the Muslim lowlands it was largely unsuccessful It was in the 1970s with the support of Christians that the tide began to turn Issayas s alliance with the ICU is simply him considering the enemy of his enemy Meles Zenawi being his friend Yom Ethiopia