Fact and Evidence Part I:
[1945-1958]
The rise of Eritrean nationalism

 
   
  • Mahber Fikri Hager Ertra (MFH)( Association for the Love of the Country of Eritrea) was orginally formed for the puropse of co-ordinating the relationships between the British Military Administration (BMA) and the Eritrean society.(Berketeab 146).
  • He added that Ethiopia's important instrument in its campaign to annex Eritrea became the Yehager Fikr Mahber, which it organised from Eritreans residing in Addis Ababa. The Yehager Fikr Mahber targeted the Mahber Fikri Hager, which it eventually succeeded in splitting. With the split of the Mahber Fikri Hager, the way was paved for the unity between the Yehager Fikr Mahber and the unionist section of the Mahber Fikri Hager, which culminated in the Formation of the Unionist (UP)(2000:229)
 
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Leaders of the Unionist Party(1947)
  • On December 3, 1946, Abune Markos appointed a new leadership consisting of Ras Kidanemariam Ghebremeskel (Honorary President), Dejazmact Beyne Beraki ( President, and Saleh Ahmed Kekiya ( Vice-president) and Ato Tedla Bairu as Secretary General, Fitawrair Taha Adem ( Treasurer and Fitawrari Harego Abay ( Deputy Assistant Secretary), and UP officially founded in March 21, 1947.
  • The first signs of the split in the MFH became clear in 1944, when UNIONISTS dominated the association and the independentists started to abandon it.
  • An attempt to resolve the differences between the unionists and independentists led to the meeting of Bet. Giorgis in November 1946.(Berketeab, 2000:146).
  • At the WA’LA BET Ghergis in November Tedla Bairu led the Unionist wing of the MFH in rejecting Wold-Ab’s proposed compromise. With Ethiopian support, Tedla replaced Gebre –Meskel Woldu as Secretary-General of what became the Unionist Party in January 1947, but officially founded in March 21, 1947.
  • As can be seen from Fig. 1 1947 the following three political parties split from Mahber Fikri Hager: The Unionist Party , Moslem League, and Liberal Progressive Party.
  • The Moslem League was formed in Keren by Ibrahim Sultan, he was a spokesman for the serfs who sought freedom from the feudal Moslem landoweners in the western plains of the Barca and Anseba valleys and in the eastern lowlands around Massawa. (Spencer, 1984: 197)
  • The Independence Progress Party IPP also known as the Liberal Progressive Party (LLP) was established in Adi Kheih for the creation of an independent Eritrean government. Ras Tesemma Asberom was elected President, Dejazmatch Maascio Zewede as Vice-president, and Grazmatch Seyoum Maascio as Secretary –General. Its aim was for the creation of an independent Eritrean government free of any European control.
  • In July 1948 the Moslem League were regrouping in Asmara and formed a coalation with a Kebessa political party the Liberal Progressive Party (LPP).
Source: Redie Bereketeab, 2000, p.148
  • By 1947 many pro-independence political parties had emerged, and the political violence against their prominent leaders by the Unionist was getting worse.
  • For example Ato Woldeab Woldemariam suffered severe wounds from an attempted murder on July 7, 1947,
  • Abdel Kadir Kebire, who was first vice president (1941-46) of the Mahaber Feqri Hager(MFH) and President of the ML-Asmara branch, was assassinated on March 30, 1949 on the eve of his departure to attend the meeting in Lake Success, New York, as well attacked on Dedjazmach Hassan Ali of the Moslem League by Unionists . (Spencer , 1984:197)

Regarding the political violence against the pro-independence party leaders and intolerance by the UP leaders, (Iyob, 1995:(72) stated that, the UP’s new Secretary General, Tedla Bairu, proved to be
  authoritarian and intolerant. He was ruthless in eliminating opposition to the union with Ethiopia and attacked aggressively the ML and LLPs platform.. Because of UP intolerance, Gebremeskel Woldu’s predicition that the political violence and aggressive authoritarian methods used by the UP would lead to the disgrace of the Eritrean patriotism had been confirmed
                     
               
Sheikh Ali Radai
Ibrahim Sultan
Idris Mohammed
 

"...I also have in me the courage to die for my political beliefs, for the cause of liberty of my country, and for the genuine interest of my brothers and sisters." Woldeab Woldemariam in Hanti, Eritrea, Issue#, August 22, 1951.
   
