Amid numerous brilliant, heroic and successful military operations during the struggle for the liberation of Eritrea, there were also some which miserably failed that many Eritreans can vividly remember. Examples of the latter include the Battle of Halhal on the 7^th September 1968 which marked a momentary setback to the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF); the Eritrean Peoples’ Liberation Front (EPLF’s) failed assault on Massawa in 1977; the unsuccessful battle to take Barentu in 1977, first by the Eritrean Liberation Army (ELA) of ELF and then by the combined forces of ELA and EPLF; the failed attempt to capture Keren in 1988 after the victory in the Nadow-Front, heralding the imminence of the liberation of Eritrea; and the infamous Dekemhare battle prior to the liberation of Eritrea on the 24^th May 1991. Here it is not my intention to be critical of failed military attempts, as revolutions are likely to be marked by ups-and-downs. The success or failure of a military operation depends on many factors. Success requires a smooth implementation of plan during the operation by the whole unit. It ought to be clearly understood by all that assigning failure of complicated military operations to the role of an individual simply is wrong.

The purpose of this article is to critically analyse the rumours that spread in Keren in 1976 following an ill-fated operation by ELA unit, in which Ustaz Saleh Gadi allegedly implicated. As the reader probably knows, Gadi has recently been the subject of character assassination by a supporter of the Eritrean regime. In this article, I will share my thoughts with the reader about the failed ELA operation mentioned on the above. Also, I will briefly recount the achievements of Saleh Gadi (and in effect the Awate team) following the establishment of Awate Foundation on the 1^st of September 2000.

A unit of the gallant ELA attempted to free prisoners from DuGana jail in Keren in 1976. Unfortunately the operation didn’t achieve its desired outcome, and on the contrary, the ELA fighters left three of their fallen colleagues. As Ibrahim Berhan^[1] rightly pointed out, the year was 1976 but today my memory doesn’t serve me well to definitely say whether it was early, mid or late in that same year. Another story line emerged which stated that the ELA unit was not actually attacking DuGana, but was heading to a different target. They mistakenly took one street closer to DuGana than the pre-planned route, so they became visible by the guard(s) posted at DuGana. The guard(s) immediately opened fire and caused some casualties among the fighters. It is difficult to substantiate this second line of story, and as such I am not able to pursue the story any further.

One of the fallen heroes was badly injured in his back; probably his bomb exploded upon being hit by an enemy bullet. He was my cousin’s uncle from A’shakurik near A’shadera, a village about mid-way between keren and Hagaz. His name was Jaber Adam. A week before his martyrdom, he entered Keren disguised as a civilian and visited my cousin’s family on his way back to his rebel base. Of course, he didn’t reveal the real purpose of his visit to Keren. The fact he was among the leading fighters in the operation suggests to me he was in Keren a week earlier to gather intelligence for the attack.

Although I was about ten years old, I vividly remember the sombre atmosphere that engulfed Keren the day after the operation. In the morning, I went to the famous roundabout at the heart of Keren town, and I witnessed the three bodies (not two as Ibrahim Berhan mentioned) of the heroic ELA fighters. One of ELA fighters, Osman Kikya (nickname, Sinjer), who participated in the operation, later was captured by the Ethiopian army. Sinjer was an EPLF fighter when he was captured, but that is another story which I will not elaborate on here. After serving prison term, Sinjer was released into civilian life in the early 1980s. He told me there were ELA fighters who sustained injuries in the DuGana operation, and that contributed to the ELA unit to pull-out before completing the mission. The reason for not collecting the bodies of their killed colleagues was that the Ethiopian army immediately moved tanks and reinforcement towards DuGana. The ELA unit managed to hide the injured fighters in a nearby unoccupied slot of land surrounded with a high brick wall until the reinforcement withdrew. Otherwise, loss of lives on the ELA side could have been much higher.

The participation of Sinjer (and possibly other Keren boys) in the operation suggests to me that there were other fighters in the unit equally familiar with the area as Saleh Gadi was. From this, one infers that Saleh Gadi could not necessarily be the only ‘guide’ of the operation. I don’t remember Sinjer mentioning Saleh Gadi in anyway! I wish I had asked Sinjer more questions about what exactly happened during that night and what went wrong? Sinjer passed away (of natural cause) some years ago, and probably crucial information is buried with him.

