EPLF and ELF syndrome an issue to bury in order to move on to face the current challenges:

On its meeting dated 03/02/2008 in London the forum of Democracy – UK branch changed its name to Citizens for Democracy. The vision and objectives are the same.  The only difference is it has become part of a global net work of civil societies in Diaspora.

I have few observations in relation to the meeting.

• ELF and EPLF recriminations still persist in the minds of some members. It clearly reflected in the discussion that endorsed the final objectives of the association and I find it damaging to genuine working relationship.

• There were people who expected perfection in the aims and objectives of the association.  This attitude had made some of the discussion painful and slow.  Little time is left to focus on strategies and tactics to implement the objectives. If such attitude persists the organisation will remain a talking shop. In fact it has all the characteristics that would make it so, unless it is recognised and tackled.

• There are still people who wanted to restrict the platform to be debate only.  To debate on issues but not to campaign for change would render the whole objective irrelevant.

• Apart from these shortcomings which the members should be aware of the meeting was successful.

The ELF and EPLF syndrome:

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After the meeting, we went to a pub to socialize over a drink. There was this guy who came from USA with whom 4 of us shared a table.  Out of the blue he started to attack EPLF. Starting from its inception he went on and on shredding the EPLF to pieces. I got irritated and I told him I am a veteran of EPLF and I beg to differ with his characterization of EPLF, bringing to his attention that it is the EPLF who lead the people of Eritrea to independence.  I understand that the ELF members have a different perception of history of EPLF. Likewise he should also understand that the EPLF members have a different perception of the history of ELF. He wouldn’t have been that irrational had he not been bitter. Bitterness is destructive. It diverts once energy away from the challenge of today. Many of the leaders of the opposition parties today are ELF and EPLF veteran leaders. I suspect that they may be victims of such kind of mind set otherwise what could be the underlying reason of failing to put a united and strong opposition.  The Eritreans have a serious political problem here which is going to take some political solving. This mental setting must be addressed sooner than later. This phenomenon is only an example.  But this negative mental state and bitterness is becoming a cancer to the harmony and unity of all those who are committed to fight against repression, suffering and pain of the people.

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One can not struggle for democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights with a grudge and bitterness in his/her mind. To struggle with bitterness is fighting for selfish reasons not for justice.  One has to have moral high ground, resilience and magnanimity to carry on a struggle. These qualities are critical in the fight for democracy.

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EPLF is born out of internal conflict within ELF.  There will be no EPLF without the ELF. Two fronts stood for the same objective of securing independence for the people of Eritrea. That is why any Eritrean who wanted to free his country and himself from outside rule had to join either ELF or EPLF.  With all the discrepancies the two movements are the history of the armed struggle of the peoples of Eritrea.  The owners are the people not individual leaders.

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In order to call a spade a spade, one must ask how EPLF could liberate Eritrea. One doesn’t have to rely on EPLF members to find out. There are independent writers, journalists, reporters, social scientists who wrote extensively about the Eritrean struggle and EPLF. It is important to get insight from their findings.

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Dan Connel, “The Eritreans achieved an extraordinary level of cultural and political unity among their diverse constituent parts- Christians and Moslems from nine ethnic groups at a time when most of their neighbours were mired in civil war and sectarian violence.”

David Pool, “The EPLF used class struggle to bring about unity in diversity…”  Gerard Chaliand, “Over the years the EPLF has demonstrated an ability to sustain two mobilization tasks which are crucial for the development of any effective national liberation movement.  It has been able to build a strong organisation, which has remained cohesive; and it has shown a capacity to generate cadres.  This success in mobilization represents a great achievement.

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Richard Reid, “Undoubtedly the EPLF is one of the most successful liberation movements perhaps any where in the world – in the era of decolonization from the 1950s onward”.

EPLF had organized itself in line of Marxist ideology and ethos. For EPLF Lenin’s teaching provided critical theory and an ideology that was amazingly adaptable to the Eritrean situation at the time of the long years of armed struggle. This ideological clarity and adoption made the fighters cohesive, disciplined, selfless and ready for martyrdom. The fighters developed an incredible support for each other. A new culture had evolved in the body politics of the EPLF that influenced thousands of Eritreans in the Diaspora.  

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Therefore EPLF’s victory was anchored on the direct involvement, contribution and support of the people of Eritrea including those in the Diaspora. However, there are those individuals who played a constructive role at one time and an amazingly destructive role at other times. One has to know that EPLF has tapped a great deal from the ideological experiences and activities of the Hailesellasie 1 University students in Ethiopia, Middle East Universities and students in the East and West Europe and USA.   The teachers at the Revolutionary school were of high scholarship calibre.  Arts, painting and music had flourished in the field.

