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Eritrean People's Liberation Front

The Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF), colloquially known as Shabia, was an armed Marxist–Leninist organization that fought for the independence of Eritrea from Ethiopia. It emerged in 1973 as a far-left to left-wing nationalist group that split from the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF). After achieving Eritrean independence in 1991, it transformed into the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), which serves as Eritrea's sole legal political party.

Eritrean People's Liberation Front
Tigrinya nameህዝባዊ ግንባር ሓርነት ኤርትራ
Hizibawī Ginibari Harineti Ēritira
Arabic nameالجبهة الشعبية لتحرير إريتريا
Aljabhat Alshaebiat Litahrir 'Iiritria
Italian nameFronte di Liberazione del Popolo Eritreo
ChairmanIsaias Afwerki
Romodan Mohammed Nur
Founded1 February 1973 (1973-02-01)
Dissolved16 February 1994 (1994-02-16)
Split fromEritrean Liberation Front
Succeeded byPeople's Front for Democracy and Justice
HeadquartersNakfa (1976–1991)
Asmara (1991–1994)
NewspaperVanguard, Sagem and Adulis
Youth wingNational Union of Eritrean Youth and Students
Armed WingEritrean People's Liberation Army
Ideology
Political positionFar-left (until 1987)
Left-wing (1987–1994)

History edit

Origins edit

In 1967, thirty-three men underwent six months of training in China, including Isaias Afwerki, an engineering student who had left Haile Selassie I University (Addis Ababa University) in 1966 to join the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF), and Romodan Mohammed Nur, who had become commissar of the Fourth Zone after military training in Syria. Cuba also received ten individuals, including Ibrahim Affa, a skilled former marine commando, in 1968. Upon their return, these men improved the combat capabilities of the front but also intensified internal conflicts and feuds.[1]

1970s edit

Disillusioned with incompetent and feuding leaders, many young dissidents left the ELF, forming competing organizations. Efforts at rectification and unity failed, leading to the emergence of the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) in February 1973, officially known as Shaabia ("popular" in its Arabic abbreviation) in 1977. Led by Isaias and Ramadan, the EPLF found refuge in the mountains of Sahel, successfully repelling repeated assaults from Nakfa, a garrison town on a high plateau.[2]

The EPLF faced immediate challenges, including a declaration of war by the ELF in mid-1972, leading to the "first civil war" ending inconclusively in 1974. Internal dissension within the EPLF, fueled by accusations of authoritarian practices and military shortcomings, was quelled by Isaias, resulting in the execution of eleven members in August 1974. This event contributed to the centralization and security focus of the EPLF. The Ethiopian Revolution shifted the balance in Eritrea, and a temporary truce allowed joint offensives by the fronts in 1976.[3]

The First Congress of the EPLF occurred in January 1977 and formally set out the policies of this new organization. At this first meeting Romodan Mohammed Nur was elected Secretary-General and Isaias as Assistant Secretary-General. This program specifically targeted a liberalization of women's rights as well as a broad educational policy for maintaining every language and improving literacy. It was also set out that the boundaries of an Eritrean state would be based on the colonial treaties of Italy.[4]

From 1975 to 1977, the ELF and EPLF outnumbered the Ethiopian army and overran much of Eritrea.[5] Only Asmara, Barentu, and the ports of Assab and Massawa remained under government control. The road between them cut, however, Asmara and Massawa were under siege. The hopes of a nationalist victory raised by the insurgents’ achievements and fear of the Red Terror drove thousands of young men and women to the fronts, principally to the EPLF. As most of the new recruits were Christian, highland society was no longer peripheral to the conflict. The success of the insurgents was due more to government weakness than their own strength. A counteroffensive in 1978 led to the EPLF's strategic withdrawal, establishing a defensive line in 1979.[6]

1980s edit

The fronts faced a lull in fighting in 1980–81, with the army engaged in operations against rebels. The uneasy peace between the fronts crumbled in August 1980, leading to the "second civil war," where the ELF was decisively defeated a year later with assistance from the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). Some ELF fighters joined the winning side, and those in Sudan were disarmed. The ELF ceased as an effective organization by the mid-1980s but continued sporadic operations in Eritrea. The EPLF emerged as the dominant force, defeating major operations in 1982 and 1983. In 1988, the EPLF achieved a historic victory, signaling the defeat of the military regime and the path to Eritrean independence. The organizational structure and guiding ideas played a crucial role in the EPLF's success.[7]

