EPLF and Tigray
History of EPLF is History of Tigray People
The biggest achievement of my life is joining EPLF as fighter when I was teenager. My happiest time of my life was my childhood and my life as EPLF fighter. I fought with my two sisters and three brothers for our forefathers identity, history, value system and land that one of my sister and my three brothers are martyrs. I am very proud of my sibling and EPLA heroism and sacrifices even though with my remaining fighter sister that now I am with stateless refugee. I will always love and miss my country because it is my ancestors land and it give me strong sense of identity, belonging, purpose and hope. My father village that I born and grow is and will be my real heaven forever. I realized long time ago there will be no other heaven for me. One day even my dead body has to go back to my village. All EPLA hero fighters produced by Tigrigna villages. I love EPLF because it represent the real values and traditions of Tigrigna villages. EPLF is Tigrigna/Tigray.
EPLF/EPLA will be source of our pride and hope many generations to come. EPLF/EPLA was a global national movement that had clear centralized goal that every member understand and know with decentralized decision making system. I am and I will be proud ሻዕቢያ forever.
There is no war we fought separately in our 3000 years history until May 1991. We died, bleed, tortured, imprisoned, cried, danced, exiled etc together. The 1998-2000 war is a small black spot in our long civilization history. But this two years of war and the 18 years of “no peace, no war” tension shouldn’t destroy our 3000 years common history of love, achievement, solidarity and future generations hopes and possibilities. The criminals from both side who started and inflamed the war and those who looted citizens property must be accountable to the law. But now time to move on because the generation has changed.
There were three strategic political leaders in the last 70 years history of Eritrea. They are ወልድኣብ ወልደማሪያም founder of Eritrean for Eritreans, ኪዳነ ክፍሉ founder of Eritrean nationalist global movement that later became EPLF, ኢሰያስ አፈወርቂ author of 9 ethnics Eritrean ideology. ወልድኣብ ወልደማሪያም is from አኽሱም and he is the most respected and loved hero and angel of Eritrean Tigrigna people because he earned it by being selfless, courageous, loyal, trusted, and competent public servant.
Like any radical atheist and far leftist Isaias Afewerki he is radical internationalist, universalist and multiculturalists. He hate Tigray/Tigrigna nationalism, hate religion, hate local patriotism and hate Tigray/Tigrigna culture.
The Ethiopia based Eritrean Islamist, Tribal and universalist opposition groups say “the reason ኢሰያስ አፈወርቂ made Eritrea hell is because he is from ተምቤን” that they high light his village location to create division within Ge’ez people. ኢሰያስ አፈወርቂ was much loved and respected leader because independence was delivered under his leadership. Our people started to hate and disrespect him only when he started his brutal social engineering campaign in 1998. The location of his village was never an issue.
Yemane Kidane (Jamaica) father and Isaias Afewerki mother are first cousins from ዓድዋ. Jamaica mother village is located in Eritrea. ኢሰያስ አፈወርቂ grandfather Abrham is from ተንቤን and he is close relative of አሉላ አባነጋ. Some of the fighters who founded TPLF were veteran EPLF fighters and Jamaica was one of them but Isaias Afewerki encourage him the others to go with the new trained fighters to Tigray to start arm struggle in Tigray because he consider himself more Eritrean than Jamaica.
The radical universalist, internationalist and multiculturalists PFDJ has five intellectual ideologue that make policies and decisions. ኢሰያስ አፈወርቂ, የማነ ገብረመስቀል (ቻርሊ) የማነ ገብርኣብ (ማንኪ), ሓጎስ ገብሪሂወት (ኪሻ), and ዘምህረት የዉሃንስ. ኢሰያስ, ቻርሊ and ኪሻ fathers and mothers and ማንኪ mother villages are located in Tigray. Only ዘምህረት የዉሃንስ father and mother village is located in today’s Eritrea.
