From: mgebreab@earthlink.net
Date: Sun May 03 2009 - 17:29:13 EDT
Selam all
I thank you Simon and all you sent me a privet messages for your moral encouragement support. but no one should fill sorry for me because I have seen and experienced much worse than these at the hands of Salih Gadi's( Vaseline) Idol Abdella Idris(Hankish) and co. It takes a book to tell all the untold crimes commuted by Vaseline and his bosses on the Eritrean youth at the Eritrean field, but let me share few of them with you what did happen to Battalion 149(Mahmud Dinay)and other Haylitat Jebha in 1977.I joined the ELF(Jebha) as a teen age with two of my class matte In December of 1974. At first they refused to accepted as because they tout we were to young to join the struggle. but after we encested to accept us els we instead will go to EPLF(SHaebia) they told as okay but they let as know that we are going to travel on foot for two weeks all the way to rubda( close to the border with Sudan) for political and military training. We accepted that and joined others in Adi neamn Anseba, we stayed for a few da
ys there and started our journey through mensura lalay Barka all the way to rubda. it was a grueling journey, traveling by night and sleeping in the day no to much food or water. most of as made it to the training comp, but few could not take it and went back home from half way. Gergis(Gorgo) one of my class mate could not take it and went back home and unfortunately got killed by the Afan( Ethiopian secret police) and dumped his body and our teacher(who gave as information about the liberation fighters) Body on the street in front of our school to scare to the rest of the student and teachers from participating on the Eritrean political actively.
To go back to our new life in the field, after nine month military training and political brainwashing(mdada these mdada that ,Tzere gedli these Tzere gedli that) All propaganda anti Shaebia(EPLF) we grudgwet and they sent me to a handesa ganta(fasila) near Haykota- Teseney Highway and my first battle against the enemies was within a week with the ganta. the commander(merah ganta) was tegadalay Saleh Haykota who became a martyr at a bat el to liberate agurdet later on in 1977.We suffered five Los( martyrs) and one badly wounded. the hardest of all was loosing our hakim ganta(Medic) martyr Zekarias(Addis) who got shut trying to save a fallen Btzay(comrade) and we have to continue with out our Hakim the rest of the battle. the battle was almost hand to hand, because the Enemies colony trying over run us with their tanks and Jeeps. but we stedfast our defenses line at the Teseney bridge and hit hard until burned beyond reigns. any ways to make the story short after our ganta operation stay in that Vincent fo
r sometime, we got render to transfer to the Agurdet area and formed hayli(sria) together with three other gantas, the commander(Azazi) hayli was a brave tegadaly by the name sultan( fedayen )who also became a martyr to liberate agurdet in 1977. our hayli stayed and operated between agurdet and Barentu then formed a battalion named 149 together with three other hay. and our number 149 battalion commander(a traditional chef) not a commander(merahi) a matter of fact, because we never se him lead a war and he can not move his behind with 500 pound weight problem by eating camel meet and drinking camel milk all day. if he want to move from one place to anther place even if it is only 200 yard distance he has to sit on the poor never third camel back.the camel is easy to be on his/her back because they sit for you so you do not have to jump like to go up on the horse bak. any ways the person i am talking about is the notorious Benamer clannish Mahmud Dinay who in the sixth was chef of the division 1( kfli hede) w
h
ich was the favorite spoiled and back ward clan group at the time. In the 1976 for the first time we meet and had good meting with the EPLF fighters who came to our operation area. they stayed with us for three month and we were really impressed with their comradery,displling,political and social awarens specially to ward the poor civilian poplation.even do they had no mesarf(budget) on them because the foreign leadership group lead by the late Osman saleh Sabe was a bit estranged with the field leadership things was not good with budget. but that did not discourage us the young open mined ELF (tera tegadelti )from active demanding our leaders for UNITY with EPLF. then came the first EPLF Congress(wodbawi Gubae) in the begning of 1977 and the Sabe and Agib start to form a group in Sudan by gathering any reactionary and clan minded backward elements from former ELF and EPLF members mainly from Sudan and other Arab countries.any way our battalion 149 kept demanding a meeting with the Leadership(Gedlawi bayto)
mainly about unity with EPLF and other leadership deficiency issues.nonthles for the first time Abdela idris and Mahmud Haseb the arm chef of staff from the polity beruw( feztamit shimagle) and respectively vice arm chef of staff from the Hagerawi bayto came to us. they told us if the ELF leadership will talk with EPLF leadership the EPLF in the field has to Unite with the Sabe and Agib group in the Sudan. we find these outrageous and we demanded the ELF chairman Ahmed Naser or the vice chairman and political buro chef Ibrahim totil to come explain to us. but instead they sent to us Melake tekle the security chef from the feztamit shimagle and his assistant Tumsah from the gedlawit bayto. We had a meeting with those two all day from early morning to night except one time to eat for a few minuets. Melake tekle was a Chen smoker he lit one cigaret with anther cigaret and never eat any thing. they told us the same thing as the last one no new except try to convince us that the EPLF who are fighting the enemies
