When one attempts to write from memory, that is, without the benefit of
consulting written documents/publications, one is bound to make mistakes.
This is no excuse though. I fully accept the responsibility for making a
goof about the original (in the formative years) members of LaEleway Baito
- Woldeab Woldemariam wasn't a member of the Baito until later (see Elias'
post), I thought Tedla Bayru became a member later also - and Awate.
As it pertains to Awate's background, here is what a friend of mine wrote me
yesterday:
"I want to tell you a story my father-in-law told me... When he was young,
he was recruited by Grazmach Ghebre Fessehazion to join him as a shifta.
Ghebre distinguished himself as a celebrated shifta during the British rule.
He was one of those who harassed the British and was calling for Eritrean
union with Ethiopia. As his reward, [Emperor] Haile Selassie gave him three
ranches in Badima...."
"[Grazmach] Ghebre was a close friend of Awate...Ghebre was from the village
of Dieda. According to my father-in-law, who personally knew both men, Awate
was a Nara (Baria) [from] Mogollo. He emphatically told me that Awate was
not a Beni Amir as you stated bellow. Should I believe you, a dear friend,
or my father-in-law? Because it is said by our fathers, ZwAle yengerka, I
think I will reluctantly believe him, unless you convinced [me] otherwise."
I advised my friend to believe his dear father-in-law, and I stand corrected.
As for Awate's death, the story is that he didn't die in battle but either
as a result of snake bite or some kind of illness. This was an official ELF
position, again as I remember it, of the mysterious circumstances
surrounding Awate's death. There aren't much published document on this
subject, atleast I am ignorant of such documentation. (But, Elias, I will
check 1991-92 Haddas Ertra you mentioned). Jean-Louis, the story you shared
with us the sources of which are Awate's comrades is thus more credible.
Alamin Mohammed Said in his book "The Eritrean Revolution" (in Tigrigna)
writes that "on September 1st 1961 it was officially decreed that the armed
struggle had began under the leadership of Hamid Idris Awate and under the
name of the Eritrean Liberation Front. With Awate there was one English
Marka rifle, and ten people with only five Italian rifles and four swords".
("One of these people was Kubub Hajaj" [the person Jean-Louis mentioned].
"But in a short period of time some groups from those who worked for the
Sudanese Army joined them. (Some of those 1. Omar Mohammed Ali Damr, 2.
Omar Hamd Izaz, [who later became commander of the second division or kfli
(in Arabic, menTeqa altania) and] was martyred in the in the battle of
HalHal in 1969, 3. Mohammed Idris Haj, martyred in 1962, 4. Osman Abu
Sheneb 5. Mohammed Omar Abdella (abu Tiyara), 5. Ibrahim MaHmood Baduray 7.
martyr Mohammed Ibrahim, 8. Mohammed Ali Idris, 9. Abdella Idris Adem, 10.
Mohammed Hamd Al Hasen Abubaker, 11. Adem Gndefl)."
Alamin Mohammed Said, unfortunately, doesn't have more details about Awate's
roots. But I found the following passage from the same book (p14) very
interesting: "Those who came from the ranks of the Sudanese army and some
elements of those who came from the ranks of the [Eritrean] police force
were not free from ethnic and religious influences. First, among those who
joined from the ranks of the Sudanese army and between the Beni-Amir and the
Nara conflict and differences emerged in the pretext of the rifles being in
the possession of only the Nara." Some questions come to mind: Why would
the rifles, a scarce commodity, be only in the hands of the Nara? Was this
a groundless allegation/accusation or was this, as the implication seems to
be, true?
Paulos
(Fairfax, VA, USA)
"I have found that a story leaves a deeper impression when it is impossible
to tell which side the author is on." -- Tolstoy
At 04:54 PM 9/3/97 +0200, jean-louis Peninou wrote:
>Selam Paulos,Biniam and others,
>
>Paulos , you wrote :
>____
>>Hamed Idris Awate, or Awate,(...) was a member of the Sudanese army or
>>police prior to his recruitment by the "High Council" or LaEleway BAito.
>
>> When the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) was organized in
>>Cairo in 1961, the council (LaEleway Baito) started looking for someone who
>>could lead the armed resistance inside Eritrea. These folks were basically
>>politicians who led the political struggle before they fled the country in
>>the late fifties or early sixties but knew nothing about armed resistance.
>>Among them were Idris Mohammed Adem (the chairman), Idris Gelawdios,
>>Woldeab Woldemariam, Tedla Bairu. They managed to recruit Awate, who was a
>>true patriot and he proved a hero, but probably might not have had a
>>"grander vision," as you put it.
>
>> Awate(...) unfortunately, didn't last long, and died in November 1962.
>>The cause of
>>his death is variously said to have been a snake bite or an illness of some
>>sort.
>>Paulos
>______
>
> Allow me, since we celebrate the anniversary, to propose slighlty
>different version around this most celebrated event :
>
> 1) I thought ,till now, that Awate had been a former italian
>soldier (before WW2) but not a member of the sudanese army. Among the first
>ELF's fighters, there were of course several former sudanese soldiers ,
>like Omar Damer or Abou Tayara, but they joined Awate in january 62 only. I
>never heard that Awate had joined the Sudanese forces. Can you document
>that ?
>
> 2) It's difficult to assert the precise membership of the LaEleway
>BAito (Supreme Council) before the fighter's conference of december 62 in
>Barka: it was then a self-appointed body and eritean politics in Cairo was
>rather confused in those months . But i am pretty sure that Tedla Bairu was
>not part of it at that time. (As far as Woldeab, I don't know , but surely
>Tekie knows).
>
> 3) The exact date of Awate's death is not known. But I believe it
>was in may 1962. I met, years ago, several old fighters who were with him.
>They told me this story : After a two hours's battle in Shakatt Below
>where 2 fighters were killed , the ELF fighters who were at that time all
>together dispersed themselves in three directions ( towards Keren , Agordat
>and Bahri) . Awate and few companions ( a dozen) took the road to Bahri .
>They walked the all day . They stopped for rest at night. They had little
>to eat, drank milk, and slept. In the early morning, Awate was founded dead
>by his companions. He was not wounded, nor had he been the victim of a
>snake and was only 51 years old. Was the milk corrupted ? Nobody knows.
>If this story is true , the last words of Awate, before going to sleep ,
>were to Kouboub Haje , to whom he said " if I die one day, take care of
>this gun". He was the only one,at that time, to carry a good rifle with ten
>bullets... Since he was the most popular fighter and very appreciated in
>villages, his companions kept his death secret for several months.
>
> I hope i did'nt bother you with these details,
> Respectfully,
>
> Jean-Louis Peninou
>
>
>