THE JACK KRAMER PAPERS: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE (Part VII) 

BY

Issayas Tesfamariam

PART SEVEN

Issayas: What was the importance of Kidane Kiflu in the Eritrean struggle. In other words, what did Kidane Kiflu symbolize?

 Professor Berhe: Kidane landed in the midst of the turbulence that characterized the first decade of the Eritrean armed struggle. In the second half of the 1960s the armed struggle for Eritrean independence was undergoing severe growth pangs. Kidaneís writings (correspondences) show his concern about the problems faced by the movement and the need for positive reform and development. The leadership of the Front at that time did not welcome such views. Eventually he was murdered in cold blood. Alamin Mohamed Said in his book ìThe Ups and Downs of the Eritrean Revolutionî (1994), specifically states, ìThe Eritrean Liberation Front Ö executed 250 individuals based on religion and regional affiliation. Kidane Kiflu and Weldai Ghidey were two of them.î (p.26).

 Issayas: What was your feeling when you heard that Kidane Kiflu was killed?

 Minister Naizghi: I had just finished my studies in Russia and was getting ready to go to the United States for a Ph.D. From Russia I went to Rome and it was in Rome that I heard that Kidane Kiflu was martyred from Tsegai Kahsai. I was saddened. On the other hand, I decided to quit my studies and join to fight.

 Issayas: What is the significance of the death of Kidane Kiflu?

 Professor Berhe: Recent interview by Brig. General Ghirmay Mehari, serialized in Haddas Eritrea, confirms the previous word of mouth account of how the two (Kidane Kiflu and Woldai Ghidey) were murdered in cold blood in Kassala. They were lured to a certain Woldai Fikhakhís house for lunch. There they were literally butchered by ìfedayeenî, hiding under a bed. Later, the killers put the corpses in sacks, put them in a taxi and were on their way to Mt. Mikram to dump them away when one of the bodies fell off the car. (Hadas Eritrea, October 1, 2003). Kidane Kiflu was a learned man, a man of ideas and idealism. I have no doubt that his ideas contributed in shaping the future direction of Eritrean revolution. Kidane died an untimely death, in his twenties. His death should torture the conscience of his assassins, and the pusillanimous leaders who ordered his murder, that is those who are still alive, and assuming they have the conscience of a penitent murderer in his deathbed. But that is expecting too much.

 Issayas: While I was working on this article/interview, coincidentally you were interviewed on Haddas Eritrea. Even though you have mentioned in detail your experience as a fighter in the newspaper, if you donít mind I would like to ask you a few questions.

 Brig. General Ghirmay: There is no problem. I will be glad to.

 Issayas: Did you know Kidane Kiflu?

 Brig. General Ghirmay: No, I did not know him very well. But I have met him a couple of times.

 Issayas: When was he killed?

 Brig. General Ghirmay: He was killed along with Woldai Ghidey. I have pictures of both of them. If you need the pictures for your article I will let you use them. They were killed after the end of the Adobha Conference. The main aim of the conference was to unite the various divisions. Kidane and Woldai were working hard and believed that the struggle or the revolution should be united. Both of them were invited for lunch at Woldai Fekhakís home. Once there, they were butchered by the ìfedeyeenî who were hiding under a bed.

 Issayas: A lot of people say that the killing of Kidane Kiflu and Woldai Ghidey was the breaking point for the later EPLF to split from the ELF. What do you think of the statement?

Find more information from Mr Berhan Belata interview with Eritrean Tv. Demtsi Hezbi 9 February 2013

Minister Naizghi: The split from the ELF had already started before the martyrdom of Kidane. Basically, Kidane was in Kassala with the understanding reached between him and Isaias Afwerki and Abraham Tewolde. Isaias and Abraham had already split with their respective comrades. Kidane Kiflu was in Kassala to coordinate the activities outside of the field. From Kassala he used to correspond with me, Aboi Woldeab Woldemariam, Hiruy Tedla and others about the conditions and situations of the field.

Issayas: Thank you for the pictures. In the Haddas Eritrea interview you mentioned that you and Wolderufael Sebhatu were sent to retrieve the documents of Kidane and Woldai Gheday after they were killed. What was the importance of those documents and where are they now?

