Short Life History of
Patriot-Martyr Seyoum
Ogbamichael,
Chairman of the ELF-RC
(from Holland
30.12.2005)
The patriotic struggler/Tegadalay
Seyoum Ogbamichael was born on 24 January 1946 in the village of
Haserelbo in the district of 7-Deqi-Digna in Seraye Province. He was the
elder brother of seven children of Sergeant Ogbamichael Raasu and
Woizero Hiwet Bahta.
He attended elementary
grades at a school run by the Cistercian Catholic missionaries in Asmara
and pursued middle school in Italian at Principe School. He studied his
high school grades in Prince Mekonnen Secondary School of Asmara
(1961-65).
The Seyoum was intelligent
and attentive from childhood. His sisters and brother tell that he loved
reading books from the very time he mastered the alphabet. His
classmates recount that he was a very good student at school. Seyoum
acquired nationalist awareness from his early age and actively
participated in nationalist politics as of his high school days. As such
he was one of the few key leaders of the student movement in Asmara.
Among those who were leading the student uprising in Asmara from the
same school together with Seyoum included Woldedawit Temesghen, Haile
Woldetinsae, Mussie Tesfamichael, Michael Ghaber, Woldesus Ammar, Isaias
Afeworki, Abdurahman Hassen Mehri, Gherezgheher Tewolde, Abdalla Hassen
and others.
Seyoum joined the ELF in
the field in early 1965. In August of that year, he and his friend
Woldedawit were sent from Kassala to Asmara to re-organize and
strengthen ELF cells. While on that mission, the two ELF envoys were
arrested and kept in Ethiopian prisons for ten years.
Characteristically, Seyoum
was not to be intimidated and crushed by the torture and extremely bad
treatment in Ethiopian prisons. In the contrary, his determination to
fight for national liberation was enhanced and he continued the fight
from inside the prison. Seyoum was creating national awareness among
prison mates. He was convinced that he will one day conquer the prison
walls and join his comrades in the field. To this end, his contacts
with the liberation movement were maintained. And on 12 February 1975,
his dreams came true through an operation that he took part in. The
operation succeeded to release all prisoners from the Adi Quala and
Sembel (Asmara) prisons. He, Woldedawit Temesghen and Haile Woldetensae
(Derue) were among those 1,000 prisoners freed on one day.
As noted, Seyoum used his
prison years not only in recruiting fighters for the liberation movement
but also in enriching his political and academic knowledge through
diverse books that could be smuggled into the prison cells from time to
time. It was also in prison that he taught himself Arabic, French and
some Spanish on top of his already acquired command of Italian, English,
Amharic and of course Tigrinia.
After the liberation from
prison, Seyoum did not think of taking time to rest and visit his
family members. He immediately joined the front. After the second
national congress of the ELF in 1975, he was appointed as political
commissioner of ELF’s Administrative Unit 10 (Akele-Guzai). He later
became Administrator of the Political Cadre School. Also in 1977, he was
nominated to head the preparatory committee of the as the Chairman of
the General Union of Eritrean Peasants and was elected its chairman in
its constituent congress held in 1978. Nicknamed ‘Seyoum Harestay’
(Seyoum the Farmer) because of his concern with the plight of the poor
farmers, he was indeed an advocate of the rights of Eritrean peasants.
Seyoum never failed to
defend the correct political line of his organization at all times of
crises and splits that were occasionally experienced within the ELF. He
played a significant role in building the ELF-RC into a dynamic
democratic organization. His services in the Executive Committee as head
of organizational affairs and head of the foreign relations office were
notable. In particular, Seyoum effectively projected the national
democratic ideals and programmes of the ELF-RC at the international
level and in addition played a huge role in the exposure of human rights
violations and the denial of political and civil rights in Eritrea under
the current regime.
Between August 2002 till
his martyrdom, Seyoum served the ELF-RC with success as its chairman.
Seyoum was a devoted, selfless and ever optimist fighter. His
steadfast struggle for those long decades was first for national
independence and then for peace, justice, democracy and respect of human
rights in Eritrea. In his life-time fight for the Eritrean cause, Seyoum
had manifestly demonstrated that steadfastness in one’s beliefs, having
a clear vision for the identified objectives were his trademarks.
Our comrade-in-struggle
Seyoum continually and successfully projected the objectives of the
ELF-RC and the Eritrean opposition camp through repeated missions to the
neighbouring countries as well as to USA, Canada, Australia and several
key European countries. In particular, he had shown keen interest in
building and maintaining relations with neighbouring countries on the
basis of mutual respect with the firm ELF-RC belief that correct
relations are the guarantee for peace and common prosperity of fraternal
peoples. It was from the start of the Eritrean-Ethiopian border conflict
that Seyoum and his organization insistently called for a peaceful and
legal resolution of the problem for the sake of the best interest of the
peoples of the region. It was Seyoum absolute conviction that war was
not a solution to the border problem. Even though Seyoum and his
organization had no doubt about the Eritreanness of Badume, he rejected
the capture by use of force of that village from Ethiopia where it was
left to be administered since long time. His position was that the
Eritrean army must retreat from Badme, submitting the case of that area
for resolution through legal channels. And when the Ethiopian army
recaptured Badme and advanced areas within Eritrea, Seyoum loudly called
through a declaration issued in Addis Ababa for Ethiopia’s immediate
retreated from areas it occupied in Eritrea.
On 23 November 2005, the
ELF-RC Chairman Seyoum went to Addis Ababa leading an organizational
delegation for talks with the Ethiopian authorities. And it was while
conducting his duties that he died of sudden heart failure on 17
December 2005 at Betazata hospital in Addis Ababa hospital..
The untimely martyrdom of
Seyoum Ogbamichael is a great loss to the ELF-RC, the Eritrean
opposition and in general the cause of the Eritrean people for change.
It is understandable that it will be difficult to fill the huge gap left
open by the loss of this iron-steeled fighter with long experience, high
communicative skills and clear vision.
Dear Compatriots,
Seyoum belonged to us all
as Eritreans. And now it is all of us who lost him. There is no
specific person or group to receive condolences from others. Instead,
each one has to condole oneself.
This steadfast struggler
for national cause for over 40 years, should have in a normal situation,
seen his dreams realized after Eritrean gained its independence. Or he
should at least have the opportunity of being buried under the Eritrean
soil.
It was a big misfortune
for Eritreans to lose a long-time fighter like Seyoum who still had the
great potential to serve his people with devotion. Seyoum was an
advocate for peace, justice and democracy, and as such the primary loser
because of his untimely death is the camp of the opposition struggling
for peace, justice and democracy.
Seyoum was head of a
family and father of six children. His death is a bitter news to his
family members in Eritrea and abroad who loved him and were always
proud of him not of what he did for them, because he could do little,
but what he was contributing the Eritrean people’s cause. Seyoum is not
bequeathing any material inheritances but the love of the Eritrea. They
will be known as the sons and daughters of a heroic patriot and be proud
to carry the imprints of his name. Many generations of Eritreans shall
also remember the heroic Seyoum for his selfless and devoted services to
our long-stretched national cause.
Dear Martyr Seyoum,
You have gone before
consummating the objectives for justice, democracy and the supremacy of
law for which you gave your entire life. But rest assured that your
objectives shall be achieved by the redoubled struggle of those you have
left behind who are armed with your vision and courage.
Glory and Eternal Memory
to our Martyrs!
ELF-RC leadership and
members
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