Between February and June 1982, over 80,000 Ethiopian troops launched a series of offensives known as the Red Star Campaign in an attempt to crush the EPLF. Despite these efforts, the government forces were thwarted by the EPLF. Rather than crushing the EPLF, the unsuccessful operation had the opposite effect, strengthening it. This outcome led to an increased fervor among the Eritrean people, who rallied behind the EPLF.[8]

Growing from around four hundred men organized in squads, the EPLA became a formidable force by the mid-1980s. The primary combat component was the strategic mobile forces, consisting of permanent units like brigades and divisions. The smallest operational unit was the mesre (squad), followed by ganta (platoon), hayli (company), and bottoloni (battalion). The brigade, comprising three battalions, was the largest unit until the mid-1980s when it was surpassed by the division. Remarkably, nearly a third of the EPLA's total force and 15 percent of its frontline combat units were women, challenging traditional gender roles. However, women remained underrepresented in leadership positions. Specialized units within the EPLA effectively employed guerrilla and conventional tactics. By the end of the 1980s, the EPLA consisted of six divisions, fourteen infantry brigades, four mechanized brigades, and various specialized units.[9]

The EPLF, led by a general staff headed by Sibhat Ephrem after 1987, emphasized decentralization and local initiative during defensive guerrilla tactics. Command became more centralized during conventional offensives. The insurgents relied on light and portable equipment, with the AK-47 being the primary individual weapon. Leaving the EPLF was practically impossible, and instances of kidnapping and forcible conscription were reported. Child soldiers, drafted as young as ten, were used between 1979 and 1983 but this policy was abandoned due to internal and external criticism.[10]

The Second Congress in 1987, brought together the EPLF and the Eritrean Liberation Front/Central Leadership (also sometimes referred to as Central Command, CC) in what was called the Unity Congress.[11] This was the culmination of negotiations over three years which had brought together the two fighting forces in October 1986, under a unified command.[11] On this congress, Isaias Afewerki replaced secretary-general Ramadan Nur. Subsequently, the movement abandoned most of its formerly Marxist–Leninist ideology,[12][13] in favour of an own revolutionary left-wing concept and a more comprehensive and pragmatic approach to unite all Eritrean nationalists.[14]

The EPLF won its most resounding victories on March 1988 at the Battle of Afabet. It destroyed the most formidable Ethiopian garrison in northern Eritrea and marked a pivotal moment, setting off a chain of events leading to total victory three years later. The Ethiopian army, caught in a long-simmering crisis and plagued by internal divisions, underestimated the resilience, skill, and adaptability of the rebels. Af Abet, one of the three crucial turning points in the Eritrean war, severely weakened the military's capacity to wage war and foreshadowed the downfall of the dictatorship, paving the way for Eritrean independence. The battle's strategic significance has been likened to the Vietnamese triumph against the French at Diebienphu.[15]

1990s edit

After another defeat at Shire in 1989, the EPLF when on the offensive in 1990 directed at Massawa. This offensive was known as Massawa and resulted in EPLF seizing the city and defeating the Ethiopian garrison. The defeat was complete, catastrophic, and irreversible. Even the vengeful bombing, which persisted until the end of March and resulted in the destruction of numerous historic Islamic buildings, could not alter the disastrous outcome. Isaias Afewerki, leader of the victorious army, concurs, acknowledging it as a victory of the greatest strategic value in the history of the struggle.[16]

The Third and last Congress of the EPLF was held in 1994 in Asmara. It was important as it converted the Front from a military organization to a purely political movement. At the time, the organization had 95,000 members.[17] At this Congress, the name of the organization was changed to the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ).

