NHARNET ARTICLES

It is Sad! Sad! Moment in our life

By Woldeselassie Tesfai Omer

Eritrean families all over the country are being summoned into civic places, churches, and schools. Tents have been erected to give shade from the scorching winter sun. The time has arrived to officially confirm the death of those who died long time ago in the senseless war between the two poorest countries Eritrea and Ethiopia.

Men, women, and children in a tow trek in their designated places. Some cry profusely, some shaking violently, and some nauseating uncontrollably, and everybody is terrified from the inevitable bad news, the death of their sons, daughters, husbands, and fiancés. Many are holding hope against hope that their beloved one will be spared and be somewhere as a refugee, prisoners of war, or in some hidden prisons; anywhere is acceptable, but a grave.

The announcement won’t start until everybody is assembled. The waiting….., the waiting will seem eternity. The three or four long years they waited will pale in comparison to the few minutes under the tent. The tent that casts a shadow of gloom and doom.  It is a torture chamber; nobody deserves to be there.                                                                                             

At last, the agony of waiting is over; the official will appear with a stack of papers in his hand. He would clear his throat and ask the crowd to be silent and listen attentively. Many, they would rather die than hear the death of their beloved one. Many, they cry silently, and wish the bullet that shattered their sons or daughters had shattered them too, just to spare the pain they are enduring under that tent.

The names are called one by one: they died en masse in trenches under a rain of bullets and bombs, and their families are been told in en masse the death of their beloved one. Heroes reduced instantly in a name and a number into the national register. The sorrow is overwhelming. Some will scratch their faces to mark a scar as a testimony to their loss, to go with the scar they already have in their gut. Some will peel strings of braid form their heads, which will undoubtedly leave bead of blood. Some will try to shout and cry from top of their lungs but no sound will come out, because the ordeal has siphoned the air out their system.

Confused and bewildered by the whole situation, they would look to ward each other for some clues, and yet they will purposely avoid eye contact, for they know every eye is watery. It is a mess; no one is qualified to console the other, each and every one is in the same gloomy predicament. Then, the time comes to run back to their shelters and cry privately and commence the unending odyssey of suffering. No, not yet, they won’t get privacy; stream of people will come in and out to say few words of condolence and go to the next house, the next house, and the next house this is the routine in Eritrean household these days, because every family is affected. (Save those well connected, who were able to pull a string and avoid the tragedy.)?

Why? Why? PFDJ ! Couldn’t you avoid the senseless war to spare the life of our youth?

This generation has witnessed the worst carnage in the Eritrean history, unfortunately, to the dismay of everybody we have done so little to stop or curtail the destruction of the country and the death of the youth. This generation has crippled the future and the well being of the next generation. It is abomination. It amounts to the worst scenario - to go insane and burn your own house. This is what we have done to our people. We destroyed their livelihood. Yes, let’s face it; we are guilt by association. We didn’t do enough to stop the madness.

Those of you who were beating the war drum and who were dancing to the war tune, the burden of guilt should fall squarely your back; shame on you. You fun the fire that consumed your home from the comfort of your adopted countries. 

The sad thing is we haven’t learned our lesson yet. As we mourn the death of our brothers and sisters the government is sending young students to training camp. We failed collectively and miserable shame on us Eritreans. It is sad! Sad! Moment in our life.

You didn’t die in vain.

The truth will prevail.

This article is solely contributed by the author(s) and is (are) solely responsible for its contents.