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1st
December Is
Eritrean Martyrs’ Day!!
Nharnet Team
(December 1st, 2005)
Once again, it is Eritrean Martyrs’ Day today, 1st
December 2005. We don’t know when but a popularly elected Eritrean
parliament shall one day designate a national day in order for all of us
to commemorate our martyrs, both armed and civilian. It was 19 years ago
that the Revolutionary Council of the ELF-RC decided for the
commemoration of all our martyrs on the day the Ona massacre took
place. The article below, which appeared in Nhartnet.com a year
ago gives readers a picture of what Ona was like and how much our people
– armed and the civil society – took part in the costly liberation
struggle of our people. Good reading.
***
The massacre at Ona which claimed over
700 lives in a single day took place on 1 December 1970 following the
killing on the Asmara-Keren road at Habrom-Gaqa on 19 November 1970 of
General Teshome Ergetu, the Commander in Chief of the Ethiopian army in
Eritrea. In the days preceding the massacre of Ona, many villages in
the region were burned. On 30 November, about 120 persons were massacred
inside the mosque at Basik-Dira. The next day, it was the turn of Ona, a
cluster of residents of five villages that came together on the basis of
Ethiopia’s “villagization” policy, a measure taken with the aim of
containing the liberation movement. On that fateful day, Ona, only 2 km
from Keren, was full of people from different places because other
villagers and people from nearby Keren were there invited for two
memorial events (“tezkars”) honouring two previous deaths.
On today’s occasion,
therefore:
we salute the martyrs of the Eritrean
Liberation Army, the martyrs of the Eritrean People’s Liberation
Army, and many other heroes who fell fighting for the same cause
under different banners and organizations. Indeed, it is the right day
to salute all martyrs of our people for national independence as well as
our ongoing struggle for full liberation, equality and justice – from
Martyr-Leader Abdulkader Kebire of the 1940s to the latest young Martyrs
of Adi Abeito [and Wia, among others] who fell while trying to fight a
home-grown tyrant by his own weapons.
Among others, we commemorate and salute
our civilian martyrs of the early days under the old imperial regime.
In particular, we today recall:
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The 1965 cold-blooded murder of 67
selected men at Merara, Hamassien province, and 46 men at Medeka,
Keren province.
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The February-March 1967 martyrs at the
villages of Ad-Ebrihim, Ad-Kukui, Ad-Jemil, Ad-Omer, Ad-Saydna Hamid,
Ad-Gherbet, Ad-Fedl, Ad-Habab, Emtrub, Mogoraib and others in Barka
who were killed after the burning of 62 thriving villages and the
machine-gunning of over 60,000 of their livestock. Renewed burning
campaigns of that year killed many and displaced thousands after
burning the villages of Halhal, Bab-Jengeren, Hamelmalo,
Melebso,Felhit, Enchinaq, Hashishai, Fana, Wazintet, Qamchewa,
Azreqet, Habero and many others put at 173 villages by some field
researchers.
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The August 1967 wanton killings and
burning of the villages of Ailet, Asus, Weqiro, Figret, ShebaH, Gedged,
Gemhot, Metkel-Abet and many others.
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The summer-autumn 1967 killings and
burning in highland Eritrea and destroying wiping out whole villages
and property in the Hazemo-Hazo valleys and plains, at Fishey-Merara,
Deg’A, Arebet, Diyat, Timza’e, Mai Chada, Endazmach-Ogbit and other
localities. These were followed by grisly massacres like the one at
Misyam where the over 40 men were slit on the neck in front of their
children and wives.
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The December 1970 massacre of 78 men
in Wara, Hamassien and many other atrocities committed under the
imperial regime of Haile Selassie.
We also recall today, 1st
of December:
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The 10 July 1974 massacre of well over
170 civilians in Om Hager.
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The garroting to death by steel wires
and knifing down in the streets of the capital of a very large number
of our youth during 975 and after.
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The 1 February 1975 massacre of nearly
80 civilians in Waki-Diba and the vicinity.
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The 9 March 1975 (Black Sunday)
massacre of over 200 civilians in Agordat.
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The 17 April 1975 massacre of 235
civilians in Hirgigo.
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The 19 October 1985 massacre of 39
Nara youth at Mogoraib.
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The 4 May 1988 massacre at Shebah.
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The 12 May 1988 massacre in Sheeb,
among many others.
Eternal Memory and Glory to
Eritrean Martyrs, both civilian and armed, of all ages.
Our Struggle for Change and
Democracy Shall Triumph!!
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