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However these fronts are no saints. EPLF spouses all the negative characteristics of a centralized military hierarchy. After independence in spite of the making of the constitution that would have empowered the people we had a PFDJ self declared one party system. PFDJ is not EPLF.

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It is a good culture to chronicle historical blunders and shortcomings. If any one wanted to tell about EPLF failures by no means do. But to do it outside its historical context and at a level of gossip that brings suspicion and recrimination among Eritreans of different political and religious denominations is divisive.  Any study must be used to understand why we are in a mess at present.  By understanding the present we can carefully and scientifically plan for the future in order to put the coming generation on a firm ground.  

On 18-11-2001when the security forces put the G-15 in prison it was a shock but at the same time a revelation. By putting the majority of the EPLF in prison e witnessed the end of an EPLF era and the supremacy of PFDJ.  It was a revelation because people started to see inside the workings of the EPLF.  There were betrayals, killings, brutal power struggles and historical injustices etc.  The EPLF was replete with conspiracy theories that robbed and it is still robbing the stories of many Eritrean heroes.

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It was 1975 around April or May I don’t remember the exact date.  We set out on a journey to Yemen on a boat from one of the Marsas, may be “Agig”. There were about 30 severely wounded fighters and myself with an eye problem. It was dark. We sailed under the cover of darkness to avoid Ethiopian Navy. On the way we had plenty of food mainly sardine, rice and fruits. The care and treatment of the wounded by the sailors had been exceptionally good. There was a bare foot doctor among us.  It was amazingly a display of high level efficiency. After about 18 hours we reached the coasts of Aden, Yemen. I was expecting Yemeni border guards and immigration. Instead we were welcomed by Eritreans who came with pick up Toyota Land cruisers. We needed no passports; we just went to an area where the EPLF navy was based. There were many Eritrean sailors in the base most of them were Eritrean Afar. They have the reputation of knowing every corner of the red sea.  They treated us with traditional delicious food and soft drinks. There were larges sizes of warehouses full of commodities to be shipped to the field. Sugar, teas, and starch you name it. For me it was unforgettable and fascinating experience.

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After 5 or 6 days Ahmed Tahir Baduri had asked me to come and meet Osman Saleh Sabe, the head of the foreign mission. We talked about my situation. I told him that I would like to serve the EPLF in one of the foreign offices preferably in an English speaking country. He took my name and promised to send me a foreign Passport to travel to Europe which he eventually did.

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Baduri told me that behind all what I have seen was this man.  Sabe was the one who arranged air transport to Yemen for all those who defected to the Sudan from ELF. They got organized in Aden and sailed back to Eritrea in Denkalia and formed PLF in 1970. Sabe was very conscious of knowledge and he had negotiated many scholarship with Arab leaders for Eritrean Youth.  Sabe played a critical role when EPLF was a child at its cradle, fighting for its survival.  

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Today you find no mention of him on TV-ERE.  The history of EPLF that had ignored Saleh Sabe is a history amputated.  To attribute EPLF history to Isaias Afeworki alone is another historical injustice. Do the people of Zimbabwe refute the history of their armed struggle because the liberation leader now Head of State, Mugabe is subjecting the people to repression and reduced them to extreme poverty?  This is the tragedy of Africa. A Phenomena, where liberators changed into conquerors.

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There were also other Eritreans who sacrificed their life and persisted in the struggle in spite of all the EPLF discrepancies. Thousands of intellectuals who committed class suicide to participate in the struggle had joined the EPLF. In this Abdul Rahman Babu, the African leading statesman has this to say, “Where in Africa today would you see doctors, engineers, mechanics, technicians, all of world standards, inspired enough to flock back home enthusiastically from foreign universities and institutions of learning to serve their own country-without pay? What about those labelled “Menka” whose ideas helped the EPLF to make qualitative change in managing the Front.?  How about those who spend long years in prisoners for serving ELF or EPLF and never got any recognition and even refused to form their own association?

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I have accepted that the mass association of the EPLF had subjected the ex-ELF members to harassment. They were nick named “AMA”. ELF members were extremely misunderstood and have not been accommodated in the Diaspora activities. Furthermore after independence they wanted to form an independent party to participate in the social, economic and political rehabilitation of Eritrea. The EPLF refused them and only allowed them to participate individually.

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I seriously hope we can unlock these tragic feelings of recrimination that has become an obstacle for working together in unity in time of the greatest need. Today there is more urgent task to do.  The people are calling for justice and empowerment. The civil society has profoundly significant role to play in awareness creation activities. They can be a source of constant encouragement if only they adopt the culture of resistance.