It may be more important to describe the reaction of the people of Keren in the wake of the failed operation. The Ethiopian colonising authorities used to display the bodies of killed Eritrean fighters in public places. This inhumane tactic was intended to intimidate the general populace, but more often than not, it has consolidated the people’s resolution to fight on. As in previous cases, many Keren boys, rather than being intimidated by the horrific scene from the failed DuGana operation, the martyrdom of those heroic ELA fighters boosted their desire to join the ELF. I personally know two people who joined the ELF on the same day after viewing the bodies of the fighters displayed in a dishonourable manner. One of the two who was blood related to Jaber Adam was martyred in Mendefera in 1977, and the other currently resides in Melbourne, Australia. That was how patriotic Eritreans in every corner of the country responded to the intimidating inhumane tactics employed by the Ethiopian authorities. Probably, Saleh Gadi himself might have also been deeply moved by such cruel acts when he earlier on joined the ELF at a young age interrupting his education.

From a military point of view, it is unimaginable to think one would visit his/her parents while such sensitive operation was underway, especially someone who was assigned a leading role in the operation. Any delay in implementing plan could lead to a disastrous outcome. What is also inconceivable, if Saleh Gadi had to play a major role in the operation, subsequently, how would the military commander in charge let him go unpunished if Gadi indeed didn’t meticulously execute the orders given him? Anyway, I don’t want to speculate too much about the DuGana operation because, like any other failed operation, nothing has been disclosed for public scrutiny. But what I am confident of is, if Saleh Gadi is accused to stand trial in an independent free judicial system, I am sure he would be prepared to face a court to clear his name because he believes in rule of law and he is fighting for its realisation in Eritrea. What about those who have been terrorising the Eritrean people for so long? Are they prepared to face justice and clear their names of the crimes they have been accused of? I doubt it!

It is hypocritical of the Eritrean regime and its supporters to mention ELA’s operations only to attack political opponents, this time Saleh Gadi, and also when they are intended to serve the Eritrean regime’s interests. During 1976-1977, it is the ELA’s relentless attacks led by martyr Saeed Saleh, which terrorised and weakened the Ethiopian army, entrenched in Keren before the town was liberated in 1977 by the EPLF. Prior to the liberation of Keren, the EPLF launched only one attack in the town, during which its fighters succeeded to take a number of typewriters from Keren Secondary School in a pre-planned raid that involved a teacher from the school. It would have been appropriate to recognise the battles waged by the ELA as part and parcel of the Eritrean struggle that culminated in the liberation and independence of Eritrea. In my opinion, denying space for those who equally contributed to the liberation of Eritrea, in itself, is a crime. The Eritrean regime and its supporters need to clean their acts before accusing others of crimes.

Now turning the attention to Saleh Gadi’s role as a founder of Awate.com, which today by many Eritreans, it is recognised as one of the best Eritrean websites. Awate team’s motto is: Reconciliation, Inform, Inspire and Embolden. Any decent fair-minded Eritrean can appreciate that Ustaz Gadi is working hard to achieve those ideals. Gadi launched Awate.com at a time when dissenting against the Eritrean regime was encountered with verbal abuses and fierce attacks. Gadi and the few like him opposed and exposed human rights abuses by the Eritrean regime at a time when the majority of Eritreans were silent out of fear of reprisals.

Dear Ustaz Gadi,

When you arrived in the USA, you could have chosen to look after your personal interest. You could have chosen to be selfish and devoted all your time and energy to your personal benefits and gains. With your proven intellect, talent, capacity, hard work, and dedication, you would have been a tenure Professor in one of the best USA Universities or you could have established your own law firm or you could have worked for a law firm. You could have been an internationally renowned lawyer, earning huge salary to live a luxurious life in the USA.

In spite of the great opportunities offered by the country of your residence, you have chosen to stand up for the oppressed people of Eritrea for no financial rewards. By establishing Awate.com, championing against human rights abuses and showing selflessness, you have earned deep respect among many Eritreans. The evidence for this is the overwhelming positive responses by good-hearted Eritreans to defend your record when you were brutally and savagely attacked by your opponents. Those who appreciate your devotion to the Eritrean people came out overwhelmingly to defend your integrity. It is no secret many Eritreans admire your hard work to promote justice, peace and democracy in Eritrea. Your name will go in history books as a great patriotic Eritrean intellectual that stood firm against intimidations by one of the worst dictatorial regimes in human history. You have passionately taught many Eritreans reconciliation needs justice; Awate.com has continuously informed us of the abuses committed by the Eritrean regime through Gedab News and other sources. Your dedication and hard work inspired and emboldened many Eritreans to dissent and follow in your foot steps.

One could have said a lot more about Saleh Gadi’s achievements following his establishment of Awate.com, but then his record speaks louder than all praising words I could think of. Gadi’s opponents have accused him wildly; have labelled him with various defamatory names. But Gadi understands these wild accusations and character assassination directed at him are merely intended to discredit and silence him. Ustaz Saleh Gadi is a solid rock like Mountain Adal, and will not be intimidated or shaken by unfounded unsubstantiated accusations. Coercive tactics are futile attempts, because no one can stop him doing what he strongly believes in.

[1] http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/4732/5/