 Brig. General Ghirmay: They were very important documents. Wolderufael Sebhatu (who was martyred in Nakfa) and I were sent to get the documents from the house that was used as their office. Wolderufael knew the whereabouts and the importance of the documents because he used to work with them. You know, Wolderufael was supposed to have been killed with them but he was away at the time. Once we got to Kassala we got some of the documents but not all.

 Issayas: In the interview with Haddas Eritrea, Brig. General Ghirmay Mehari stated that he and Wolderufael Sebhatu were sent to Kassala to collect the documents of Kidane Kiflu. What was the importance of these documents? Where are they now?

 Minister Woldenkiel Gebremariam: The documents were very important. Kidane Kiflu was in Kassala and Kassala was the coordinating point with the field. He used to follow up the situations in the field and record them. They were very important historical documents. Some of the documents (letters) were sent to the field. With the situation that we went through in the field, it is hard to say where they are. Some documents were taken by Tekue Yhidego and etc. to Aden from Kassala. We used to have them with our Hafash Wudubat (Mass Organizations). After we went to the field we did not know the situation of the documents.

 Minister Naizghi: The documents were very important. They used to describe the situations in the field. Who did what? Who got killed by whom ...etc. are the sort of things that were in the documents. We left some of the documents with our Hafash Wudubat (Mass Organizations) in Aden, Yemen. Later, we heard that the documents were stolen.

 NEXT: FINAL PART (EIGHT). ìThe Battle of Halhalî (1968) with Mr. Jack Kramer, Professor Berhe Habte-giorgis and Dr. Tom Killion. Also, a sketched map and an audio clip of Mohammed Ali Idris from the ìKramer Papers 1968-1969.î

© Copyright 2001-2009 Shaebia.org [ Kidane Kiflu and the Jack Kramer Papers: Addendum Tuesday, 21 September 2010 08:11 Written by EritreaCompass

Further information

Source Source kab riqe -hefeneti Tekie Beyne (2009: p.123)

(c)   Naizghi Kiflu [ex-Internal Security chief who died in London on the 6th of February, 2012)] confirms:

“The split from the ELF had already started before the martyrdom of Kidane. Basically, Kidane was in Kassala with the understanding reached between him and Isaias Afwerki and Abraha Tewolde. Isaias and Abraha had already split with their respective comrades. Kidane Kiflu was in Kassala to coordinate the activities outside of the field. From Kassala he used to correspond with me [Niazghi], Aboi Woldeab Woldemariam, Hiruy Tedla and others about the conditions and situations of the field.”

(d)   Mesfin Hagos, in a recent interview (translated to English here) also mentions the two:

“…at the Adobha Congress…a transitional leadership, what known as Qyada AlAma,  was established. There, two committees were formed 1) a preparatory committee for a congress and 2) a committee that would investigate [the cases] of those who say they were wronged by the ELF and the mistakes that were claimed to have been committed by [the ELF], a committee  to investigate and scrutinize was formed. I worked as a member of the investigative committee. After the congress I went straight to Sudan—it was to supposed to [investigate] if there were [people] who claim to have been wronged by the ELF. It didn’t work out as wished. Those who were in the field and even their section who entered into the  Sudan, maybe some who remained in the field might have worked, but those of us who came to the Sudan couldn’t do anything. That is because the leadership of the time didn’t want us to work, it didn’t want us to meet with the people, it didn’t want us to ask the people, and they didn’t want the people to give us their views or tell us the wrongdoing that befell on them.  Therefore, we were immediately pulled back and entered the field.  This happened in the end of the seventies; similarly when we entered the field in the end of 1969, we were scattered everywhere, I was told that I was appointed to the engineering department, but shortly…I went to the Sudan. There were some books in Sudan that I brought along with me from China, and that would  help us in my appointed position {engineering ….when I entered [Sudan] there was disharmony among the leadership, when chaos ensued and we entered Sudan, those who were in Sudan, specially those who were closely cooperating with us, Welday Ghidey and Kidane Kiflu were killed by the ELF, and since there were [in Sudan] many who came from the field—those who came from Eritrean towns, also those who came from Sudan, there was no one to organize them, it was those two [Welday Ghidey and Kidane Kiflu ] who were organizing them. There was also imprisonment and there was, and there were many escapee combatants [in Sudan]. [x] source[Srryet Addis: Blatant Lie?]

