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A Farewell
to Our Hero in Holland
Part One
Nharnet Representative
Background:
Nharnet visitors know very well by now that December 1st has
been commemorated as Martyrs’ Day by ELF-RC starting in 1988. Many
editorials in Nharnet and Voice of Democratic Eritrea International have
presented a detailed account as to why that date was chosen to be a our
Martyrs’ Memorial Day. It was the day the enemy army chose to wipe the
whole population of Ona, a village on the outskirts of Keren, in revenge
for ELA’s operation that killed their notorious General Teshome Ergetu.
It is a day that represents that our struggle was a popular one. As
such, December is a month of commemoration of our fallen heroes civil
and military alike.
If Seyoum was given a choice as to the month and date of his departure
to the eternity, there is no doubt in my mind that he would have chosen
December 1st and then the month of December as a second
choice if he could not get the date.
I dare to state this with confidence because all his messages in all his
correspondence with our team have one unwavering message and commitment
in his tone: “We Shall Remain True To The Cause for which our Heroes
Fell”. He always reminded himself and our team that should be our
guiding path. That helped him to stand steadfast on the principles he
believed in no matter how tough the going got.
Besides, December is the birth month of his first child whom he loved
dearly. The day he passed a way was very important day in his life. The
month of December is an important month for him all around. It is so
fitting that he chose to depart on the month dedicated for our fallen
heroes.
His Trip to Ethiopia:
Seyoum and his other leadership members like Geme, Menghis and others
traveled to Addis Ababa by invitation to work on the betterment of by
lateral relations between ELF-RC and the Ethiopian Government. Seyoum
believed that the organization should be active wherever there is an
Eritrean population presence.
Looking back, as his comrade Gerezghier Tewolde articulated during the
funeral, one finds that Seyoum was clear on his stand in regard to
national sovreignity matters. He was a man who announced that Badme
belonged to Eritrea and the Ethiopian Army should not go into Eritrea
past the disputed territory as it indicated aggression and occupation
from the airport of the capital city of Addis Ababa during the war.
This account can be verified from any one who listened to many radio
broadcasts and prints in Addis Ababa at that time. Seyoum repeated the
same interview with “Al Hayat” from the United Kingdom.
However, having this stand did not deter Seyoum from designating better,
peaceful, and cooperative relations with neighboring countries as one of
the strategic plans for success of the organization and the opposition
as a whole. He firmly believed that two countries can dispute over a
boarder but the way to resolve it should be peacefully by arbitration in
international courts according to international rule of law. He acted
from the point of view that true relationships and cooperation can be
best developed from honesty. Thus he always sought a peaceful
coexistence of the nations in the horn based on mutual respect.
He was also working hard on strengthening of the bilateral relations of
ELF-RC with the other organizations of the opposition. He believed in
having an umbrella that that is governed by the minimum common points of
agreement. He believed that it is for the Eritrean people to reject
ideas, groups or ideologies. Every group has the right to bring its
case to the Eritrean people no matter how different or wrong the other
entities feel about that particular political stand. He believed and
practiced that the role of the opposition organizations including his
own is only a transitional one until such time the Eritrean people can
adopt a constitution by which they determine their future system of
governance. He truly advocated for the power to be given back to the
people. He always believed that our people are wise enough to
administer their own affairs and manage their diversity with skill. His
stand always reflected that disputes with neighbors be it Yemen, Sudan,
Djibouti, or Ethiopia to be handled through peaceful dialogue means.
So, he was in Addis to work on the matters that were dear to his heart;
bilateral relations with the opposition figures and a neighboring
country (Ethiopia) and passed away doing so.
December 17, 2005:
It was supposed to be a normal one like any other day for any ELF-RC
member and this writer. It was not meant to be. The heart breaking
news came through a telephone call. I confess that the first thing that
came to mind was not feeling sorry for the untimely passage of Seyoum.
I thought like many other Eritreans of the Eritrean people’s bad luck.
Their half-century struggle for freedom, equality and prosperity has
ended in trajedic dictatorship and now one of their importantly
significant voices is being untimely silenced. At first, it did not
sink in. I was still awaiting email message or his usual 04:00 a.m.
phone calls. Then, a statement from the acting chairman, Tecle Melekin,
and a phone call to friends who were with him at the time of his passage
confirmed the news I did not want to believe it. It was unlike him to
depart without saying good-bye.
Despite the devastating loss, the organization continued smoothly.
Power was transferred immediately and smoothly. ELF-RC has
institutionalized its democratic principles and practices. One member
of the Executive Committee told me that it does not matter who the next
chairman is, we know our goal and our principles are clear. By the time
this article is posted, Woldeyesus Ammar has been elected a chairman of
the Executive Committee and Tesfai Woldemichael (Degiga) as head of the
Chairman’s Office. This was an office adopted by the RC to functions
similar to a combination of Chief of Staff/General Secretary of the
Jebha Abay.
Mourning cries, sympathy messages, and statement of expression of loss
start flowing. The Nharnet Team was not prepared for that. Finally, a
farewell ceremony was conducted at the presence of many opposition
figures and dignitaries in Addis and the body of our hero was flown to
Holland accompanied by one his dear comrades, Geme Mohammed, a member of
the Executive Committee of ELF-RC.
December 30th, 2005:
In consultation with family and friends, the funeral ceremony date was
set for Friday, December 30th in Vilaardingen, a suburb of
Rotterdam, Holland. The place of procession was to be the Martyrdom
Circle, an intersection of many roads where a statue of martyrs sits.
It is so fitting that was the land mark chosen by family and comrades
for Seyoum who struggled life long and remained true to the principles
for which our heroes fell.
The funeral service started with viewing of Seyoum’s body in a funeral
home on the intersection itself.
See you on Part Two
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