Eritrea: Without A Compatible Enemy
By T. Faida
August 19, 1999

Unlike some extremists' thinking, it is a rational phenomenon that the planet in which we live on is undoubtedly a community property. The law of nature allows for living things an opportunity of freedom befitting them compatibly with the habitat. Any nature, fault to comply with the requisite of togetherness as an occupant in the habitat, is doom for vacuity. The analogy has more to do with the Tigrai Peoples Liberation Front, TPLF, often known as Woyane, which lacks the property of reason as an enemy of Eritrea. The government of Eritrea is performing tremendous efforts in handling an enemy whose behavior is in no way compatible with the norms of being an enemy. The TPLF is rather awkwardly oriented to become Africa's liability in particular and the world in general.

The rulers of modern Ethiopia, this time from the province of Tigrai lead by the Marxist-Leninist League of Tigrai, standstill unaccepted among the broad masses of Ethiopia. They are the third dictator-rulers in Ethiopia after Haile Selassie and Menghistu Hailemariam. Their success to power, unfortunately, would rather be impossible without the support from Eritrea. The TPLF, during its fight for the independence of Tigrai, had little to worry about its training: militarily, politically and diplomatically for it was nurtured and promoted by the Eritreans during the Eritrean revolution for independence. Had the school of the Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front, EPLF, not straightened it out the disadvantage of secession of Tigrai from Ethiopia, it would have remained stranded in Tigrai handicapped. As traitors as they could be, the TPLF leaders, cowardly bite the hand of Eritrea with which they were fed. Contrary to the norms and standards of ethic, they are the shameful elements who without reservation laboring hard to paint President Isaias Afeworki of Eritrea with their colors of heretic infidelity. Needless to say, they are playing childishly asinine at the time we are endeavoring for peace.

The statement released from the office of the Ethiopian Spokes Person on August 17, 1999 saddens me a lot. It was titled "Who or what is senseless?" in response to the comment made by President Isaias Afeworki of Eritrea in regard to the war between Eritrea and Ethiopia as "senseless war" during his press conference in Washington, DC, USA on August 16, 1999. Since the war broke out in May 1998, comments made by every researcher, analyst, journalist, politician and policy maker was just like that. Above and beyond anything else, both the people of Eritrea and Ethiopia believe that it is a "senseless war." I cannot imagine that the Woyane would be offended by President Isaias' comments. It is absolutely absurd that the Woyane chose to dwell in acts outside normalcy of human behavior. They should know that at the end of the day the mountain of lies they have been building for would be demolished with a finger push of President Isaias Afeworki's truths. The masters of modern lie, Woyane, should not have failed to realize that Haile Selassie's lies for labeling our liberation struggle, as "Worebela" did not yield fruit. And it was the same with the Dergue. There was no stone unturned by the previous regimes of Ethiopia to latch us in isolation by way of mumbo-jumbo defamation and distortions. Nevertheless, it served them the opposite. They rested in peace into the hole they dug for us.

Needless to say much about the TPLF, here are some of the facts depicting the truth.

President Isaias represents the wishes of the Eritrean people to defend Eritrean sovereignty from Ethiopian aggression. The TPLF leaders are in limbo representing neither Tigrai nor Ethiopia.
Colonial treaties and maps show Badme as part and parcel of Eritrea. Badme's inhabitants are all Eritreans with few settlers from Tigrai.
When the TPLF disputed the status of Badme, Eritrea always with consistency wanted to resolve the issue peacefully and amicably. It was Eritrea that adhered to work with the Joint Border commission while the TPLF dragged it back from functioning. Instead, the TPLF issued a virtual map of Tigrai in 1997, annexing some of Eritrean lands into Tigrai.
When the TPLF invaded Adi Murug in 1997, to provoke Eritrea into war, Eritrea was searching for a peaceful solution with the TPLF.
It was the TPLF's policy intended to choke Eritrean economy by restricting the exchange of Nacfa, Eritrea's currency, with their Birr.
It was the TPLF that sealed cross-border trade in an attempt to severe relationship between Eritrea and Ethiopia.
It was the TPLF that outlawed the export of Taff from Ethiopia to Eritrea in an attempt to severe relationship.
It was the TPLF that boycotted the port of Assab in an attempt to severe relationship.
It was the TPLF that cut-off flights of the Ethiopian Airlines to Eritrea in an attempt to severe relationship.
It was the TPLF that unplugged every essential relationship in preparation for war.
It was the TPLF in May 1998 that cowardly killed members of an Eritrean Border Patrol Unit in Badme while in its mission for trying to resolve the border dispute with the TPLF. Again, Eritrea pressed for peaceful resolution even at that crucial juncture. The TPLF was unwilling for peace and provoked the war. Eritrea had to act in self-defense.
It was the TPLF that declared an all out war against Eritrea through its parliament.
It was the TPLF that bombed Asmara first in June 5, 1998.
Unable to advance deep into Eritrean territory through Badme, the TPLF started another offensive through Zalambesa. The heroic Eritrean Defense Forces had to defend and pushed the aggressor out of Zalambesa.
The TPLF had to start a third offensive in Burie in an attempt to march to Assab. The gallant Eritrean Defense Forces deterred them.

That might be why President Isaias said the war with Ethiopia a "senseless war." The war could have been avoided had the irresponsible TPLF not escalated it from one level to the next. It is a senseless war that has claimed tens of thousands lives over a border conflict. The TPLF is yet to come to its senses to realize that the war of aggression it has waged against Eritrea is simply senseless. The TPLF is toying childishly unguided leaving the Eritrean government without a compatible enemy to negotiate with.