A divisive propaganda of the splinter group
and their media tool Nharnet. Com.

By Sadia Ali November 02, 2003

 
   

When I read the response of Nharnet Team to the interview of Dr. Habte, under the tittle commentary on excerpts of Awate.com interview with Dr.Habte especially the following paragraph:
"The allegation By Dr. Habte and drum beat by the Awate Team do not hold any water because the elements who have been led by Moslems for the last 41 years without any complaint abiding by the rules of the law in the ELF-RC principles adopted at its National Congresses cannot be painted any divisive colors because they voted for a chairman who is deemed competent, skilled and hard-working who happens to be Christian after 4 decades. It just does not add up. To the contrary, those who want to cry foul at this point are those who took it for granted it is only a Moslem who can lead ELF-RC and cannot take the change brought about after 41 years well".

I was deeply disgusted about their divisive argument on why ELF RC chairman was a Moslem, Is this what we need in Eritrea to elect a leadership through his religious back ground rather than his leadership capability, Which power are they talking about, when the power has never been in the hands of the chairman, the leadership was and is a collective leadership, and the real power was and is in the hands of the Executive committee and the Revolutionary council and they were always part of these bodies.

The scope of their commentary was not only to discredit Dr.Habte, but also to disunite the Eritrean people through power struggle that can lead to a civil war as it happened in Lebanon and else where. As every Eritrean knows that, the Eritrean armed struggle started by the hero Hamed Idris Awate, and the initiators of the struggle were the late Idris Mohamed Adem Idris Galadius, Salih Hummed, these people have never claimed that the organisation they. started has to be under their leadership, nor they refused others to have a share in power, from the first beginning of armed struggle the power in the ELF was in the Hands of every Eritrean who is ready to struggle for the independence of Eritrea.

At the time of the Zone leadership (zemene Kiflitat) Woldai Kahsai and others were in power. In The 1969 when General command (Giyda Alama) was formed Isayas Afworki was a member of the Leadership. In 1st congress 1971, Mr Hurui Tedela Bairu was a vice chairman, in 2nd congress 1975 Tesfay (Degiga), Tesfamariam Woldemariam, Haileab Andu the late Meleke Tekle, were members of the executive committee and many others were in the leadership of the RC, like prominent figure as Dr Habte who deserved to be in power for his long standing struggle in the ELF he became vice chairman in the 6th session of 2nd Congress until the 3rd Congress. In the 3rd, 4th and 5th congress they had equal share in the leadership, and the chairman was always elected by consensus except in 2nd session of the 5th congress was by conspiracy.

I am long standing member of the ELF As a Tigrina saying ( Kab Kedem zewaze Izeni's Dehary zewaze Kerni), I have never came across any Moslem who felt or thought that the organisation they started has been dominated by Christians or nor Christian members of the organisation thought about the religious back ground of who is going to become a chairman of the organisation, because that was not what ELF taught us, This great organisation has always taught us to be nationalists, who defend the national interests first, then the interests of the organisation and how we can live together as Eritreans in peace and Harmony. Religion or ethnicity have never been an issue and never was in the minds of any genuine member of this great organisation, that is why they failed to fulfil their divisive mission which they started it in the 2nd session of RC meeting in 2002.

Nharnet Team's commentary to Dr Habte's interview has took them out of shape, and I hope all genuine Eritreans have got a chance to evaluate how the leadership of the organisation and the grassroots were struggling for the unity of the Eritean people and the unity of the organisation against this divisive agenda of Mr Seyoum and his group.

It reminded me of a story in 1990, I went to the house of a very devoted respectful member of the organisation named Mother Giorgis, I actually went to see her son who was sick, I could not find her at home even I could not see her son Tekie because he was sleeping and waited for her until she came back, I asked her where she have been, she said to me that she was with Ibrahim Mohamed Ali, and said that she told him that" we are fighting Shabia's out side leaving You Shabia's inside us", This respected lady reached that conclusion because at that time Ibrahim, and the representative of this group who were members of RC and senior cadres at that time in Sudan except Seyoum who was not with them at that time did not let the organisation to function and put the organisation into internal crises , when she told me I laughed and I admired her boldness and I left.

When I observe, how they react against their critiques by distorting the truth, character assassinations and how they behave to silence their critiques as Isayas and his group do, I really cannot differentiate between them and Isayas and his clique, the only difference they are in power, and they are not, I realised after 14 years how this devoted member of the organisation has correctly defined them.

