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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