35 years ago today, Eritrea was liberated by its own people after Ethiopia’s 30-year war of annexation and invasion.
In 1962, Ethiopian ruler Haile Selassie illegally annexed Eritrea, violating the UN-backed Eritrean-Ethiopian federation. Haile Selassie banned the Eritrean parliament and forcibly annexed the country.
Prior to the annexation, Ethiopia tried to ban Eritrean languages, massacred Eritreans who participated in the student and workers movement, and persecuted members of the Eritrean parliament.
In 1960, the Eritrean Liberation Front was founded in Cairo. On the first of September 1961, the Eritrean Liberation Front led by Hamid Idris Awate launched the Eritrean independence struggle against Ethiopia by attacking Ethiopian police in Mount Adal, Gash Barka, Eritrea. This marked the birth of the Eritrean independence struggle.
From 1961 to 1991, the Eritrean people fought against the Ethiopian occupation forces in Eritrea. From 1975 to 1988 and 1990, the Eritrean rebels under the EPLF fought their most impressive battles in Nakfa, Afabet, Massawa, Assab, and contributed to the advance on Addis Abeba.
Eritreans of all 9 tribes — fighting in the ELF and EPLF — contributed to Eritrea’s independence and later voted in the UN-backed Eritrean independence referendum.
33% of our freedom fighters were women. Eritrean women contributed greatly to Eritrean independence and collected money in the diaspora.
Crimes committed by the Ethiopian state against Eritreans:
The Ethiopian regimes of Haile Selassie and the Derg under Mengistu Haile Mariam killed between 200,000 and 250,000 Eritreans — 20% of the Eritrean population. They starved Eritreans, committed rape against thousands of Eritrean women and girls, and used napalm, cluster bombs, and chemical weapons during their war against Eritrea.
100,000 Eritreans were displaced from their lands.
The most horrific massacres took place in:
• Keren (public executions of students and youth, approx. 70 killed in 1971)
• She’eb (approx. 400 civilians, mostly women and children, crushed by tanks or shot in May 1988)
• Ona (over 800 civilians killed on December 1, 1970)
• Massawa (hundreds killed in aerial bombings with cluster bombs and napalm, especially in 1990)
Despite Ethiopia receiving support from both superpowers — the USA and UK helped the Ethiopian annexation, the USSR supplied 10 billion dollars worth of weaponry, and Israel and Cuba provided mercenaries — the Eritrean people defeated the enemy and liberated Eritrea from Ethiopian occupation.
Awet N’Hafash!
Victory to the Masses!
Happy 35th Independence Day to all Eritreans!