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No Victory Can Be Attained Without Concordance
And Unity:
An English Translation Of The TigriNa Version
Of Dekebat-Eritrea’s Interview With Mr. Habtemariam Abraha
A Note and a Disclaimer: I have asked the permission of the interviewee,
our elderly veteran fighter, aboy Habtemariam Abraha, to translate his
TigriNa interview with the Dekebat-Eritra website into English through a
colleague of mine who knows and contacts him and was told that I was
welcome to do so. I asked the permission not because I felt I was
legally compelled to do so but out of respect for and in recognition of
his bold, forthright, and loaded interview for the benefit of our
English reading public. Any omission, linguistic or factual mistakes in
translation, misrepresentation, or otherwise of any part or parts of the
interview are solely the responsibilities of this translator, Merhawi
Mesghina. I wish you a good reading and thank you, ladies and gentle
men.
Interview: Part I
Through the interviews conducted previously by the Dekebat-Eritra
website, Mr. Habtemariam Abraha had presented to us the conditions the
Eritrean revolution went through starting from the maHber shewA’ate
[group of seven] era and through the heroic struggle of Eritean patriots
and provided us with a lot of historical facts that we did not know and
that would be essential for posterity. Presently, likewise, we would
like to thank him for willingly availing himself to our invitation to
give us his views and assessments concerning the current conditions of
our country and people on behalf of our readers and visitors. We would
like to before hand make it known that the aim and spirit of this
interview is geared towards informing the public about the current and
true circumstances of our struggle and handing down the true history to
the next generation and is not intended to accuse or besmirch any
organization or individual.
Dekebat Eritra
Interviewer: Mr. Habtemariam, I would like to first of all heartily
thank you for availing yourself to answer our questions.
Question: To begin with, how is your health? How are your activities in
the struggle?
Answer: My health is okay, praise be to God. Although the struggle has
been presenting us with problems as it slips from our hands, our spirits
have not rested. How can we rest while our nation is not in tranquility
and our people are not at peace?
Question: In your views, what is the main reason for our country’s lack
of rest/peace and our people’s lack of tranquility?
Answer: How can we say what/who it is? In my believe, starting with
Issaias, be it from inside or outside, every person who has power while
our country and people are not in tranquility is to blame. There is
almost no person [in power] that is no party to the problem at this
moment in time. To my knowledge, I have not come across any leader who
worries and grieves out of care for the people and country. The leaders
have turned into beasts. The compassion and care for the people has been
lost. The stamina and the steadfastness/resilience of our antecessors
have been rendered nonexistent. Those who are seeking their personal
comfort, greedy, opportunistic, and betrayers have become too many. I
guess that there is a power operating behind the scenes that decides and
propagates what is happening.
The reason [that has been advanced] is that, either through its economy
or leadership, Eritrea has been tested in independently governing its
own affairs to no avail. Therefore, since Eritrea could not find a
leadership that is capable to govern and run its affairs peacefully, and
instead of leading an economic life that depends on aid and living in
poverty, Ethiopia and Eritrea can become one and strengthen their
economies and peace. In my own capacity, I believe that this has been
done and said in order to indirectly return Eritrean to colonization and
destruction.
Question: If what has been said is true, that is, if we are not capable
to govern our people, if they have ascertained that the Issaias regime
internally and the opposition externally [are incapable to govern], in
short, if we do not have nationals that are capable of leading and
governing the nation, and if we are not able to feed ourselves and
satisfy our needs economically let alone to have the economic capacity
for other purposes, what harm could there be if we live by joining
Ethiopia? Where would our loss be?
Answer: Oh no!! After all the lives and material property we have lost
for the sake of our dignity and rights, achieving our independence by
paying the lives of thousands of our heroes, return to colonization
indirectly? What could be worse than that? Especially after rejecting to
live with them (the Ethiopians) with respectful persuasion and begging
on their part, after realizing the return of our country and government
that were destroyed through force and injustice, it is a double death to
ask them to come to colonize us or govern us because we could not govern
ourselves. I see that, today, the world is moving toward unity and
coming together. I too support a rapprochement that would be carried out
with the perseverance, dignity, and willingness of both parties.
However, as it is said that death is a shield/peace, I would rather that
the Almighty claim me so that I will not witness any unity that comes
about because of the pretext that we lack the capacity to sustain
ourselves and without our consent and our willingness.
Question: In the past, with the title “ Meles is better than Issaias for
us”, you have narrated the crimes that Issaias committed on the Eritrean
people and the efforts that Meles made for the sake of Eritrea’s
independence and the help that he contributed with honesty/truthfulness.
