“Key-Kokeb” and “Oromay” – By Major Dawit
Woldegiorgis
June 19, 2015 | Filed under: News | Posted by: Zehabesha
By Major Dawit Woldegiorgis
My Amharic typing is not good enough to write such a
serious article. I therefore deeply apologies for writing this in English. This
is based on my recollections and not a complete work. I have only mentioned
facts with no personal opinions. There are so many details that I do not know
and only those who were assigned to the various projects of the Zemecha know,
particularly at the front line.
This brief article is meant to explain the background to
the historical novel (Oromai) written by Bealu Girma decades ago. It is not
meant to open a discussion on Key Kokeb Zemetcha. It is solely for the purpose
of answering a popular question by Afendi Muteki and many others, as to who is
who in the book and the context and the circumstances under which it was
written. I hope this might provide a clearer picture for those who were not
part of what is known as the ‘Red Star Campaign.’
‘Ye Eritrea Hule Geb Abiyotawi Zemecha’ was a proposal
prepared by my team and myself upon the instructions of the head of state and
submitted to him. How this idea came about, it’s purpose; objectives and the
various projects under the campaign and the military operation have been
described in my book “Red Tears” (page 107-111) and in detail in my other 453
page book entitled “Kihdet be Dem Meret” (Page 350-370). So I will not dwell on
that.
At the time I was the ‘party’ (COPWE) representative, in
other words sort of ‘Governor.’ In that capacity I had authority on all aspects
of life in Eritrea: politics, economy and administration of the province
accountable only to the head of state, Mengistu. I had no authority on the
military operations though I was sometimes consulted. I had a team of fine
Ethiopians selected by Mengistu himself, working with me. The proposal ‘Hule
Geb Abiyotawi Zemecha’ was prepared after discussion with many people who
understood the nature of the war and how and why the secessionist movement, the
EPLF, was able to recruit so many young Eritreans and challenge the largest
army in Africa and why so many Eritreans were fleeing the towns and villages to
join the guerrilla movement.
Mengistu came with a large group of officials from Addis to
give instruction on the implementation of the proposal. He spent a lot of time
discussing and then organising the campaign. While organising the campaign he
suddenly changed his mind and named the campaign ‘Red Star.’ (Reasons are
explained in my book)
Hence the campaign started and enormous resources were
allocated. Asmara became the capital of Ethiopia. Engineers, historians,
doctors, artists, writers, specialists in many fields were called from all over
Ethiopia. The campaign is more known for its highly reinforced military
operation, which focused in destroying the network of the EPLF, dismantling
it’s leadership and capturing the head quarter of the EPLF in Nagfa.
But actually the campaign was more than just a military operation.
It was about pacifying, informing and educating the people, creating a sense of
security for the population, creating employment, opening up the schools, the
hospitals and the entire public service, mobilising and organising the people
to defend themselves and encouraging them to call upon their loved ones who
have joined the rebels to return and lead a normal peaceful life. There was a
lot of work done in these areas though slowly the head of state and the people
around him were carried away by their own emotions and felt that capturing
Nagfa was the beginning of the end of the EPLF. Therefore the focus became the
military operation, which made significant gain at the beginning.
In terms of organisations, a special office for the
campaign was established. Ato Amanuel Amde Mikael became the secretary general
of the campaign under Mengistu and I became the head of the political
department besides my official portfolio as the ‘governor’ of the province. I
therefore had two hats. This new office I was heading had two departments. One
of them was Information and Propaganda. Shimelis Mazengia was assigned by
Mengistu to head the Information and Bealu Girma was the head of the Propaganda
unit. At the time Bealu was deputy minister (PS) of the ministry of Information
and Shimelis Mazengia (later polit bureau member) was working at the ideology
department with in COPWE. Both were given these assignments for the duration of
the camapign. Bealu, Shimelis and Daniel Kinde, head of research department in
the Ministry of foreign affairs (now a distinguished professor in the USA),
Fantaye Biftu, Aklilu Afewerk were all living in an apartment complex which was
their temporary residence. Most of the time they were eating together and
sometimes spending evenings together whenever time permitted. So they happened
to know each other closely though they were not friends by any means. Some of
the characters in Bealu’s book, Oromai, were constructed from these people.
To help this new office we brought selected people from the
various ministries in Asmara. Besides many professionals, two secretaries were
assigned to my office. One was called Sarah and the other was Fiorella. Bealu
wanted to bring his secretary from Addis but I told him I can find him one and
assigned Fiorella to him as his secretary. My last information is that both
Sarah and Fiorella are still alive and living in Asmara.