I wonder how they wanted to be seen as Angels of the organisation when they claimed, that Mr Ahmed Nasser has failed to lead the organisation, for me they are the cancer of the organisation, because most of them were in the higher ranks of the organisation some of them were members of Executive committee, like Tesfai Degiga, Seyoum Ogbamicael was a chairman of peasants union who has direct link with the mass, Amanuael Mengistu was a military and political cadre of Brigades 19, Asfaw Berhe was a military and political cadre of brigade 71, Gherezghir Tewolde was a representative of ELF in Germany a very big mass movement in Europe, Mengistab Asmerom was a military and political cadre of Brigades 72 and many others who were political commissioners of some provinces in Eritrean, Where Were they?. As they claim "when Mr Ahmed Nasser was leading the organisation into a wrong way".

If they were genuine enough as they claim to be now, they could have stopped the organisation from deteriorating further, because they were military and political cadres, leaders of the big mass movements of the organisation, they had direct contact with the military and the mass, and more power to stop him if the problem was Mr. Ahmed Nasser, because the real power was under their control where were they? For me they were the creators of the problems through which this organisation passed through as they did now.

As Dr Habte put is it took us 20 years to build this organisation and to show the principles ELF RC stands for and its real history that was distorted by EPLF. When Eritrean People started to listen to us and try to know our history and what we stand for, they destroyed all this in 2nd session of the RC with sectarian agitation which we in ELF are not use to it, How can on earth they claim about the well being of the organisation or its principles when they tried to destroy it in a very critical time in the history of the ELF RC. How on Earth they speak about their opposition to Dictatorial regime in Eritrea when they walk out from the ENA 5th regular session, when the Europeans, the Americans, and the Neighbouring countries were ready to recognise us as legitimate opposition against the regime, Is n't it, what they did, saved the regime from falling apart.

When one observes how they are determined to destroy the unity of the Eritrean people and the organisation, it raises the following legitimate questions that have to be answered.

1. Why did Woldeyesus Ammar and Seyoum Ogbamichael Schoolmates of Mr Isayas and their group wanted to quit the ENA in the crucial time of the Opposition and when Eritrean people was nearly to be free from the Dictator?

2. Had they any fundamental difference with Isayas except power they did not share power with him?

3. Do they want the divisive statisco of the EPLF to stay there?

4. Have they ever been genuine ELF members at all?

5. Are they getting directives from Isayas their Schoolmate or from unknown source as Isayas did in 1970( the Kagnow theory)

There is going to be a time when these questions have to be answered, whether they like it or not,

This Website does not deserve to have the name Nharnet.com because this name had a mission when it was launched nearly 2 years, this mission could not be accomplish, unfortunately it became a tool of division and misleading. They have tried to mislead the Eritrean public and the ELF grassroots through their divisive religious, and ethnicity propaganda by their self-appointed gurus, but thanks to Dr Habit who exposed their true motive, he has damaged their credibility, he told the whole world about what happened in 2nd session and their motive was religious.

He exposed their cheap propaganda", that they always use", that behind the movement of the Grassroots are specific ethnic group" and showed the true face of this group, I wonder how they went mad by fabricating stories and distorting what he said, especially he what he said about Ato Woldeab Woldemariam, just to create a gab between Dr Habte and the Christian segment of Eritrea which they want to bet on for their divisive agenda, they tried to discredit him as they did with Mr Ahmed Nasser and Dr Beyene Kidane through incredible and unknown entity like Desseble Khasai, I read a plenty of his articles of hate against Mr.Ahmed Nasser, Dr. Beyene and now against Dr. Habte.

I tried to find an information about who this person is, I found out that he was a short time fighter in the social affairs office of the organisation when ELF was in the field, he quitted the organisation very early, a very confused and isolated personality which had no mandate nor had a chance to evaluate nor give judgement about Ahmed Nasser's failure or success, After he went to America he was not a member for a long time until recently, not only this, he is one who still pays the 2% to the Shabia government. How can this individual be credible who has financial relations with Shabia. Doesn't it legitimate to raise a question why this individual always try to attack the ELF prominent figures Like Mr Ahmed Nasser, Dr Beyene and now Dr Habte Can't it be that he gets his directives from the Eritrean government?.