Is your believe today as it was before?
Answer: With regard to Issaias, I, starting from day one, am an
individual who have been all along informing and explaining that Issaias
was an enemy of our country and people because I basically know that he
was a hired agent fielded to destroy our country and people. Therefore,
my believe or view about Issaias cannot be changed. To tell you the
truth, as with regards to Meles or Ethiopia, there was nobody like
myself who argued for and defended [the idea] of brotherhood and love
with Ethiopia and more so with our Tigrayan brothers so that our
brotherhood is not severed because of Issaias; and for that reason,
there was no other person like myself who have been called a ‘Woyane’
and thus has been hated and detested/reviled. As from what we see and
hear [these days], however, God save me from talking twice?
Question: Why? What have you seen and heard?
Answer: He who asks ‘why’ is wise. First of all, for fear or wisdom, it
is us who are saying all the nice things. I have not heard any
consolation or hope coming from them (the Ethiopians) from the Badme war
onwards while Issaias is destroying and eradicating us. What
particularly hurts me most is Meles’s statement that “if war starts, it
is not known where we would stop.”
Question: How does it hurt you, though? Previously, they started war for
the sake of Badme. Did they stop in Badme?
Answer: They did not. But when we went to Addis Ababa last year and
raised/touched the issue in our discussions with some of those [the
Ethiopians] in power, we came to an honest understanding that the war
that they executed by crossing Eritrea’s borders after they returned
Badme to their control by force and the attendant loss of life and the
destruction of property to our side or theirs was not right and
necessary. However, it is worrisome when they tell us that they will
repeat more of the same because these are contemptuous statements.
Question: By the way, as a veteran struggler and an elderly father, do
you believe that the Ethiopians want Eritrea to get out of the problems
created by Issaias and become a strong nation that has tranquility,
peace, and harmonious equanimity?
Answer: To tell you the truth, yes I had that kind of believe till
today. If you ask ‘why’, there is nothing closer to us than them and
there is nothing closer to them than us. We all have been poor,
downtrodden, and oppressed. What is more, we are all brothers who cannot
be distanced from each other. We particularly did not have the
expectation that our Tigrayan brothers would forget and cast this aside
because they have overcome their problems sooner. If peace and
understanding could be attained, there would not be a problem to share
what the Ethiopians want from us and for them to share what we want from
them. However, when I see and examine everything, I am finding a lot of
suspicious and worrisome reasons [developments] this year.
Question: Ethiopia is the safe haven for almost all of the opposition
organizations and that is also where they get their support and launch
their operation from. And, to this day, there is no visible and
productive contribution that they have made to the Eritrean people. What
do you think about this?
Answer: That is a tough question? That was the reason that took some of
my colleagues and myself to Addis Ababa last year. When we could not
find a voice, either in the form of rumors or in practice that said “
the Alliance had done this or has been successful through this and had
done this for the Eritrean people”, we told ourselves, “ let us go and
see what they are doing,” and went. We really grieved and got into a big
fight with them and returned back.
Question: What made you fight?
Answer: When we criticized them in a form of a meeting and they could
not accept the fact that leaders can be criticized and accused by their
people and we told them that they have forgotten the people while they
were being destroyed and they had nothing to show except for saying “ we
have gone to Khartoum and we have returned back to Addis Ababa”, they
could not swallow it and got very much annoyed.
Question: It is said that you have a special love and ties with Hurui
Tedla Bairu starting from the field [days]. At the time when you went to
Addis Ababa last year, it is said that it was for the purpose of helping
him. Could you shade some light on that for us?
Answer: I very much will. First of all, my first love and bond was not
with Hurui but with his uncle, Mengstu Bairu, who was a hero who loved
his country and people and was tortured, imprisoned, and martyred for
their sake. There was no Eritrean at that time that did not know that
Mengistu Bairu was one of the founders of maHber shewA’ate and that he
was one of the Eritrean heroes who did a lot of work, struggled, and got
martyred for the sake of our nation. Thus, our relationship started from
there/then. As to the assertion that we went to Addis Ababa to help him,
however, we, as ordinary folks, did not have the expectation to help a
person who is in the position of a Secretary General of the National
Alliance. When we saw the problem later on, however, we contributed
whatever help we could afford him although he did not accept it. And
that was volunteered as a useful advice either to him or our country.
Question: It has been two years since Hurui was elected as the Secretary
General of the Eritrean Alliance and started working in that capacity.
From what you have observed when you went to Addis Ababa, what do you
guesstimate the reason to be that he had neither changed nor
accomplished anything for two years? Is it because he lacks the
capability as Seyoum Ogbamichael alleged him to be or he has another
reason?