Excerpt from book  “ Source An African Revolution Reclaimed" memoir by Mesfin Hagos, 2023: pages 41-43

……When we reached Kassala in January of 1970, I met and consulted with Kidane Kiflu and Welday Ghidey. Kidaney, Welday and Sherifo , who had fled the field briefed me about the state of their relations with the Revolutionary Command in Kassala and the fighters in town and advised me to exercise caution. Kidane especially told me that some elwments within theleadership were aiming to physically eliminate him.   He, those close to him, and the newly arrived fighters for whom they cared were in bad shaped, and I told them the field was no better.

We wore civilian clothing to sneak in and out of Sudan.The dozens of figh and Welday themselves were not immune to those risks and threats, especially Kidane, who moved around by bicycle. There was a plan to attack him at night, but he could not leave town because the rest of fighters depedended on him and he felt that leaving would be like abandoning them.

While this was going on ters who had fled the field were without supplies and faced physical threats. Kidane Welday Fkak a member of the ELF fida-iyeen approach Kidane Kiflu and Welday Ghiday as a sympathizer. He came to them in March of 1970 and told them that, because he was traveling out of town, he wanted them to look after his family.. He invited them to his house for lunch so he could introduce them to this wife and children. Kidane and Welday told me of their appointment on March 5th and asked me to join them. I told them that I already had an appointment with Idris Suleiman in the  ELF office., but said I would join them in the evening at a popular hanout  called Alban Jadid.

That afternoon there was a powerful dust storm( khamseen) The officw was closed, and I waited in front of the door. Welday Fkak’s house, where they were to have a lunch, was nearby and kidane and Wlday Gidey came up behind me, nudging me to come along I insisted on waiting for Idris.. Later, Welday Fkak came out to show me the exact house. As I continued to wait,   Welday Fkak and Kidane in turn came to me to drag me in. I insisted that I would wait for Idris, eventhough I did not tell them why, I did not wat to miss Idris because I badly wanted to go back to the field and  missing him meant delay or cancellation of my plans.

When I decided to leave I left without telling tham because they would not have allowed me to leave, they had said they were waiting for me and that they would not eat lunch without me. I went to see Imam, another Eritrean sympathizerb who had a laundry business, and took a nap there. At our appointment time in the late afternoon, I set out for Alban Jadid, a popular hangout in town. On the way there I ran into Welderufaeil Sebhatu, roommate of Kidane and Wolday, who visibly distraught. He was looking for me because Kidane and Waldey had been killed. He said their bodies were in the Kassala hospital.

I want to the hospital immediately and found them lying uncovered on the hospital floor. Kidane’s mouth was cracked open, and his intestines were on the floor. Welday’s head appeared to be injured, as his head and upper body were covered in  blood. Sherifo had arrived before me, fainted on seeing  the bodies, and  ended up  being hospitalized himself.

Pet the investrigation of the  Kassala police,who had discovered the boodies and brought them to  the hospital, the unidentified  assailants, possibly  with the intention of transporting  the bodies to Eritrea, had put Welday’s body in te  trunk of a taxi and driven toward Hafera. But the trunk would not  shut properly and, on the  rough road, te body fell out. When  the assailants tried to put Weldey’ s body back  in,  Kidane, who had not died  was said to have crawled out the back seat. At that point  the attackers finished him off and fled, leaving the bodies where they had fallen.

We went to the police station and asked to meet the commissioner, to whom I related the whole story. I told the commissioner that I knew where they were attacked first and who had killed them. I led tohe police to Welday Fkika house which was closed with no one inside   The police broke in only to find it spotlessly clean. I was suspicious and searched the floor around the sofa, where I found traces of blood. The police took notes of what we discovered in the house and took us to the station

I told the commissionaer that it was the ELF fida-iyeen Welday Fkak and that he could not have acted without the order of the ELF security chiefs. Such measures could not have been taken without the knowledge and approval of Said Saleh  who as a member of PGE ‘s security Committee, would have been the highest ELF security officer  in Kassala at the time.

Said Saleh and the ELF fida-iyeeand the ELF  squad in Kassala, including Weldy Fikak himself, Shinkehay, and Osman Dayir, were brought  into the station and taken to court  They were sentenced to prison term but were soon released,

There were people like Abu-Tiyara, who sympathized with Kidane and Walday and with us. I found Abu-Tiyara and asked him for weapons to avenge the deaths of Kidane and Welday. He was concerned and did not want to be  implicated in the violence that could have ensued had we been armed, so he and others disappeared.  We that avenging their deaths would not resolve the problem. They said that continuing the struggle was a better way to fix the ELF and they hadthen headed to Kidane and Walday’s house. We knew Kidane had a  handgun and broke into his suitcase  but did not find it.

