selamat Saleh Gadi and dehai,
>I couldn't resist the urge to intrude in the middle and write a bit about
>the E[P]LF forced recruitment practices being discussed between Sal and
>Paulos. The urge was further encouraged by Haileab G. Michael's candid and
>honest appeal for understanding. Not forgetting the best incentive offered
>by the ex ELF man "... who really know" and is "....swinging in the web" and
>is alive and kicking.: Tsahaye Maekebay. By the way, ironically, there
>were many incidents when ELF fighters wanted to discuss military operation
>with their commanders and will insist on voting to fight or not to fight.
>Battle or no battle based on a hand count. Imagine having to command a
>battle with such an army. "I'll Check with the leadership" will make some
>ELF fighters look very disciplined. Mind you, in the 70s,some fighters were
>committing crimes of insubordination that would have brought them face to
>face with a firing squad in any disciplined army. I do not think the
>no-nonesense military leadership of the EPLF would have tolerated that. Abu
>Salah, I believe Poulos is right on this one. EPLF fighters were more
>disciplined than ELF fighters. They were more likely to check everything
>with their leadership. If you do not believe me, ask anyone else, ask
>Tsehaye. In the EPLF you were a soldier and you fought like one, but in the
>ELF you were a politician and only a part time fighter.
A part-time fighter/Tegadalai? Temporary, maybe, but not part time. The
attitude of the thousands of young fighters in 1974/5 in the ELF was this:
this war will soon be over and everyone will go back to whatever they were
doing, most of them back to school, before joining the struggle. In 1974/5,
no one expected the fighting to last but a few years, and the year 1977
(when we had 95 percent of Eritrea under our control) proved that the
Ethiopian army was a pushover. No one, therefore, expected the war to last
16 more years. Some thought it a curse to even suggest that the war might
take years. I remember an older Tegadalai (about twice the average age,
which was probably 20) scolding his younger comrades when they suggested the
war might drag a couple more years. This was around August/September 1975
in TeKreret, near AQordet.
But the main reason I wanted to write today was this: you wrote "there were
many incidents when ELF fighters wanted to discuss military operation with
their commanders and WILL INSIST ON VOTING TO FIGHT OR NOT TO FIGHT. Battle
or no battle based on a hand count. Imagine having to command a battle with
such an army." [emphasis mine] Don't tell the "ex ELF man '...who really
know' and is '...swinging in the web,'" but abu SelaH, ya aKi, weren't you
exaggerating? You make it sound like it was a picnic gathereing. I hope
your excuse is the Kuwaiti heat:-)
Military operations were NEVER for discussion unless you're talking about
the meetings AFTERWARDS, ie., meetings or seminars after an operation and
the questions that followed: why the operation (srHit/Aamelia) happened that
way; why were many Tegaleti lost, for example, in that battle; why weren't
other options considered? and why did the units withdraw from their
positions after paying so much life for it? If they did not intend to hold
their position, what was the purpose of the operation...? etc. Such
questions always were raised AFTER a military operation.
Details of operations were known to a few, as it should, company commanders
(maybe sometimes platoon commanders) and over, and could not have reached
the rank and file, let alone become a subject for discussion and votes. You
followed orders and went where ever you were told to go. There were few
times where it were obvious to everyone by the preparations that were made
especially if you're sitting a few hundred meters away from the enemy
trenches. (The ELA was a highly disciplined army until political problems
from within started to eat its foundations). Many questions might have been
raised in meetings after military operations, as I mentioned above, for the
ELF was a lot more open in that way. Debates, arguments, and discussions in
meetings were THE tradition. Commanders or political cadres were confronted
with hundreds of questions until they literally got headaches. Do you
remember the expression: "nas Hto r'yto."
BTW, forced-conscription was a disaster. In 1980 just before the year-long
civil war began, there was a serious talk (in some units) about seriously
confronting the issue and some veteran fighters were suggesting to let
people go, that is, to let those who were not committed 100% leave the ELF.
Better to have one quality company than a battalion full of wavering
fighters, it was said.
In the final analysis, the problem was not the rank and file, nor the
"wavering" fighters who were conscripted/recruited forcibly, my friend, it
was the incompetent leadership at the top. What with a commander-in-chief
like Abdella Idris who hated venturing out to the highlands, prefering to
stay put comfortably at Forto/Mogoraib in Barka or in Kassala, Sudan with
his wife!
More about this in the history channel....would you care to join us, Saleh? See
you there!
>
>Here is a soupy joke, were are the "too many cooks who spoiled the
>soup?"....They were all fired.
In our case, firing was not allowed so they were all sent to Salina.
>Saleh
>
Paulos
P.S. Saleh AA Younis, (aka Manjus, who is too young to remember the '70s) as
you have suggested I have added Kebire's name in the new alias. I don't
have Berhan's
address. Could you send me his?
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