Colonel በላይ ነጋ (brother of Sibhat Nega) is one of the most loved and respected hero of our revolution who celebrated in some Eritrean literatures. He served as top EPLF clandestine official while he was top ደርግ officer. Many EPLF fighters life’s had saved and enemy had defeated in many strategic battles Because of በላይ ነጋ courage and heroism. EPLF was 100% culturally and politically Ge’ez/Tigrigna organization. EPLF was a cultural melting pot for the very few ethnic minority who joined it. If someone from Tigre, Afar, Bilen etc ethnics joined EPLF within 6 months he use to integrate and assimilate to the Ge’ez/Tigrigna culture and values, and he/she had to speak perfect Tigrigna, fight, dance, talk, behave, act exactly like the Ge’ez/Tigrigna fighters. 99% Eritrean martyrs are Tigrigna and significant of them are from villages that are located in Tigray. If you add TPLF fighters (ተጋሩ) who martyred in Eritrea could be over a quarter martyrs of Eritrea comes from Ge’ez village that are located in Tigray (until today families of TPLF fighter who martyred in Eritrea have not get recognition). There are more than 40 times more martyrs from Tigray villages than Eritrean ethnic Muslim minority.
There is strong and deep rooted Tigray/Tigrigna nationalism in Eritrea. EPLF successfully renamed and rebranded Tigray nationalism in Eritrea as Eritrean nationalism. This Tigray nationalism that is in Eritrea today is shaped by Emperor Yohannes IV. Thanks to Amhara cultural genocide in Tigray under Menelik II, Haile Selasie, Derg in some degree under TPLF you don’t see the Emperor Yohannes IV time Tigray nationalism in today’s Tigray at all specially the elite. If you want understand Tigray/Tigrigna nationalism in Eritrea please do deep research on Emperor Yohannes IV kings of king of Zion nationalism and compare it Tigray/Tigrigna nationalism in Eritrea. To be Tigray/Tigrigna nationalist of Eritrea is to embody Emperor Yohannes IV nationalism or embody Tigray identity, history, values, cultures and traditions with pride.
Any ትግራዋይ can be citizen of the state of Aga’azian automatically if he/she choose to be, if he wanted to strength his/her Ge’ez identity and if she/he wanted to live in Ge’ez culture because it’s their land.
Any ትግራዋይ from any part of Tigray, if he/she behaved, feels, and acted like ሃጸይ ዬዉሃንስ, ወልድኣብ ወልደማሪያም, ትኩእ ይሕደጎ and በላይ ነጋ can earn trust, love, respect and can earn legitimacy to rule the Tigrigna people of Eritrea. Any ትግራዋይ can be president of Eritrea if he/she earn the trust of the people.
I am surprised and humbled in my Addis Ababa visit by my ተጋሩ brothers and sister who born and growth in Eritrea that the love and nostalgia they have for a place, popular culture and people where they born and grow that is Asmara, Massawa, Yemane Barya, Abrham Afewerki, Wedi Tukul songs etc.
I surprised too by many TPLF fighters who fought side by side with EPLF fighter that the admiration and respect they have for their EPLF comrades who fought side by side with Them against Amhara and ELF in ናቅፋ, ሓልሓል, ሽረ, ራማ, ገርሁ ስርናይ etc. I surprised because TPLF propaganda machine and many of its cadres talk very badly about the characters and integrity of Tigrigna people of Eritrea and Eritrean People’s Liberation Army (EPLA). There was attempts by Siye Abrha and company to create new Tigray nationalism based on the hate of Tigrigna people of Eritrea and EPLF.
And I am surprised they are still cycling mad, like the Asmarinos still they prefer alcohol more than food and still they are mad about Tigrigna ጋይላ. They are still typical Asmarinos. And they want to go back to Asmara, Massawa, Assab, Tesenai, Keren, Barentu, ዙላ, መንደፈራ, ቃሩራ etc to live in peace and in prosperity because it is their land and their sea, and because they belong there. And they don’t need permission from anyone to go back to their ancient ancestors land. They have the will and desire but they don’t have a radical and rational leadership that will lead them to their promise land. History is calling us to be the Joshua generation who led the Israelites to the promise land after the emancipation generation (Moses generation) passed away. TPLF and EPLF generations are our Moses generation or emancipation generation. We are Joshua generation who will finish what the TPLF and EPLF generation started by learning from their mistake, and by inspiring and motivating by their achievements and heroism. We are talking about new objectives and strategies because of TPLF and EPLF founding generation sacrifices.
But the more than anything Tigray people and its culture surprised me for producing a typical new Aga’azianist leaders against all odds. It is a blessing to be ትግራዋይ.