 We went to the fighters from  the highlands, who were shocked by the deats of their guardians. We calmed them and went to the  central station in Kassala to dispatch a telephone report to Mehari Debessay, Tuku Yehdego, and Abera Mekonnen, who were in Khartoum, Mehari and Tuku came to Kessala three days later and  were joined by Oumeru and Romodan Mohammed Nur. We told the latter two, especially Oumeru , that we needed weapons, but  they turned us down, saying that our approach was not appropriate,  that Kidane and Weladay’s death was a loss to all of us,. And that  avenging   their deaths  would not resolved  the problem. They said that continuing the struggle was a better way to fix the ELF and they had a plan to effect those needed changes.

They told us that they had  establish  and thed both external contact and contacts inside the field  Now they needed to gather the available manpower and congregate back  in the Eritrean field to correct the problems from within. We were convinced.

The day of the killing or the next day, Me’asho Embaye arrived with a message for Kidane from Isaias. In Me’asho, I found someone to work with in addition to Welderfael. When we asked the senior leaders about the practical measures, they told us  to gather our fighter in Kassala and elsewhere in Sudan and to  congregate in Khartoum.. They went back to Khartoum, where they said they had similarly gathered disparate fighters. Me’asho  was going to  the fighters in Kassala, where there were at least sixty, and would take them to Khartoum. Welderufael was to stay in Kassala to tie up loose ends there. Ibrahim Affa came from the field, and  we met him in Khartoum. When we all gathered in the Sudanese  capital, there were hundreds of us. An unplanned coalition seemed to emerge between those from the highlands, the Red Sea, and Maria.

Although  we were unelected, practically speaking , those of us who were active in mobilizing and organizing this manpower became the leaders of the emerging force. Me’asho, Teku, Mehari, Abera, and myself from highlands; Oumeru and Romodan  from the Red Sea; Abu-Tiyara from Maria.

These veteran fighters told us that they had established contact with Sabbe, who had agreed to support us, and  that he sending a plancload of weapons for us through  Khartoum to Aden. Some of us  would be transported on plane to Aden. There were several planeloads of weapons in cargo hold. Until we left for Dankalia some six weeks later  people kept coming  from Khartoum to Aden.

It was clear that the Sudanese government was collaborating with us, although I do not remember  the details.But in Aden we had the active support of the  South  Yemeni government, which  vacated an enire camp for us and provided us with  subsistence supplier. We regularly met  with the South Yemeni leaders and  got to meet those from other Arab liberation movements in Palestine and  Omani. Most importantly, the  relative safety and comfort of Yemen allowed us to  carry out extensive discussions among ourselves. Quickly a group of ten or so like-minded comrades emerged from the discussions in Aden and, once back in the Eritrean field, carried out the details of those discussions… Those comrades went on to be among the founders of the clandestine vanguard party within what became the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front( EPLF)

During our regular meetings and debates, we reached a consensus that we would  return to Eritrea fully armed and continue to fight to correct the course of our revolution,  Even though we had split from the ELF, we  did not do so within the intention of forming  the rival organization that we became in the process. We  agreed that  forming a revolutionary vanguard party would enable us to avoid ELF’ mistake. The vanguard party would be organized along  communist lines, adjusted for the local context. When we were in Kassala, we had heard from Me’asho Embaye that Isaias had also split from PGC. After discussion, we reached an understanding that  we would get in touch with his group. We also discussed the nature of our relationship with Sabbe.s  newly formed General Secretariat.  We knew he could not be our long –term partner if we were to avoid ELF’s experience, but we also knew that we need him as much as  he needed us. We would not condom him, but we could not accept his leadership.

Finally, once we were ready to depart for Eritrea, we dispatched to Dankalia a reconnaissance unit made up of Afar fighters who had been inside Eritrea and other fighters who had returned from abroad. The team set off a head of the rest of the f of te fighters, who had congregated in South Yemen. Between late April and early May of 1970, we left Aden and entered Eritrea at the small natural harbour of Bera;asole, some 100 km north of Asseb. We did not encounter any problems at sea, and the reconnaissance team awaited us at the harbour.