Getachew Haile Mariam, our famous television personality
was working under Bealu. They were close and worked as a good team. Berhane
Zerihun from the ministry of information was also part of the team. Getachew
died early in life.
Bealu’s duty included travelling to the war zone. He was
instructed by the head of state to collect all the information from the
frontline, interview officers and compile a record of the war effort improve
the local media both print and radio. And that was what he was doing in a very
professional way. In this Getachew was his right hand man.
Fisseha Gedda was the chief protocol in the office of the
head of state. He was in charge of organising where each official should stay,
sit and ensure that meetings and conferences are conducted according to what
the established protocol permits.
Tesfa Mikael Georgio is the son of a very famous Ethiopian
(Eritrean) Dejazmatch Giorgis ( popularly called Georgio). He was one of the
founders of ‘Hager Fikir Mahber.’ For him Ethiopia was a sacred biblical name
and place which is indivisible. He believed that Eritrea’s union with Ethiopia
is a divine wish which cannot be challenged. It was a privilege to have known
such a personality when I was serving in Eritrea as a special force army
officer. Dejazmatch Gergio was buried in Acrur in Segneiti Wereda. I attended
his funeral. One of his sons, Belay Georgio is a third course graduate from the
Military academy. He was a colonel and a medical doctor in the Ethiopian army
at the time Weyane took over Ethiopia. Tesfa Mikael was the youngest but the
most politicised of his children. He was ‘wreda geji’ of Dekemehari. At some
point, because of a problem that cannot be explained in this brief note, he
defected to the EPLF. He later defected from the EPLF and joined the ELF. When
I went to Eritrea as governor he secretly contacted me and sent a message
expressing his willingness to return but needed assurance that he will not be
persecuted or prosecuted. I did give him that assurance and he finally
returned. He was working in my office and during the Red Star campaign was
involved in the preparation of propaganda material. He therefore was working closely
with Bealu as well. Tesfa Mikael Georgio was killed by the EPLF in Addis, as
described by Afendi.
Major General Mesfin Gebre Kal is the son of Dejazmatch
Gebre Kal, a patriot from Eritrea, who fled from the Italians and joined the
resistance movement with Ras Imiru. He was one of many Eritrean heroes who
fought Italian occupation under the leadership of Ras Imiru. He was truly a
remarkable person and I have dedicated one big chapter in my book ‘Kihdet Be
Dem Meret’ describing his valour. I happen to meet him and work with him as a
junior officer when he was the Awraja Gezi of Gash and Setit in Eritrea.
General Mesfin Gebre Kal is a British Military Academy, (Sandhurst) Graduate,
selected and sent by His Majesty. He had many responsibilities in the Ethiopian
Armed forces. He is also a graduate of our law school with LLB degree. He was
in Addis until the final days of Mengistu’s government. He managed to go to UK
where he got his PHD and was working at King’s College in the UK until
recently. He gave me the war diary of his father and it was on the basis of
this I was able to write the chapter on Dejazmatch Gebre Kal, in my book which
was telling the stories of Eritrean patriots who fought for the liberation of
Ethiopia from Italian occupation during the second world war. General Mesfin
was the operation officer during the Red Star campaign and was close to Bealu.
Colonel Girma was assigned as the head of the Security in
Eritrea for the duration of the campaign, under his minister Tesfaye Wolde
Sellasie. Colonel Girma was temporarily moved from Addis like all the others.
He was a senior and veteran security expert who worked in this filed since the
times of His Imperial Majesty. He later became ambassador to Yemen. I believe
he is still around. He was close to Bealu during the campaign.
Now we can solve the puzzle of the characters in Bealu’s
Oromai. Based on mine and my colleague’s understanding at the time the book was
circulated, the characters in the book refer to the following real people of
the times.
Afendi had it almost right. Bealu’s uniqueness in this book
is combining the characters of two people to create one character.
1 Tsegaye Haile Mariam is a combination of Bealu himself
and Getachew Haile Mariam. The narrator of the story is the author because, as
he explained in the first page of his book, he sometimes goes to places and
events where Tsegaye Haile Mariam is not present.
2 Tedla Regassa is Fesseha Gedda
3 Colonel Betru Tessema is Colonel Girma
4 Colonel Tariku Wolday is General Mesfin Gebre Kal
5 Fiorella is Fiametta
6 Yeshitila Masresha is Shimelis Mazengia..
7 Silay is Tesfa Mikael Georgio but includes some aspect of
Teklai, the EPLF central committee member who had defected earlier.