When I knew what happened in the 2nd session of RC and motive behind it, it let me go back about what was going inside the organisation, and how they were dividing people through giving different names and forcing people to leave the organisation, they were active in the late 1980 by using Ibrahim Mohamed Ali, who was at that time a vice chairman and head of the organisational office (nai serit Halafi). In the 4th Congress They brought him into power and used him against one ethnic group and against any genuine members who was opposing their wrong doing by dismissing so many members of the organisation under different reasons, I know now what that motive was about, it was to dominate the organisation and make it free from opponents and control the power in the organisation behind religious motives.

Nharnet team and their group always try hard to convince us that there was a conspiracy theory behind why Ibrahim was not elected as a member of the RC in the 5th Congress, Mr Ismail Ali Ahmad Has clearly put it in one of his articles that Mr Seyoum Ogbamichail and Tesfay Teklezghi were the ones who hardly worked, Ibrahim Mohamed Ali not to be elected.

As a Tigrina saying says (Chografe Baela Harema Teuwi), when I read their crocodile tears why Ibrahim Mohamed Ali was not elected as RC member in the 5th Congress, I wonder how this people are evil, They had conspired against him not be elected, Ibrahim's failure in the 5th Congress was not only their conspiracy against him, but also as I have mentioned in one of the above paragraphs was that he could not lead, to the contrary he disunited the organisation, under his leadership we have lost a lot of members of this organisation. Is n't it the right of attendance of the congress to choose who has to be a member of RC or not!

In 2nd session of the 5th Congress they brought him back as RC speaker to make him a cover of their religious motive, they know and I know and every one knows including Ibrahim they wanted to use him for their hidden agenda which was exposed in the 2nd session of the RC. It reminded me what Isayas did with Romadan Mohamed Nur, Isayas brought Romadan as symbolic head of the organisation, and kept the real power for himself, he did that to do his criminal deeds behind his back and he threw him when there was no need of leaving him as the head figure, that was exactly the aim of Woldeyesus Ammar and his clique wanted with Ibrahim, unfortunately Ibrahim is still willingly used by them, for assuming that it is the only way to stay in power.

The Eritrean people have enough experience of what Isayas has done to them by the name of Christianity, and I don't expect our people to be cheated twice by people who want to use them for the sake of their power.

Is n't it disgusting to see Nharnet team and their group hammer deeply into why an organisation is led by a Moslem leadership, this is just to divide people through religion, while a nation, Eritrea as a whole is under a Christian leader, and this has never been an issue for Moslems and will never be.

Is n't it fair If Eritrean moslems demand and say, a Christian leader have tried to lead Eritrea and failed, so give us a chance, a Moslem to lead Eritrean people with out differentiating between Moslems and Christians who belong to one Eritrea.

I just brought the above argument against the argument of Nharnet Team that claims about the Moslem leadership of an organisation when Eritrea is under a Christian president, for me Eritrea has to be lead by an Eritrean whether he/she is a Moslem or Christian, but he /she must be elected democratically and lead the Eritrean society equally, in other words to make Eritrea for all Eritreans and no one feels that he/she is excluded.

Nharnet Team and their group are deeply hammering to divide the Erittrean people through religious and ethnicity as EPLF did in 1970 by claiming that ELF is a Moslem organisation and monster who killed Christians and so fours, this card has worked in 1970 and I don't think for a minute that they can succeed, because our people have a bitter experience how Isayas and his clique betrayed them.

Isayas took his mask when he came to power, that he is neither good for Christians nor for Moslems, he proved to be the enemy of the Eritrean people, after all this disaster caused by Isayas and his regime, every Eritrean dream is an inclusive, peaceful and democratic Eritrea.

Now the Schoolmates of Isayas, Woldeyesus Ammar and Seyoum Ogbamichail want us to go through that divisive pass again.

Eritrea is for all Eritreans and power is for every Eritrean who is capable to lead us to peace and prosperity, and let us work together to be united as Eritreans who share one homeland leaving our religious affiliation apart, As a very a prominent Egyptian politician Saad Zeglul said," religion is a personal affiliation, but a nation is for all of us".

I call on all genuine Eritreans to condemn this group under the leadership of Seyoum of their divisive policy and to be united against any organisation or individual that wants to divide Eritrean people that have lived for centuries without any problems.

God bless Eritrea
Glory to our Martyrdom
We live and die to create a democratic Eritrea

 


Abu Burhan Nura contributed and has sole responsibility for the content on this page. Comments about this article can be sent to the author directly by sending e-mail to: Abu Burhan Nura