Answer: As to myself, I did not have the believe that Hurui lacked the
credentials that would enable him to govern, be it Africa or Europe, let
alone the Alliance. When we went to Addis Ababa and saw the situation of
the Alliance, however, we were aggrieved and alarmed tremendously. While
the Eritrean people are being destroyed by the Issaias regime and were
expecting the Alliance to save and comfort/relieve them, we did not
expect to find the Alliance in that condition. We tried to put a lot of
effort in order to find a remedy. We also informed the Ethiopian
authorities that we were surprised when we saw that the Alliance was
rendered lame/impotent, dead, and hopeless. We also made it know to them
(the Ethiopians) that we were not pleased with their watching silently
while the so called Alliance of thirteen organizations spent their day
curled in sleeping while the Eritrean people are being destroyed and
eradicated by the Issaias regime. We also groped to find out what the
problem was. We have reached the conclusion that one of the reasons was
the withdrawal of the ELF-RC organization from the Alliance’s 5th
regular session and the weakness that this induced.
Because our allegiance and love is to the Eritrean people before we give
Hurui a priority, we did not want the Alliance to disintegrate because
of the election of Hurui to be its Secretary General and could not
swallow the negative impact that this would have to the struggle of our
nation and the interest of our people. Because the issue is about
country and people, we were obliged to state the truth.
When we ascertained that no remedy could be found for the issue of the
Alliance and that it could not be treated and, pushed by the love and
brotherhood of the struggle that was still kept, we were obliged to
advise Hurui. Hinged on the adage that ‘let alone it was worsened by
you, let it not be said that it was bettered by you’, [we advised him]
not to fight with his brothers and fellow strugglers (in the ELF-RC)
leadership because of a leadership [post] that he could not serve his
country and people with. We presented a plea to him not to be an
obstacle in the struggle of the Eritrean people. We also begged him to
present his resignation papers, return to his place, and inform the
Eritrean people about his problems through the mass media so that he
would not be accused of taking the Alliance backwards, tarnish his
history forever, and be held to account for his responsibilities or
weaknesses. I hold the believe that if he was accepting/receptive,
either him or us would not be in the kind of situation that we are
today.
Question: As per your explanation, do you mean that the withdrawal of
the ELF-RC (Seyoum) from the 5th regular session of the Alliance in
Addis Ababa is of Hurui’s wrongdoing?
Answer: That is not. It is the Eritrean people who were waiting for the
Alliance to reach to some accord and save them from their Issaias-inflicted
suffering who have been hurt and wronged because of the withdrawal of
the ELF-RC or Seyoum. In my believe, therefore, it is the Eritrean
people whom Seyoum have hurt and wronged. That Hurui’s involvement was
not to be useful for the Eritrean people should have been left for the
people to decide. The people should have been given the chance to look
into the affair and make their judgment. First, he [Hurui?] accused him
[Seyoum?] that he made this happen because of a power greed and the fact
that he did not get elected. And second, [Hurui accused Seyoum that?]
not only the people but he [Seyoum?] also has induced unhealthy winds to
the ELF-RC itself which lead to its splintering. Seyoum stated that
there were hands of others involved in that state of affair. Not only
hands but also it was clear to everybody that feet were also added. The
object of my talk is, however, as Seyoum is a life long struggler, why
couldn’t he say what our fathers know and that is: “ Either do what they
tell you or leave their country for them” by underlining the adage: “let
the mouth pass for the sake of the oven.”
>From the other side, also, I am just saying that when Hurui saw all the
harm done to our country and people and the splintering of our
opposition forces, he should have told himself “I do not want to be the
reason for the divergence and disintegration of the Alliance and I have
withdrawn from the leadership race for the post of the Secretary
General.” History is history. While the main reason was some other state
of affairs for the situation that had transpired at that time, it is
aggrieving to portray the reason for this as being the result of Hurui’s
election and send the [wrong] message/image that Eritreans are fighting
and splintering because of a power struggle while their people are being
destroyed and for this bad and shameful history to be handed down to the
next generation. And, maybe, because Hurui’s coming did not bring any
change and salvation to the nation, it will forever aggrieve and shame
not only himself but all of us nationals if it will be narrated that
Hurui has become just a tool in weakening the Alliance more.
End of Translation of Part I
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Translations of parts II, III, and IV may be continued, time, energy,
and patience allowing…
ms senai tmnit
Merhawi Mesghina
If you have comments about the translation, use: merhawi_m1@netzero.com
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