Impressions of May 24^th, 1991

 

 

“They have mothers waiting for them too”

 

Ghidey Gebremichael

 

It was one month after Eritrea was liberated. I was on my way to Asmara from Addis Ababa. I agreed with the bus driver to help me find one man I wanted hardly in the buses going to Addis Ababa taking Dergue soldiers from Asmara.

 

I started looking the man. I searched for the man and all the soldiers look like the man I wanted, but it was what just a dream and not him. I continued the search and reached 7-8 buses; but I couldn’t find him. Then I met a colleague, Bzune Gebru, who joined the freedom fighters before 12 years. Then we hugged and chatted a little.

 

“What brought you here?” he asked

And I told him who and why I was searching for….………..

 

“In 1989, I was painting in the Kidanemihret Church in Maichehot area in Asmara. As I was going there frequently, I had good relations with the Dergue soldiers in the area.

 

One day, two youths were caught while they were escaping to join the freedom fighters through the Maichelot. It was clear that they were leaving to join the freedom fighters. Then the soldiers scolded them and were to let them go; but one of the soldiers said ‘NO’. They spent the night debating either to kill them or let them go to their family. Then at last they killed them both.

 

The soldier knew that I was watching him through the window of the church while he was killing the two young Eritreans. Then, he started to frighten me saying that I am cooperating with the freedom fighters providing maps and other relevant information from the area.

 

Three days after the incident, the soldier who insisted on the killing promoted to a corporal”.

 

“I am searching the killer now,” I told Bzune.

 

“What would you do if you find him?” he asked smiling

 

“He killed innocent Eritreans; he must return to Asmara and has to be imprisoned,” I replied.

 

“It is meaningless what you are doing; I will not give you even if you find him among these soldiers. The two youths you know are not the only Eritreans killed by Dergue Regime’s soldiers. We know thousands of Eritreans who have been killed by them. Mothers like Adey Letebrhan (my mother) told us, ‘we get our children and these soldiers have mothers waiting for them at home, so please take them to their mothers’” Bzune advised me.

 

I stopped the searching and continued my trip without searching another bus. I do remember the advice he gave me until today; it is an advanced culture to take your enemy to his home safely providing the basic necessities? The mercy of the people is behind my pride and respect towards the people of Eritrea.

 

 

 

In the middle of the people I love

 

Chamanlal Nadlal Kotari

 

My father came to Eritrea in 1932. There were a number of Indians in Eritrea but after the emergence of the Dergue regime, almost all of them went to their home land. I was born in 1940 and went to school in Eritrea. All in all, I only stayed 5-6 years in India and I am totally attached to Eritrea and Asmara.

 

To tell the truth, we were not active in politics. But my father was imprisoned for two months by the Dergue regime suspected of helping the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF). But other than this, we didn’t have much problem.

 

Everybody knows the difference between freedom and colonization; and my parents were dreaming of the freedom of the people of Eritrea, the people they love for years.

 

We were in Asmara with the people we love during the bombardment in 1990. At that time, there were a lot of problems like lack of basic necessities of electricity, food, water, fuel and so on. We were waiting for the hardship that could come to us together with the people of Asmara. And like everybody else, we were eager to see the freedom of Eritrea very soon.

 

But in 1990, I went to India as my wife was sick and needed surgery. Even when I was in India, my mind was in Asmara. My brother in Asmara was taking care of our shop at that time. There was no connection at that time with Asmara; my only source of information about the situation in Asmara was BBC radio. Then, one day I heard the good news (liberation of Eritrea) from the BBC. Then all the Indians who have been in Eritrea called one other and expressed our happiness together.

 

I couldn’t come right away as the flight was not started; but later as soon as the flight started I came back to the town I was born in and grew up.

 

Even though I was born in Asmara, I have been always a foreigner. Before independence, I was paying money for residence permit annually. But after independence I become Eritrean and had an Eritrean identity. Today, I, my wife and my son are Eritreans and we cast our votes in the referendum.

 

From fighters to protectors

 

Dawit Yowhannes

 

I was in Ala on 24 May, 1991 morning with my mechanized regiment. After we received an order to join with the regiments ahead of us as the Dekemehare front of the enemy was destroyed. Then on midday, we reached Dekemehare. After Dekemehare we headed for Asmara. But as I was corporal at that time, I didn’t see the safety of going through the asphalt road; and suspected there could be some battle in Adi-Hawesha area. Then we took our tanks to high mountains in the area and waited for orders; but the order was just ‘advance’ - ‘advance’ –‘advance’. Where are we to advance?

 

At about 3.00 PM we reached the southern gateway of Asmara, Godayf. I couldn’t believe. I thought that there will be tough fighting in the capital, but the order from our commanders was still to advance to the gateway to Keren. Then directly we went to as ordered. It wasn’t possible for me to express my joy getting out of the tank. I couldn’t even understand the look of the town where I was born and grew up; Asmara.

 

I have been familiar with the saying “there will be bloody battle in Sembel area in Asmara that blood would reach a horse’s fetlock” since my childhood. It was for this reason that I couldn’t believe that the war was over.

 

I later come to know that the commanders had already noticed that the war was over, except me.