 
  • In September 1952 the federation became formal, with Ato Tedla Bairu as the chief executive of the Eritrean government.Leaders of the EDF found themselves with little room to operate.
  • On September 30, 1952, Proclamation number 130 was issued by Emperor, declaring the federal Ethiopian court to be the territory's final court of appeal. This was in violation of Articles 85 and 90 of the Eritrean Constitution.
  • Towards the end of 1952, La voce dell’ Eritrea, a newspaper critical of federation, was closed down 
  • In 1953 the newly founded Eritrean General Union of Labor Syndicates, which had 4, 000 paid members and 6,000 more associate members, was banned
  • In 1953, the Empire tightened its control by passing a law that required all males in urban areas to carry idenity card at all time
 
     
  • Ibrahim Sultan and Seyoum Masscio, the LPP leader, then drafted a document and sent it by registered airmail to the UN. The document, in the name of 70% of the Eritrean population, rejected the union of Eritrea with Ethiopia. Meanwhile in Asmara the Andenet was trying to frustrate the work of the coalation. In August of 1948 the BMA's chief civil affairs staff officers was contemplating taking " action against Tedla Bairu and others, for the escalation of intimidation and violence" against proindependence parties and individualst (Gebre-Medhin 1989:157p.)
 
  • Despite all the intimidation, by the Unionist, the independence block group such as the ML, LPP, NPW, and NEPIP had never stop from demanding independence when the Four Power Commission of the UN visited Eritrea between November 7, 1947 and January 3, 1948
  • The anti- unionist movement and pro-independence formed a coalition known as the Independence Bloc(IB) on July 1949, with the aim of immediate independence of Eritrea and establishment of a democratic government.
  • It was regrettable that by 1950 the IB had failed to achieve its goal as the Liberal Unionist Party led by Dedjazmatch Abrah Tessema, who supported a conditional union after receiving assurances from Ethiopia that the Eritreans would be left alone to manage their own affairs, and the Independent Eritrea United to Ethiopia Party (previously Independent Eritrea Party) split from the LLP
  • The Liberal Unionist Party led by Dedjazmatch Abrah Tessema, split from the LLP.
  • Sheikh Ali Radai National Party of Massawa split from the ML who opposed Ibrahim Sultan’s leadership and established a separate party, the Independent Moslem League and joined the unionist camp. (IML) (Iyob, 1995:77).
  • Furthermore when Idris Mohammed Adem, who was disagreement with ML leaders, and other groups of the nobility realised that they were dominated by the serf emancipation movement.[6 ] which was founded by Ibrhim Sultan in 1943; the Moslem League of the Western Province seceded from the ML.
  • As a result of the splitting within the Independence Bloc, finally the Independence Bloc changed its name to the Eritrean Democratic Front (EDF), 1950s.
  • Finally the UN adopted Resolution 390A(V) of 2 December 1950 which provided that Eritrea would became a federation with Ethiopia on September 11, 1952.
  
  • Tedla’s unwavering Unionist postion and personal patronage network led to his unopposed election to the first Assembly for his home district of KARNISHEM In March 1952.He was elected PRESIDENT OF THE Assembly in April and became Eritrea’s first chief Executive in September
  • In March, 1952 the Eritrean Assembly elected Ato Tedla Bairu as President and Sheik Ali Radai as Vice-President of the Assembly, both of them from the Unionist party
  • In 1953, the Empire tightened its control by passing a law that required all males in urban areas to carry idenity card at all time
  • The British Police Commissioner of Eritrea, Colonel Cracknell, reported that by 1953 “the more fanatic of the young Unionists, formerly of a ‘union or die’ attitude, have now changed their cry to’Federation or die( Bereketeab 2000:176).
    Omar Kadi, jurist , former President of the IML, and editor of the pro-unionist newspaper Andinet'nMe'belnaan/Unione e Progresso(Union and Progress) was one of the few members of the Eritrean Assembly to lodge a letter of protest to the President of the Assembly, on May 25, 1953.
    In this letter he pointed out that the legal maneuvers of the federal government were unconstitutional and eroded Eritrea's autonomy [ Source Iyob p.89]
  • Another assassination attempt on the life of Ato Wolde-Ab Wolde-Mariam was made in 1953. The families of Ras Tessema Asberom were harassed-notably Abraha Tessema, who was incarcerated on a frameup charge of conspiring to assassinate Ato Tedla Bairu.(Gebre-Medhin 1989:160p )
  • Abusing the powers of his office, Ato Tedla Bairu moved against his political opponenent. Dej. Abraha Tessema..was arrested and Ato Wolde-Ab Woldemariam was so harassed that he fled to Cairo...and later(was) joined by Ibrahim Sultan
Ato Tedla arrested Dedjazmatch Abraha Tessema, leader of the Liberal Unionist Party, while the leaders of the Eritrean labour union Ato Woldab Woldemariam was so harassed that he fled to Cairo in 1954     .A man is arrested in the street without law or ordinance and is imprisoned without justice and leaves prison without justice. As proof it is possible to cite the injustice against Dejatch Abraha Tessemma and his family, of which you will have heard".(see letter's 1954)
 
