At  33^rd Anniversary  of

The 1971 Congress, ELF-RC

Described as ‘Dynamic Democracy’

Nharnet Team, 14 October 2004

Forging a United Patriotic Opposition

Nharnet Team, October 10, 2004

Three Years Ago Today

Nharnet Editorial (19/9/2004)

From the Experiences of the ELA (Part II)

(12/9/2004)

September 1^st Puts Public Trust to the Test

(1/9/2004)

الوحدة الوطنية الارترية ...... بين الأمس واليوم

بقلم / ابراهيم محمد علي

RC Speaker Urges Libya’s Colonel Gadafy

(30/8/2004)

لجنة الحوار الوطني

CONCLUDING STATEMENT:

ARABIC  ENGLISH       TIGRINIA

From the Experiences of the ELA

 (Part V)

This is part of the history of the Eritrean Liberation Army whose 43^rd anniversary was celebrated last September. Part IV of these series was a brief account about the meetings at Aredaib, Ansaba, Gedaref and finally at Adobaha where the General Command was elected. Internal rivalries that started with the ill-conceived menatiq/kiflitat of the ELA continued unabated even after Adobaha. The meetings aimed to unify the front and lay down a democratic basis at a national conference which was not acceptable to some contending forces. As continuation of efforts for unity, the Awate Military Conference of March 1971 elected a 30-person powerful and independent Preparatory Committee to try to bring all factions to national conference. The many efforts did not bear fruit and the First National Congress of the ELF had to be convened in October-Novermber 1971 at Arr without the splinter factions. Today, Part V will provide a sweeping account (rather, listing) of the major military operations of the ELA between 1965 and the first congress of 1971.

Military Operations: 1965-1971

The internal rivalries and political tensions caused by the ethno-regional divisions of the army into five commands did not paralyze military operations. In fact, more daring and successful attacks were launched against the Ethiopian occupation army during 1965 and 1969 as shown  below:

The Battle of Adobaha

In June 1965,  Tahir Salem, the deputy head of the ELA, led a major attack on enemy force encamped in Adobaha. It was one of the fierce battles in which the ELA fighters showed formidable gallantry and commitment to win. The enemy lost a big force. Tahir Salem was one of the martyrs from the ELA side.

The Confrontation at  Hasheek

This was a fierce confrontation that took place during the last days of the year 1965 and much known and celebrated by the ELA units of the day and the supportive masses because in it the enemy lost many soldiers, among them the infamous agent and occupation army guide Teklinkiel.

The Incident of  Mihlab

The battle took place during the end of 1965 (date unspecified). It was a sad day in the steadily expanding ELA in which it lost a large number of casualties (21 martyred) whose bodies were later brutally exhibited by hanging inside Keren.

The Attack in Agordat

One of the major attacks on enemy camps in 1966 took place inside Agordat in which the enemy reportedly lost many soldiers, killed and wounded. ELA martyrs at the attack were Danqir and Mohammed Saleh Afrut.

The Karora Operation

On 9 January 1967, an ELA force attacked the enemy post in Karora and put it under its control. All enemy soldiers were either killed, wounded or taken prisoner. All weapons and ammunitions in that enemy post in northern-most  Eritrea-Sudan border town of Karora were taken away by the ELA.

The Attack in  Keren

On 18 April 1967, an ELA unit launched a heavy attack on a camp in Keren and killed many enemy soldiers.

The Battle Ailet

On 14 June 1967, an ELA unit confronted a large concentration of enemy force at Ailet, north of Massawa. The Ethiopians lost 40 killed.

The Battle of Rora Maria

On 16 June 1967, Eritrean fighters ambushed enemy forces who lost 16 killed in the battle.

The Battle of Bab-Jengeren

Also on 16 June 1967,  an enemy force was confronted in one of the fiercest ELA ambush operations in Bab Jengeren; 16 enemy soldiers were killed.

The Battle of Gemhot (Semhar)

On 17 July 1967, ELA units launched fierce attacks on the enemy. Confirmed losses of the enemy were 30 soldiers killed and 14 wounded.

The Battle of  Kohaito

The battle of Kohaito fought that summer of 1967 was one of the great confrontation of that period. The enemy was reported to have lost 17 soldiers killed.

The Battle of Amborey, Dambalas

This was also one of the major ELA operations of the year 1967. In it was killed a senior Ethiopian military official. At Amborey, the ELA units could capture a large number of arms and ammunitions.

