Eritrea: Doctrines of Nationalism and the downfalls of State-Nation
Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was hardly seen nor heard but, finally admitted there are Eritrean forces ‘guarding’ the border against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Abiy administration has often resorted to half-truths and cover-ups. But it appears he can no longer denies Eritrean presence’s in Tigray region, as atrocities and ‘wanton destruction of Tigray’ remains in full swing.
It is important to bear in mind, the ongoing war in Tigray launched in November 2020 was for the supposed purpose of a ‘law enforcement operation.’ To gain dominance and to inflict fear, Abiy controlled power by using repression as a weapon of destruction.
Accordingly, the Deputy Chief of Mission to the United States at the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington, D.C., Berhane Kidanemariam resigned in protest against the direction of the country.
Moreover, hand in hand with Eritrean forces, Abiy used repression anywhere everywhere, to oppress opponents with science and technology such as drone and heavy weaponries. One local militia member entrusted: ‘ We were not shooting because they were using heavy weapons and we didn’t want to show them our positions.’
Initially, phone and internet were promptly cut off in Tigray once Ethiopian military launched operations. Road and air access to the region were also cut off, damaging prospects of ‘full scale’ humanitarian aid and medical assistance.
Next, Ethiopian and Eritrean forces espoused an endlessly violence and destruction. An endlessly waves of abuses and crimes were committed, including extra judicial killings, torture, shelling, genocide, pillages, arbitrary detention by Ethiopian forces and especial forces and militia known as ‘Fano’ from the neighbouring Amhara region. For example, massacre of Mai Kadra postulated on November 9 displaced thousands of women, men and children, including 14,ooo who crossed the border into Sudan by November 10.
Clearly, Abiy has struck a deal with Eritrea’s president Isaias Afwerki to amalgamate forces to force out a common enemy that is the regional TPLF government in Tigray.
In his 2019 Nobel Peace acceptance speech ‘forging a durable peace in the Horn of Africa,’ Abiy was recognised not only to bring peace deal with Eritrea. But also mediated with Eritrea and Djibouti, Eritrea and Somalia, Somalia and Kenya and held peace talks to diverse factions with South Sudan.
Nevertheless, the TPLF saw Isaias as Abiy ‘was serving as a vehicle for Isaias desire’s to extract a pound of flesh for perceived wrongs’ since war struck, TPLF has accused Eritrea of joining forces with Ethiopia in the conflict zone.
The struggle for Independence in Eritrea
In 1960, leaders living in exile announced the formation of Eritrean Liberation Front(ELF).The founders all Muslims, were led by Idris Mohammed Adam. The ELF was quickly able to amass a small guerrilla force in the western expanse of lowland Eritrea. In the beginning the ELF, had support of Arabic countries and Muslim communities in the western and eastern lowlands and northern hills. However, Ethiopian authorities depicted the actions as an Arab tool and sought to rally Christians to oppose it.
Before the World War II, the economic landscape had been supported by Italian activity. After the war the economy deflated and the political conditions deteriorated catastrophically.
As a consequence, thousands of Eritreans were forced to emigrate to Ethiopia and Middle Eastern in search of employment and better working prospects. Christians began to join ELF in significant numbers at the end of 1960s.In addition , the stoppage of nascent-crescent trade union and banning of Tigrinya in estate education fuelled sentiments of Nationalism movement, including students who were radicalised in the Ethiopian student movement.
The membership of ELF had been extended to radical students who had been politically radicalised in Ethiopia, began to join ELF. With the arrival of radical students it followed tensions between leadership of ELF, which was permanently resident in Cairo and the rank which remained in the field.
In 1972 several groups deflected ELF, formed the Eritrean Liberation Front-People’s Liberation Forces(ELF-PLF).The ELF and ELF-PLF clashed for several years as well as Ethiopians. After series of clashes and confrontation within the organization, the EFL-PLF was renamed the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front(EPLF),a Marxist organization.
With a rebrand of the EPLF formed by students and mainly Christians, the leaders were willing to embrace a socialist political programme for the long term and national political agenda for the liberation of the country. But a military dictatorship also espousing Marxism, appeared in Ethiopia with the assistance of Soviet Union, the new Ethiopian regime was able to regain most Eritrea. While the Ethiopians were equipped with heavy weaponry, they run into unrest due to EPLF employment of guerrilla warfare. The EPLF manual doctrine encompassed: ‘An army without a revolutionary ideology is like a man without a brain. An army without a brain can never defeat an enemy.’
