FACTORS THAT FACILITATED THE SUCCESS OF THE ERITREAN STRUGGLE ON 28TH MAY 1993

 

  • The formation of liberation movements such as ELF, EPLF, TPLF which put up a guerilla war fare from 1961, on many occasions they engaged in sporadic attacks on the government installations and this slowly but surely weakened Ethiopia such that by 1993 it was very clear that Eritrea was to get its independence. Melesi Zenawi

  • The election of an African as the UN General Secretary in 1992 that is Boutros Boutros Ghali helped Eritrea to achieve her independence. He revised the 1960 referendum, realized the mistakes in it and then turned to pressurize Ethiopia to relinquish power to Eritreans.

  • The famine and drought that hit Eritrea most between 1972- 74 worked to increase Eritrean hatred towards the Ethiopian government. They then got determined to fight Ethiopia and the Eritrean secession could not be avoided.

  • Cold war politics, because of the two competing blocs in the world, Eritrea and Ethiopia were in position to get help from either the capitalist bloc or the socialist bloc for example by 1974 while communist Cuba and USSR supported Mengistu and the revolutionalies, the Capitalist especially USA supported Eritrea. By 1980 USSR changed its support now in favor of Eritrea. It can therefore be argued that with external moral, military and financial support for Eritrea independence had to be attained.

  • The massive support offered to the Eritrean nationalists. Over three million Eritreans rallied behind the secessionist struggle. The civilians went further to provide the rebels with food and also acted as informers about the enemy positions. This therefore hastened the Eritrean struggle for independence.

  • The colonial development and economic strength of Eritrea, it had good relations with the outside world and also good infrastructures like roads, railways that helped the movement and communication of the nationalists, its good trading relations with the outside world provided Eritrea with finances and support to the war of independence.

  • Eritreans location close to the sea; Eritrea was strategically located with the coastal ports of Assab and Massawa yet Ethiopia was land locked. Through these ports Eritrea easily got access to foreign supplies from such states like Iraq, Syria and Egypt among others. To make matters worse for Ethiopia from 1978 ELF was able to break Massawa - Asmara road which denied Ethiopia of any foreign supplies. Therefore with all these combined the road to independence for Eritrea looked open.

  • The dynamic competent and charismatic leadership of Isaias Afwerki who advocated for unity among the Eritreans and the Ethnic identification mostly after the down fall of Mengsitu in 1991, he gave the Eritreans the desired leadership. He attended both the UN and OAU meetings to explain the desired Eritrean independence hence by 1993 his courage and determination easily attained Eritrean independence.

  • The role of women can not be under estimated in explaining the success of the Eritrean war of independence. They enrolled as spies who easily got to know the nature of Ethiopian military operations. This helped the Eritrean fighters such that by the early 1990s it was clear that Eritrea was to get its independence.

  • The success of liberation struggles else where in Africa greatly encouraged Eritreans to fight on for example the success of the Mozambiquean war of independence that was successful in 1975, the independence of Namibia in 1990 convinced the Eritreans that they could attain independence which they equally achieved in 1993.

  • The fall of Mengistu 1991, the Eritrean struggle was blessed by the fall of Haille Mariam Mengistu in 1991 and the rise of Melesi Zenawi fuelled the pace of events leading to the independence of Eritrea for example he organized a referendum in 1993 where the Eritreans’ naturally voted for independence, therefore working hand in hand with UN and OAU, Zenawi finally granted Eritrea her independence in 1993 under Isiais Afwerki.

  • The collapse of the Eastern bloc1989 due to the coming into power of Mikhail Gorbachev. He even withdrew support from Ethiopia and even dismantled Russian forces in Ethiopia. This convinced USA to support Eritrea without fear. This therefore eased the independence struggle of Eritrea.

  • The ELF dual military strategy, after 1975 the ELM (Eritrea Liberation Movement) combined war with political, social and economic reforms in the liberated areas for example UPE was introduced in the liberated zones, health centers constructed. This therefore greatly encouraged people in the liberated areas to fully support the struggle for Eritrean independence with hope for more benefits thereafter. This also enhanced the success of the struggle for independence.

  • Ethiopia had multiple enemies. In the North for instance the Eritreans were fighting a war of liberation, in the North West, the Oroma and Galla people were also fighting the Ethiopian government, similarly in 1977 Ethiopia fought the Ogaden war with Somalia. Such led to the exhaustion of the Ethiopian army which chance was exploited by the ELF to intensify its war that resulted into independence.

  • The support OAU and UNO gave to the Eritrean liberation movement was a blessing especially after the 1970s. These international organizations imparted pressure to Mengistu’s government to grant independence. The fruits of such pressure were realized in 1993.

  • The support Eritrea got from Arab states like Iraq, Libya; Sudan helped to make their struggle a reality. They extended military and financial help to their sister state which help was used effectively to dismantle the Ethiopian forces within Eritrea.

  • The use of guerilla warfare by the Eritrean forces against Ethiopia. The ELF intensified the war using the heat and run tactics such that by 1976, Ethiopian forces had been cleared out of Eritrean countryside leaving them only based in the urban centers. By the 1980s almost 2/3 of the Eritrean territory was in the hands of the rebels. By 1990 it was clear that Eritrea was to attain its independence.

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