 

We continued to Keren leaving tired soldiers of the Dergue regime who come from Gindai and Adi-Reso fronts on the sideways of the main asphalt road. Then we reached Serejeka late in the afternoon. We were gathering the Dergue soldiers together at one area to assist them with water and other necessities. There, together with other units who waited for us there, we advised the tired soldiers to go to Shimangus Tahtay Dam to get water. I didn’t count the Dergue soldiers but I guess they were around 10,000.

 

The Milisha were also surrendering their arms, some in the day time and some in the night. But nobody was asking them who, how, when and why they were armed against their own people.

 

The soldiers were lost in the middle of no where and one soldier came to me and asked if Sudan is nearby. I couldn’t assist him with any thing but ‘sympathy’.

 

The soldiers were totally tired, thirsty, weak and unable to do anything. As a result no one tried to take the revenge for his/her beloved ones killed by those soldiers, the independence celebration mood does not allow you to think so, everybody was extremely happy. And they were not afraid of us at that time and we treated them well.  

 

We were engaged in arranging to send the soldiers of the Dergue regime to their home the 3-4 days after independence. We brought them to Bahti Meskerem Square in Asmara. Those who were capable went on foot and those who were not by trucks coming from Keren and those who were extremely weakened by the vehicles of our military commanders. It astounds me to think about it back now.

 

Just for our independence.

Omer Mohamed Husien

 

Before independence, I and my colleagues were interested in literature. Then one Dergue soldier, Abebe, had close relation with us as he was interested too. At Independence Day, I saw him expressing his happiness with the people of Eritrea wearing white cloth. My eyes couldn’t believe what they were seeing. It was real, Abebe. He hugged me and congratulated me saying, “inquai nabzi abtsehana.” It was easy for me to notice that he was happier than me at that time. Then I thought that may be he is Eritrean, but he wasn’t. and I asked him:

 

“Why are you still here while other soldiers are leaving for their home?”

 

“They are fools. I don’t have to go all the way through Sudan or any. I will go to my home safely after some days. This independence is more significant to us than you,”

 

“Don’t you get frighten? With whom are you living now?”

 

“I am living with one colleague who works as guard in the bank. I am not afraid of the freedom fighters,” he replied with confidence.

 

My understanding about independence was not as good as Abebe’s he was right. We Eritreans fought for our independence only, but not at a cost of others’ independence. That is why Abebe went to his country safely.  

 

 

Everything Opened

Abdela Mohamed Bajbae`

 

I came to Eritrea in 1947 when I was seven years old. I was raised and went to school in Eritrea and didn’t leave the country except for short trips.  I have been in Eritrea since the British colonization and have been able to see all the developments and the regimes that came later. During the Haileslasie regime there were over five thousand Yemenis in Eritrea. There was mistreatment in many other countries in the world to foreigners, but not in Eritrea. We didn’t have any problem to live in peace with the people of Eritrea. They never did anything bad from the beginning until now.

 

I do remember one incident that when Eritrean freedom fighters hijacked an airplane from Syria and landed it in Yemen. The next day there was demonstration against Yemenis and Arabs initiated by the Haileslasie regime. Then the next day all Yemenis in Asmara were forced to call up on the Yemeni Government to condemn the landing of the airplane in Yemen, and we did it.

 

There was social unrest and unpleasant period during the Dergue regime and as a result a lot of Yemenis went to their home land. They imprisoned my father for three months suspecting him that he was cooperating with the freedom fighters.

 

The worst year was 1990. There were a lot of shortages. During the bombardment, our house was bombarded but fortunately no body was harmed.

 

On May 10, 1991 I went to Addis Ababa, leaving my family in bad condition, as I had marriage ceremony to participate. Then, while I was there I heard the good news, Eritrea’s liberation. I was extremely happy; it is clear what the value of independence was. Everything opened, and no more bloody war.

 

I didn’t want to stay in Addis Ababa and I came here five days after independence. I cast my vote in the referendum in 1993 and now I am Eritrean.

 

Our neighborhood was surrounded by higher officials of the Dergue. They used to threaten us that if anyone of them dies they will kill us all. My husband and I were devoted to the struggle. We used to take care of our moves that we always fear that the guards of the higher officials might harm our children. Ejel (higher official), being our neighbor worsened the situation. The neighborhood is highly guarded every time he comes and we were troubled to move those hours.

 

In the name of protecting ourselves from the ‘bandits’, men were supposed to round every area and women to guard their houses. We used to bring a stick at 7:00 pm from the administration office and to be returned at 10:00pm. But this situation didn’t stay longer.

 

One evening, I dreamt of a blue color covering the city and solved it as the blue color to be Eritrean flag and that the fighter will make it to the town safely. Soon, every Eritrean and my dream came true.

 

At Independence Day, I joined the celebration and couldn’t control myself out of joy. Someone I couldn’t remember removed my black shawl I wore for the memory of my husband who died just a year before independence. That someone did the right thing since there won’t be any day more glorious than Independence Day.

 

I spent the whole night preparing himbasha and siwa (traditional bread and drink) to keep my promise as I had to provide such food to anyone who passes by. I gave the fighters what I prepared the next morning and I keep doing that every year for 17 years. 

 

I still don’t forget the dejected look on the Dergue soldiers’ faces. But every one of us escorted them in a friendly manner. In fact, I visited them taking fruits when they were leaving for their county at Bahti Meskerem Square. As we wished our children to come to us safely their mothers also need the same.