Ibrahim Berhan (2001 states that Kidane is one of those gallant and brilliant fighters,TeGaDeLTi,who was assasinated in Kassala,Sudan in the late 60s.He was not only a heroic fighter who relentlessly opposed the sectarian and backwarded political outlooks of the then Jebha,he was a decent person with exceedingly pleasant personality.Those who were incarcerated with him in Sudan's jail in the late 60s attest to those facts.Once he was released the butchers of the then Jebha killed him and put his body in a trunk of a taxi.So was the barbaric acts of QiYaDa ALaMa that left no options for the true and patriotic fighters that they have to emabark upon seeking a different path of pursuing the nationalist agendas source) http://www.ehrea.org/wedk.php

Responses to He And His Objectives

He And His Objectives February 13, 2012 by Awate Team [http://awate.com/he-and-his-objectives/#comments]

• Mahmud Mohammed says
  Thanks Awate! the darkest side of our struggle history must be revealed regardless of who committed what but it is very crucial to teach our kids about their history. History should not be distorted or inclined but the truth must be said on heaven's fall. Esyas is not the only criminal we have had however there are many hidden criminals who slept on Eritrean blood. Some have committed mistakes without knowing or forced to do by their superiors, some have joined the struggle for personal interest and as servants of the foreigners, some were deeply mislead by their bigoted commanders who were motivated by regional and religious points of view. However, there must be a balance between the incidents happened and the golden age lost in serving Eritrea and Eritreans. We have to look on the positive sides too!
  Tesfa says:

  February 16, 2012 at 8:45 am

  Hello Awate team!

  Yes, I consider still the awate website as the best among the Eritrean website. But this article is extremely biased and very fsr from the reali8ty we all exercised during our childhood!!!! How can you write “… Nehnan Elamanan came with allegations of grisly murders committed by what it called the “Jihadist” ELF against Christians; and after more than forty years, the allegations still circulate as truth among Isaias’ supporters. With time, the unsubstantiated allegation became urban legend, elevated to a myth, and further deepened the mistrust among Eritreans and to this day continues to divide Eritreans. …” The truth is: ELF was even worse than the jihadist. I myself had an explainable fear from ELF. They have slaughtered mostly christiens from the highland; the sistr of my grand mother was burned wiht her full assets. I participated as a teenager the funeral day of the beloved aunt of my father. The most interesting thing is, she was a famer who could neither write and read – just a very simple woman! This is only the pick of the berg/mountain.

  I write this fact even if I hate existing regime in Eritrea. Facts remain facts!!!

  You could have reasoned it out only as a starting and difficult initial phase of our struggle like every START made ELF many failure . Otherwise you go the risc to degradate the reputation you have earned.

  Reply
• Wedimerhay says:

  February 16, 2012 at 2:51 am

  I always enjoy awate.com’s articles from long time, but this article seems to me a bit favouring the ELF. The ELF was responsible for as much evil as Issayas did. The number of people slaughtered by the ELF and thrown in the fox hole (Gudgad wekaria) are too many not to mention how much our mothers have suffered under their liberated eara, the amount of confiscated properties (land and live stock).
  We all hate the current governmnet as it denied us the basic human rights and destroying our country economically, socially and politically. We have a purpose to attain ” A free Eritea were Eritreans live freely as long as they are Eritreans”. As much as we want this, we cannot distort history to suite us now for the current situation.
  It is now a dream that ELF was killing people using a knife. It is a reality that we have experienced in our neighbourhood. It is real that ELF has confiscated belongings. It is true that ELF depended on our mothers to live from day to day and they used force. It is true that ELF created many conflits in a previously peacefully coexisting communities.
  No dought the Nhanan Elamanan document is a destructive document, this article is also hurting as it try to justify the evils of the ELF that has affected many families lives permanently.

  I think let us not change history the exact the same way the Isaya regime did because it can weaken our struggle for democracy.
  With the short time that I have my emphasis is that the evils of both ELF and EPLF are beyond excusable and in an unreasonable magnitued.
  My advice to the Awate team is that, during struggle, many Moslim and Christian families were affected. The memory is not faded as it was hurtfull at family and country levels. If you are not sure about something rather display the message that is you are sure about.

• Find more information on Crime committed against civilians by the ELF and EPLF during the armed struggle