References edit

  1. ^ Tareke, Gebru (2016). The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa. ISBN 978-99944-951-2-2. OCLC 973809792.
  2. ^ Tareke, Gebru (2016). The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa. ISBN 978-99944-951-2-2. OCLC 973809792.
  3. ^ Tareke, Gebru (2016). The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa. ISBN 978-99944-951-2-2. OCLC 973809792.
  4. ^ Tareke, Gebru (2016). The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa. ISBN 978-99944-951-2-2. OCLC 973809792.
  5. ^ Waal, Alexander De (1991). Evil Days: Thirty Years of War and Famine in Ethiopia. Human Rights Watch. p. 50. ISBN 9781564320384. from the original on 18 September 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  6. ^ Tareke, Gebru (2016). The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa. ISBN 978-99944-951-2-2. OCLC 973809792.
  7. ^ Tareke, Gebru (2016). The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa. ISBN 978-99944-951-2-2. OCLC 973809792.
  8. ^ Tareke, Gebru (2016). The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa. ISBN 978-99944-951-2-2. OCLC 973809792.
  9. ^ Tareke, Gebru (2016). The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa. ISBN 978-99944-951-2-2. OCLC 973809792.
  10. ^ Tareke, Gebru (2016). The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa. ISBN 978-99944-951-2-2. OCLC 973809792.
  11. ^ a b Doris, Burgess; Cliffe, Lionel (Spring 1987). . Review of African Political Economy. 14 (38): 107. doi:10.1080/03056248708703724. Archived from the original on 2000-09-30. Retrieved 2007-09-07.
  12. ^ Shinn, David Hamilton; Ofcansky, Thomas P.; Prouty, Chris (2004), "Eritrean People's Liberation Front", Historical dictionary of Ethiopia, Scarecrow Press, p. 143, ISBN 9780810865662, retrieved 15 January 2012
  13. ^ Erlich, Haggai (2005), "Eritrean People's Liberation Front", Encyclopaedia Aethiopica, Harassowitz, p. 373, ISBN 9783447052382, retrieved 15 January 2011
  14. ^ O'Kane, David; Hepner, Tricia (2011), Biopolitics, Militarism, and Development: Eritrea in the Twenty-First Century, Berghahn Books, p. xx, ISBN 9780857453990, retrieved 16 January 2011
  15. ^ Tareke, Gebru (2016). The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa. ISBN 978-99944-951-2-2. OCLC 973809792.
  16. ^ Tareke, Gebru (2016). The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa. ISBN 978-99944-951-2-2. OCLC 973809792.
  17. ^ Connell, Dan (2001). "Inside the EPLF: The Origins of the 'People's Party' & Its Role in the Liberation of Eritrea". Review of African Political Economy. 28 (89): 345–364. doi:10.1080/03056240108704545. ISSN 0305-6244. JSTOR 4006615. S2CID 145692529.

External links edit

  • List of incidents attributed to the Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front on the START database