8 Tedla Regassa is Fesseha Gedda
9 Solomon Betre Giorgis is Dawit Wolde Giorgis
10 Firew Zeriun is Berahne ‘Zerihun’ from the ministry of
information.
11 Mesehafe Daniel is Daniel Kindie
There are other names that are also connected to real
people. But above are the key players in Oromai. Oromai was drafted in Asmara.
I was aware of it though I did not help in any way. Bealu had adequate
information because he was regularly either at the frontline or interviewing
people in Asmara. Solomon Betre Giorgis was one of the few people who the
author praises as a person passionately committed to the cause of unity and a
person who was working hard to make the campaign successful. This praise was
not well received by those who were not in his good books. I was accused of
helping and conspiring in the preparation of the manuscript though I had
nothing to do with it. That was one issue that was circulated in the inner
circle of Mengistu adding to my woes at about the time I left the country.
When the attempt to capture Nagfa failed Mengistu and most
of the members of the council of ministers and senior government officials
returned to Addis and with it the enthusiasm with which Red Star Campaign had
started quickly dissipated. The resource allocation was not sustainable and
that too dropped significantly. The war continued but the projects initiated
under the campaign quickly faded and gave way to the pre Red Star situation.
There was no special statement declaring the end of the campaign but it was clear it was over. Bealu also returned. A year later I was transferred to Addis as RRC Commissioner.
There was no special statement declaring the end of the campaign but it was clear it was over. Bealu also returned. A year later I was transferred to Addis as RRC Commissioner.
In Addis, Bealu sent me a draft of the chapters dealing
with the war. I was stunned that it was so detailed. I asked him whether he
would have problems publishing it. He told me that he had given it to Kuraz
Asatami Dirigit. They edited it and told him to remove some sensitive parts. He
did. He then resubmitted it. It was sent to Fikre Sellassie who was the head of
the Ideological Department within the party. Himself and a group of his people
went over it and approved it. I don’t believe Mengistu read it but he was
informed. It is therefore wrong to say that the leadership did not know about
the details. They did.
When it was eventually published and started being
circulated there was an outcry from certain segment of the leadership who were
not exactly comfortable with characterisation of their personality in the book.
It was this that ignited a big debate within the polit bureau and eventually
resulted in a decision to sack Bealu from his position pending other measures.
Only 500 copies were sold. The rest were removed from all the bookstores.
Facts
Most of the narrative on the establishment of the Red Star,
the speeches, the manifesto, his encounter with Mengistu and other senior
people, the meetings Bealu attended
The historical background to the Eritrean conflict narrated
by the different characters
The description of the war
Fiction
The entire plot including the love affair
Bealu was a friend. I knew him from my earlier years when
as a young journalist he was working under my father. We became close in
Eritrea during this campaign. He for some reason felt comfortable talking to me
even on sensitive matters.
A few days after he was removed from his position he came
to my office and we discussed at length the options he had. I had offered him a
job in the RRC, as a consultant, to write about the 1984 famine relief
operation. That would have given him an opportunity to leave the country by
crossing the border. I was advised by Tesfaye Wolde Sellassie not to give him
that job unless I have specific permission from Mengistu. We never reached that
point. Bealu suddenly disappeared.
Bealu’s book is an excellent literary work. Those who were
familiar about the Red Star Campaign and the people that took part can
appreciate this book better than others. Besides the literary work the book
documents the gallant work of our armed forces. It was a graphic description of
the sacrifices of our people who perished for the cause of the unity of the
country. These are solders and officers who were not paid for months, who never
had extra boots or uniforms for months, people who never had enough to eat,
patriots who were completely disconnected from their families and loved ones
for years, soldiers who spent most of their lives in fox holes. Their service
and love to the nation was unconditional. These were the real patriots who gave
their lives so Ethiopia can stay united. Bealu’s work documented the sacrifices
of these unsung heroes whose sacrifice and valor should be cherished and told
repeatedly. I really admire books like the Wegen Tor, General Wubetu’s book, my
own book and many others that explain in detail the sacrifices of our troops.
These patriots can only be compared to those who got us victory at Adowa. There
are none like them anymore.
No country that I know of has abandoned its own heroes so
cruelly like the new Ethiopian government did. It is indeed a big shame. It
therefore becomes the responsibility of the new generation to continue to raise
their names, their deeds and their sacrifices now and forever. Long live their
memories and may we talk and write more about them.
Long Live Ethiopia.
Here you can read
Bealu Girma’s novel in Amharic:
And here is the narration in Amharic:
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