in the Eritrean field is the same as those Sabe and Agib group who are siting in Sudan and west their time and the Eritrean peoples money. any ways we could not accept the reality on the field and their wicked analogy of the situations. We demanded to meet with the chairman of the organization Ahmed Naser and they told us Okay but they have to divided the battalion in to two group the one who accepts their explanation and the one who still want to meet Ahmed Naser.Taknicaly the one who support unity dialog with the EPLF in the Eritrean field or the Sabe and Agib group in Sudan. Few month later Abdela Idris ordered to the one who want to meet Ahmed Naser a meeting and to the others sent to to other area to guard us from enemies and we was waiting relaxed for Ahmed Naser to show up to met with us.the next minuet I remember was ranting a hell of bullets and bombs on us from all direction by Abdela Idris special forces. we fought back bravely but no body was ready for these broad day light masker.the majority
dead fighting heroically, the few lucky made it all the way to EPLF dejen and join the EPLF to continue the struggle with them, and the rest of us fought back until our last bullet and got captured by Abdela Idris forces. they took us to security, torture and tehadso comp run by Saleh gadi(Vaseline) and co from the Security( enda ztetta) organ run under Melake tekle administration,the most notorious interrogators was Haile Woldeselasie. Zekarias wedi keren, and Saleh Gadi of course no body call him salh gadi but Vaseline. we were wondering why they call him Vaseline, because we never sow him put Vaseline on his face or hands. but they said he always carry Vaseline in his back pack.I think now I know why because he was probable using with his boy friend opes i mean with his boss the sadist maniac Hussien Kelifa. any ways I was lucky none of them was my interrogator. my integrators was a giant gentleman( 6.5 feet) by the name Tesfamriam Humora. Tesfamaria was in my ganta in the early years when we was in the
T
esseney area and later on they transferred him to the security department(enda tzetta) when he was in our ganta he was our ganta artist who made us a haircut( mido) from a tree and made us a belt and hand grenad holder from animal skin.any ways as soon us he sow me he put my name in to his lists and we were most of the time talking about our old gujle bitzot who became martyred and who went where. he never interrogate me but liqueur me about every thing. after i received political education( tehadso) they sent me to sawa medic school( bet temhirt Hkemna) I went to sawa and start immidtly the course. we were three classes A,B and C. I was in class A and graduate in the top of my class given special award by then general secretary of ELF Tesfay W/micael( Degiga) I heard all my teachers from that school are in California. Health officers Eyob Azeria,Abeba Danew,Hailemariam,Habte,and Tewolde. any way after I finish the medic course the school sent me back to the same batalion 149 with Dinay still in charge a
nd all the group who did not wait for Ahmed Naser to come to that masked day.and also many new fighters who came after the maskers.
It is now at the end of 1977 we liberated Agurdet but paid heavy in term of life and the EPLF liberated Keren at the same time.at this time the Sabe and Agib group came from Sudan and freely roomed the ELF controlled area. our battalion 149 ordered to go to Barentu to help other battalions to liberate the town. after we rest for a few month in Agurdet. when the battle started in Barentu most of our commanders including the battalion chef Mahmud dinay deserted us in the amide of the battle and some went to Sudan and most joined the Agib clan which is at that time occupying Agurdet after we left for barentu. the EPLF also attempted to liberate Massawa but did not go according the plan and with drew from their and liberated Dekemhare,Segneti,adi Keyeh and many other towns. ELF also liberated Mendefera and Teseney and others towns. any ways we stayed around Barentu conducting sporadic attack on the enemies for six month.but around the end of June 1978 EPLF fighters came to Barentu with their tanks and heavy
woes which is all captured from enemies to help us liberate the town of Barentu. but on the night of the attack most of our commanders who were replaced the one who deserted us six month earlier when the first attack started deserted us again. the new battalion commander Omar(Gedarf) who replaced Mahmud Dinay deserted us with many mesrea, ganta and hayli commanders. the batel was a disaster EPLF lost a lot of fighters and commanders including my own older brother Semere Gebreab who was with the EPLF. I never new he was there at that time because we were in different position but in the other hand my first cousin from different ELF battalion was badly wounded and was losing a lot of blades his ganta medic was asking for help because to many wounded from that ganta i went to help them and timely start to stop the bleeding after i finished giving the first aid when I looked in to his face which was covered with blades was him.he did not recognize me because he lost a lot of blades and he was in shock at first b
u
t then he gained cosines and recognized me. he survived and we spent to gather the next three month in the Hawashait Clinic receiving medical care. I Got shut in to two blase in the morning after all night Battle and took me to near bay Mobile clinic not the same one where my causen took him early on the night, they took him to the north of Baretu one and me to the south one.but we meet a week later in the central Hospital of Hawashet. I stay there for about six month not only recieving medical care but i was also helping there as a staff member. but because they couldn't take out the bullet there they sent me to Khartoum Sudan but I still have the Bullet siting in my Body because it isa risky to take out with out damaging a nerve. and the history of ELF in the Eritrean field became a story and I never looked back but started my new life as member of Hafash wodbat of Shaebia(EPLF) the last 30 years(1979-2009) so please do not fill sorry for me for this little hick up and set back. especially the sharp minde
d ZIZI from Dehai DMB I Like your analyses and comments,just keep up the good work. I now you look up after me like un old pal( comrade in arm) I could not responded to you when you were wondering if I was doing okay few month a go, at the time I could not access/wright on DMB .But thanks for ask me and I pursue your comradery.I enjoy your wittings Keep it up ZiZi and all.
thanks
Mussie Gebreab
Atlanta
mgebreab@earthlink.net
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