eritrean, people, liberation, front, eplf, colloquially, known, shabia, armed, marxist, leninist, organization, that, fought, independence, eritrea, from, ethiopia, emerged, 1973, left, left, wing, nationalist, group, that, split, from, eritrean, liberation, f. The Eritrean People s Liberation Front EPLF colloquially known as Shabia was an armed Marxist Leninist organization that fought for the independence of Eritrea from Ethiopia It emerged in 1973 as a far left to left wing nationalist group that split from the Eritrean Liberation Front ELF After achieving Eritrean independence in 1991 it transformed into the People s Front for Democracy and Justice PFDJ which serves as Eritrea s sole legal political party Eritrean People s Liberation FrontTigrinya nameህዝባዊ ግንባር ሓርነት ኤርትራ Hizibawi Ginibari Harineti EritiraArabic nameالجبهة الشعبية لتحرير إريتريا Aljabhat Alshaebiat Litahrir IiritriaItalian nameFronte di Liberazione del Popolo EritreoChairmanIsaias AfwerkiRomodan Mohammed NurFounded1 February 1973 1973 02 01 Dissolved16 February 1994 1994 02 16 Split fromEritrean Liberation FrontSucceeded byPeople s Front for Democracy and JusticeHeadquartersNakfa 1976 1991 Asmara 1991 1994 NewspaperVanguard Sagem and AdulisYouth wingNational Union of Eritrean Youth and StudentsArmed WingEritrean People s Liberation ArmyIdeologyEritrean nationalismLeft wing nationalismSecularismMarxism Leninism until 1987 Maoism until 1987 Socialism until 1987 Political positionFar left until 1987 Left wing 1987 1994 Politics of EritreaPolitical partiesElectionsThis article contains Ethiopic text Without proper rendering support you may see question marks boxes or other symbols instead of Ethiopic characters Contents 1 History 1 1 Origins 1 2 1970s 1 3 1980s 1 4 1990s 2 References 3 External linksHistory editMain article Eritrean War of Independence Origins edit In 1967 thirty three men underwent six months of training in China including Isaias Afwerki an engineering student who had left Haile Selassie I University Addis Ababa University in 1966 to join the Eritrean Liberation Front ELF and Romodan Mohammed Nur who had become commissar of the Fourth Zone after military training in Syria Cuba also received ten individuals including Ibrahim Affa a skilled former marine commando in 1968 Upon their return these men improved the combat capabilities of the front but also intensified internal conflicts and feuds 1 1970s edit Disillusioned with incompetent and feuding leaders many young dissidents left the ELF forming competing organizations Efforts at rectification and unity failed leading to the emergence of the Eritrean People s Liberation Front EPLF in February 1973 officially known as Shaabia popular in its Arabic abbreviation in 1977 Led by Isaias and Ramadan the EPLF found refuge in the mountains of Sahel successfully repelling repeated assaults from Nakfa a garrison town on a high plateau 2 The EPLF faced immediate challenges including a declaration of war by the ELF in mid 1972 leading to the first civil war ending inconclusively in 1974 Internal dissension within the EPLF fueled by accusations of authoritarian practices and military shortcomings was quelled by Isaias resulting in the execution of eleven members in August 1974 This event contributed to the centralization and security focus of the EPLF The Ethiopian Revolution shifted the balance in Eritrea and a temporary truce allowed joint offensives by the fronts in 1976 3 The First Congress of the EPLF occurred in January 1977 and formally set out the policies of this new organization At this first meeting Romodan Mohammed Nur was elected Secretary General and Isaias as Assistant Secretary General This program specifically targeted a liberalization of women s rights as well as a broad educational policy for maintaining every language and improving literacy It was also set out that the boundaries of an Eritrean state would be based on the colonial treaties of Italy 4 From 1975 to 1977 the ELF and EPLF outnumbered the Ethiopian army and overran much of Eritrea 5 Only Asmara Barentu and the ports of Assab and Massawa remained under government control The road between them cut however Asmara and Massawa were under siege The hopes of a nationalist victory raised by the insurgents achievements and fear of the Red Terror drove thousands of young men and women to the fronts principally to the EPLF As most of the new recruits were Christian highland society was no longer peripheral to the conflict The success of the insurgents was due more to government weakness than their own strength A counteroffensive in 1978 led to the EPLF s strategic withdrawal establishing a defensive line in 1979 6 1980s edit The fronts faced a lull in fighting in 1980 81 with the army engaged in operations against rebels The uneasy peace between the fronts crumbled in August 1980 leading to the second civil war where the ELF was decisively defeated a year later with assistance from the Tigray People s Liberation Front TPLF Some ELF fighters joined the winning side and those in Sudan were disarmed The ELF ceased as an effective organization by the mid 1980s but continued sporadic operations in Eritrea The EPLF emerged as the dominant force defeating major operations in 1982 and 1983 In 1988 the EPLF achieved a historic victory signaling the defeat of the military regime and the path to Eritrean independence The organizational structure and guiding ideas played a crucial role in the EPLF s success 7 Between February and June 1982 over 80 000 Ethiopian troops launched a series of offensives known as the Red Star Campaign in an attempt to crush the EPLF Despite these efforts the government forces were thwarted by the EPLF Rather than crushing the EPLF the unsuccessful operation had the opposite effect strengthening it This outcome led to an increased fervor among the Eritrean people who rallied behind the EPLF 8 Growing from around four hundred men organized in squads the EPLA became a formidable force by the mid 1980s The primary combat component was the strategic mobile forces consisting of permanent units like brigades and divisions The smallest operational unit was the mesre squad followed by