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From: samuel Igbu (ypfdjbc@gmail.com)
Date: Thu Jul 21 2011 - 05:17:22 EDT
When a person achieves something, he or she will look back and think about
the choices made, and then appreciate the choice and remember the sacrifices
paid. If a person can think that much about his sacrifices, then how much
will a nation think and remember the sacrifices made towards Independence?
And especially when one realizes that the sacrifices made are beyond any
parallel. That is why the people of Eritrea look back and remember the
heroes fallen for the liberation of the country with great honor. In view of
the history of the country, every mile of land and every national paid a
price for the independence of the country. The atrocities committed by the
colonizers and the endless sacrifices paid allow us at present to remember
the fallen heroes in every minute we spend in this liberated country.
On 12th of May 1978, at 8 o’clock in the morning, Sheib village was
surrounded by 15 tanks. The moment the inhabitants saw the tanks and
soldiers surrounding the village, they begun to flee in every direction but
the soldiers and the tanks surrounded the people and gathered them at one
place claiming to have a meeting. Every one is under the huge tree, then
two tanks begun to move towards the gathered civilian inhabitants of Sheib,
then they begun to run over them.
Those who by mere coincidence escaped from the tanks were shot by the
soldiers in the ground. There was blood and dead bodies everywhere, around
400 people died in this incident without any reason or cause. The soldiers
satisfied with their deeds begun to move to the houses of the inhabitants to
loot and rob everything that they can lay hands on and then burned the Sheib
village.
“I with my two kids and four other children stayed with the corpses for
three days, we even covered ourselves with blood stained clothes, and we had
nothing to drink or eat for three day. On the third day I fled to the west,
there were seven of us,” said survivor of the Sheib massacre Amna Mohammed
in an interview she has with Dimisti Hafash on May, 1988.
Enemy forces that were determined to finish what they started moved on to
Dene and Demne Dene villages and burned 2000 houses, and looted the
properties and livestock of the inhabitants of those villages. “The
Ethiopian soldiers killed everyone; I know many of the people that died on
that particular day, my mother, father, and my two siblings died on that
day. I was shot twice on my back,” added Amna who was six-years-old when the
Shieb massacre happened.
Another victim that escaped the massacre while shots were being fired at him
was Adem Mohammed. On his interview of 1988, he said that he was from
Aflenda but was farming in Sheib and when the Ethiopian soldiers came to
Sheib and started to run over the people by tanks: “I ran to save my life,
shots were fired all around me but I survived, my wife, two children, mother
in law, aunt and my sister in law died on that massacre,” said Adem
remembering that day.
Sheib was not the only village that was the victim of the crimes of the
Ethiopian rulers; starting from February 1, 1967 villages were burned in all
over the country. The operation continued for a weeks where 62 villages
including the villages of Adi-I’brihim, Adi-Jemil, Adi-omer, Adi-Saidna
hamed, Adi- Ekud, Adi-Habib, Gerbet, Adi-Fedel and Mogorayeb were burned to
the ground and the inhabitants of those villages were killed brutally, and
the few that escaped the killing fled the area, around 40 thousand people
were displaced from their villages. The attacks continued to the eastern
escarpment where the villages of Ayelet, Gemhot, Asus, Metkel Abyot, Fegret,
Shebah, Gedged, Weqiro and Ma’esheyat were completely destroyed. Hundred of
civilian inhabitants of the area were killed, and around 600 families were
migrated. In November the attacks moved to the former Senhit and Sahel
provinces where Melebso, Hamelmalo,Felhit, Sheglo, Enshenaq, Shehashehay,
Funa, Jemerat,Azreket, Afherum, Babjerengen, Teandelet, Wazentet, Basheri,
Qamshewa, Kubkub and Habero were destroyed.
Although the atrocities committed by Ethiopian rulers were countless, the
aim was the same to threaten the people of the country from participating
and supporting then on-going struggle for independence. Nothing stopped the
Eritrean people from pursuing their struggle because they knew that the
independence of the country will only be begotten at a price. And the
endless price of the Eritrean people makes the liberations of the country
and today we remember those fallen heroes with great honor.
-- Sincerely *YPFDJ British Columbia Chapter* YPFDJ Goal and Purpose- Our goal is to build a strong, conscious and patriotic youth movement.
Our purpose is:
- To raise the awareness and level of organisation of Eritrean youth to serve our nation - To reassert the identity, patriotism and unity of Eritrean youth - To promote the participation of Eritrean Youth in the national reconstruction of Eritrea as well as guarding the sovereignty of Eritrea - To enhance the position and influence of Eritrean Youth in their respective countries of residence.
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