The Battle of Mihlab

Another battle raged in Mihlab in 1967. Among the enemy losses was the leader of the force holding the rank of major, commonly called “Shambel Yassin”.

Two Consecutive Battles in  Tukumbia

On 26 July 1967,  ELA engaged enemy forces in Tukumbia at which 15 soldiers were killed and 8 wounded. Again on 30 July 1967, a much bigger ELA force encircled the enemy concentration in Tukumbia and managed to inflict much heavier losses on the enemy: 60 killed and 30 wounded.

The Mirara Operation

In March 1968, an ELA unit launched an attack at the military post in Mirara  and succeeded to take full control of the camp until it later withdeaw taking all the weapons and ammunitions in it.

The Galuj Operation

Also during the spring of 1968, the ELA succeeded to attack the enemy camp in Galuj and take full control of the post. It later withdrew taking all available weapons and ammunitions.

The Battle of Geleb

In May 1968, an ELA unit launched an attack in Geleb, Mensae region, which was considered as one of the successful operations of that year.

The Attack in  Mensura

The attack on Mensura was one of the brilliant confrontation put by the ELA against enemy forces. That heroic attack is remembered for the martyrdom of the hero and ELA leader Ahmed Welelo.

The Battle of  Halhal

 The attack on the police and commando post in Halhal took place on 7 September 1968. It was a heroic attack by ELA fedayeen jumping into the military compound to take it over by force. However, due to a betrayal by a police collaborator, the intended outcome was reversed and the ELA lost over 45 martyrs, among them, the leader of the Second Division, Omar Hamid Izaz.

Between the fall of 1968 and the Adobaha Conference in August 1969, many more significant military operations were launched against the enemy by the 1^st  and 2^nd Divisions as well as the newly formed Wuhda Thulasia/ Tripartite Union of the 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th Divisions of the ELA.

The splinter groups remained apart. These were the PLF that was formed under the leadership of Osman Saleh Sabe and became known as the Popular Liberation Froces (PLF-I) after its congress in Sudho-Ela in Dankalia in April 1970. Members of the group included Mohammed Ali Omaro, Ramadan Mohammed Nur, who was the secretary of Kiyada Ama, Mesfin Hagos, Abubaker Mohammed Jimie, Abu Tiyara (Mohammed Omar Abdalla) and Abu Ajaj (Saleh Mohammed Idris). Isayas Afeworki and group, had already split from the mother organization in January 1970, in March that year issued their declaration called Nehnan Elamanan. After the congress at Arr, a third group which earlier met at Obel, convened its congress at Biltubai and called itself Eritrean Liberation Forces which later became PLF-III. Although the ELF congress of October 1971 decided not to take military action against the Isayas-led group under any circumstance, yet the faction (Selfi-Natsinet) joined the others under its factional name of PLF-II.

But, amidst all the political differences in the field, the ELA was still engaging the Ethiopian enemy in a number of confrontations among which were the following:

The Battle of Lekotat

The confrontation of ELA to a large enemy force at Lekotat near Hagaz took 16 days in March 1970. The enemy was pushed back from entering the region and destroying villages, as the grand plan was during that period.

The confrontation at Feru

The battle took place in August 1970 when the ELA attacked at Feru and inflicted heavy human and material losses on the enemy side.

The Battle of Omeli

Fought on 3 September 1970, ELA in the battle at Omeli near Mount Di’ot, repulsed the enemy that was trying to go out to the countryside for wanton destruction and burning of people’s homes.

The Battle of Nebagade (Ashqa)

Fought in October 1970, the battle of Nebagade, east of Adi Kaih, raged for three consecutive days. The enemy force was not only stopped from going out to the countryside for burning of people’s property, but also lost many men killed. Over 30 pieces of weapons were captured from the Ethiopians at Nebagade.

These period also witnessed many unaccounted for military operations in and around the major towns of Asmara, Keren,  Agordat and others.

The Battle of Halib Mentel

This battle was fought during the end of November 1970 near Elaberet in which the Ethiopians lost General Teshome Ergetu, the Supreme Commander of the Ethiopian occupation army in Eritrea. It was following this battle that the Ethiopians committeed massacre of civilians in the villages of Basik-Dira and Ona killing nearly 1,000 innocent villagers.

The next article will cover the period between the two ELF congress of 1971 and of 1975. (Most of the facts about the military operations recounted in this part were summarized from a book by Abdalla Idris and Mahmoud Hasab published in 1982 under the title of Experiences  of the ELA.)

End