ganta platoon hayli company and bottoloni battalion The brigade comprising three battalions was the largest unit until the mid 1980s when it was surpassed by the division Remarkably nearly a third of the EPLA s total force and 15 percent of its frontline combat units were women challenging traditional gender roles However women remained underrepresented in leadership positions Specialized units within the EPLA effectively employed guerrilla and conventional tactics By the end of the 1980s the EPLA consisted of six divisions fourteen infantry brigades four mechanized brigades and various specialized units 9 The EPLF led by a general staff headed by Sibhat Ephrem after 1987 emphasized decentralization and local initiative during defensive guerrilla tactics Command became more centralized during conventional offensives The insurgents relied on light and portable equipment with the AK 47 being the primary individual weapon Leaving the EPLF was practically impossible and instances of kidnapping and forcible conscription were reported Child soldiers drafted as young as ten were used between 1979 and 1983 but this policy was abandoned due to internal and external criticism 10 The Second Congress in 1987 brought together the EPLF and the Eritrean Liberation Front Central Leadership also sometimes referred to as Central Command CC in what was called the Unity Congress 11 This was the culmination of negotiations over three years which had brought together the two fighting forces in October 1986 under a unified command 11 On this congress Isaias Afewerki replaced secretary general Ramadan Nur Subsequently the movement abandoned most of its formerly Marxist Leninist ideology 12 13 in favour of an own revolutionary left wing concept and a more comprehensive and pragmatic approach to unite all Eritrean nationalists 14 The EPLF won its most resounding victories on March 1988 at the Battle of Afabet It destroyed the most formidable Ethiopian garrison in northern Eritrea and marked a pivotal moment setting off a chain of events leading to total victory three years later The Ethiopian army caught in a long simmering crisis and plagued by internal divisions underestimated the resilience skill and adaptability of the rebels Af Abet one of the three crucial turning points in the Eritrean war severely weakened the military s capacity to wage war and foreshadowed the downfall of the dictatorship paving the way for Eritrean independence The battle s strategic significance has been likened to the Vietnamese triumph against the French at Diebienphu 15 1990s edit After another defeat at Shire in 1989 the EPLF when on the offensive in 1990 directed at Massawa This offensive was known as Massawa and resulted in EPLF seizing the city and defeating the Ethiopian garrison The defeat was complete catastrophic and irreversible Even the vengeful bombing which persisted until the end of March and resulted in the destruction of numerous historic Islamic buildings could not alter the disastrous outcome Isaias Afewerki leader of the victorious army concurs acknowledging it as a victory of the greatest strategic value in the history of the struggle 16 The Third and last Congress of the EPLF was held in 1994 in Asmara It was important as it converted the Front from a military organization to a purely political movement At the time the organization had 95 000 members 17 At this Congress the name of the organization was changed to the People s Front for Democracy and Justice PFDJ References edit Tareke Gebru 2016 The Ethiopian Revolution War in the Horn of Africa ISBN 978 99944 951 2 2 OCLC 973809792 Tareke Gebru 2016 The Ethiopian Revolution War in the Horn of Africa ISBN 978 99944 951 2 2 OCLC 973809792 Tareke Gebru 2016 The Ethiopian Revolution War in the Horn of Africa ISBN 978 99944 951 2 2 OCLC 973809792 Tareke Gebru 2016 The Ethiopian Revolution War in the Horn of Africa ISBN 978 99944 951 2 2 OCLC 973809792 Waal Alexander De 1991 Evil Days Thirty Years of War and Famine in Ethiopia Human Rights Watch p 50 ISBN 9781564320384 Archived from the original on 18 September 2023 Retrieved 16 November 2019 Tareke Gebru 2016 The Ethiopian Revolution War in the Horn of Africa ISBN 978 99944 951 2 2 OCLC 973809792 Tareke Gebru 2016 The Ethiopian Revolution War in the Horn of Africa ISBN 978 99944 951 2 2 OCLC 973809792 Tareke Gebru 2016 The Ethiopian Revolution War in the Horn of Africa ISBN 978 99944 951 2 2 OCLC 973809792 Tareke Gebru 2016 The Ethiopian Revolution War in the Horn of Africa ISBN 978 99944 951 2 2 OCLC 973809792 Tareke Gebru 2016 The Ethiopian Revolution War in the Horn of Africa ISBN 978 99944 951 2 2 OCLC 973809792 a b Doris Burgess Cliffe Lionel Spring 1987 EPLF Second Congress Review of African Political Economy 14 38 107 doi 10 1080 03056248708703724 Archived from the original on 2000 09 30 Retrieved 2007 09 07 Shinn David Hamilton Ofcansky Thomas P Prouty Chris 2004 Eritrean People s Liberation Front Historical dictionary of Ethiopia Scarecrow Press p 143 ISBN 9780810865662 retrieved 15 January 2012 Erlich Haggai 2005 Eritrean People s Liberation Front Encyclopaedia Aethiopica Harassowitz p 373 ISBN 9783447052382 retrieved 15 January 2011 O Kane David Hepner Tricia 2011 Biopolitics Militarism and Development Eritrea in the Twenty First Century Berghahn Books p xx ISBN 9780857453990 retrieved 16 January 2011 Tareke Gebru 2016 The Ethiopian Revolution War in the Horn of Africa ISBN 978 99944 951 2 2 OCLC 973809792 Tareke Gebru 2016 The Ethiopian Revolution War in the Horn of Africa ISBN 978 99944 951 2 2 OCLC 973809792 Connell Dan 2001 Inside the EPLF The Origins of the People s Party amp Its Role in the Liberation of Eritrea Review of African Political Economy 28 89 345 364 doi 10 1080 03056240108704545 ISSN 0305 6244 JSTOR 4006615 S2CID 145692529 External links editOfficial Website List of incidents attributed to the Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front on the START database Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Eritrean People 27s Liberation Front amp oldid 1202056311, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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