In 1981 ELF collapsed, as EPLF merged victorious driving ELF out of the country. When the Soviet Union stopped supporting Ethiopia, TPLF launched an offensive in Tigray reaching as far as the Ethiopian capital as well as fighting for Tigray autonomy. Then the EPLF began to gain momentum and control Eritrea.
Posterior independence relations
In 1998 relations deteriorated with Ethiopia over trade disputes. A centred dispute erupted around the hamlet of Badme. In 2000 a peace deal was struck and the UN peace keeping mission to secure the border. Afterwards, Ethiopia refused the territory that the commission had referenced as Eritrean. The UN withdrew its mission, years later, as Eritrean accused UN officials of being a spies.
Post liberation period marked vis a vis, years of political repression and economic stagnation, losses of life, displacements and chaotic conditions caused by poor mismanagement and leadership. Isaias who was made president of a transitional government since independence in 1993, resorted to authoritarianism, self-imposed secrecy and social consensus. For example, in 2001 Isaias closed the national press and banned the formation of new political parties.
Another boundary dispute with Djibouti forces and Eritrean forces, caused the death of 30 people, Eritrea decided to allocate its military forces along Doumeira Ras border area. As a result, UN Security Council voted to impose sanctions on Eritrea for its involvement of supporting insurgent’s in Somalia’s civil war, as well as its refusal to withdrew military forces in 2011.
Furthermore, the government programme of conscription into national service for long period of time induced its citizens to emigrate, espousing Human Rights violations; such as enslavement, rape, torture and murder, some violations amounting to crimes against humanity.
A methodology used to consolidate its power as well as to prevent outsiders from observing condition in the country has been to keep out religious groups and other Non- governmental organizations(NGOs).
Failure to move beyond Nationalism
When Eritrea gained independence in 1993, there was an opportunity created, to have impacted the lives of Eritreans as well to bring liberty and freedom. Once independence was achieved Eritreans felt the sense of solidarity and unity after several years of war, displacement and famine. While alarmingly one dimensional man(Isaias) rallied to create the cult of personality to torment all region.
Eric Fromm in The Heart of Man said the ‘pleasure in complete domination over another person(or other animate creature) is the essence of the sadistic drive.’ On the other hand, he retorted that the objective of sadism is to ‘transform a man into a thing, something animate into something inanimate, since by complete and absolute control the living loses one essential quality of life-freedom.’
When Eritrea gained independence in 1993, there were an opportunity missed that could have impacted the lives of Eritreans to bring change and attain freedom. Upon independence Eritreans felt the sense of solidarity and unity after several years of war, displacement and famine.
Nevertheless, in The wreched of the Earth, Frantz Fanon warned once the independence was stablished in the colonized countries the ‘bourgeoises’ would ‘enrich itself and serve as an intermediary between capital and the ex-colony.’ He argued that ‘the national bourgeoisie is incompetent with limited capacity and ability, mired in class interest and self-interest, seeking only to perpetuate itself and to benefit from its position of power.’
Understanding the past, present and future
Tigray’s infrastructure has been deliberately destroyed. While the military are raping woman and young girls, civilians refugees and homeless were ‘shot with guns or killed with knives.’
Around 60,000 have sought refugees in neighbouring Sudan. Letay Teweldebreham, who used to live in Humera, now in Tsehaye Elementary School in Shire, observed: ‘I work in water development but I have not received my salary for the last four months. We don’t have water, no electricity or medicines. Life is not possible.’
Abiy is ethnic Oromo while the vision he is imposing is embodied in Eritrean Nationalism, that is Ethiopian unity under the control and dominance of Eritrea. The deal struck with Eritrea, Abiy is seeking to bring, dehumanization, manipulation, ‘ethnic cleansing’ as well as to smear hatred, between different groups.
The Eritrea Nationalism has failed in Eritrea. The aspiration to see liberty and freedom to Eritrean people transformed into tools of repression, manipulation and domination. The embodiment of civilians as ‘body docile,’ transferred into ‘malleable and more efficient agents of the state nationalist dreams.’