In October 1953, all parties, with the exception of the Unionist Party, made an appeal to the U.N., requesting this body to insure respect of the Federal Resolution. On May 22, 1954 a resolution condemning " Ethiopian interference in Eritrean affairs" was adopted by the Eritrean Parliament, with numerous Unionist deputies voting in favour of the resolution. (Bimbi, 1982:179)

Tedla Bairou show his loyality by intimading , harassing, and arresting those who opposed the unconstitional action during the term he was in power. Despite of his loyality,in July 1955, the emperor ordered Tedla Bairu, the Eritrean Chief Executive, to resign. In August, the emperor replaced him with his own representatives, Asfeha Woldemichael
 
picture in large
             
  • According to Killon’s explanation (103) Tedla Bairu dictatorial methods led to a revolt in the Assembly in 1955, which forced the resignation of Tedla Bairu.
  • Another version of the reason for his resignation was the growing Ethiopian interference undermining Eritrean autonomy but this was resisted by the Chief Executive which led to the hostile relationship between the Chief Executive and the Representative of the Emperor in Eritrea.(Bereketab, 2000:172),
  • Killon (103), (Pateman 1990:68) also added that Tedla Bairu had expressed his disquiet over Ethiopia’s policy of depriving Eritreans of the human rights promised them in the Constitution Consequently the Ethiopian government realised that Ato Tedla Bairu was sympathetic towards the federalist government of Ethiopia’s illegal action, and he was forced to resign in 1955, and in the end he defected to the ELF in 1967. Human Rights Watch (1991:40) and Pateman (1990) .
  • Ali Radia was also forced to resign along with Tedla Bairu.
 
Ato Tedla Bairu
   
 
Sheikh Ali Radai  
               
Ali Radia who had split from ML in 1950 along with Idris Mohammed Adem in favour of union with Ethiopia, and became Vice-President of the Assembly in 1952 was replaced byIdris Mohammed Adem who joined the Unionist camp towards the end of 1950 which enabled him to become president of Eritrean parliament in 1955. lAli Radia ater killed by the ELF in 1974 while Idris Mohammed Adem was in the ELF leadership.
 
 
  Ali RadiaPresident of Eritrean Parliament 1952- to July 1955, Idris Mohammed Ademin president of Eritrean parliament from1955-1956.
In 1955 a new constitution was proclaimed in Ethiopia, and one year later the Emperor extended to Eritrea the application of the principal clauses notably, the imposition of Amharic as the official language and the the Ethiopianization of the Court system. (Bimbi, 1982:179)
   
   
Idris Mohammed Adem was also forced by the chief executive to resign in 1957 due to implementation of an Electoral Law with the Chief Executive, Asfaha Wolde-Mikae’el. ( Patemen 1990: 72) in his book states that Article 45 of the Constitution stipulated the establishment of an independent commission to conduct the elections. This was never implemented.
After he was forced to resign from his post, In the spring of 1959, Idris Mohammed Adem went to exile with and Ibrahim Sultan , eventhough he was split from ML in disagrrement with Ibrahim Sultan in 1949.  
   

Fact and Evidence Part II:
[1958-1965]
Early development of the Independence struggle
EHREA Eritrean Human Rights Electronic Archive © 2006
Contact: rkidane@talk21.com