The Blunders & Crimes of Isaias Afwerki(part I)

Source: www.awate.com

By Lieutenant Kidane (Asmara) - Oct 19, 2006

My dear countrymen: lend me your ears and you eyes for a few minutes and try to learn from the unrecorded history of our revolution.
I have been following the blunders and crimes committed by Isaias Afwerki for the last thirty years. Like most Eritreans, I was considering him a revolutionary and a patriot and giving him credit he did not deserve. This is natural because in our culture a well done job is attributed to the leader or the helmsman. But it transpired at the end that our (reputed) helmsman finally turned to be the king without clothes.
The bad thing is there are still many of my compatriots that never understood the open secret that Isaias’ political life did not depend on his merit but the collective skill and endeavors of his colleagues: the Martyred ones in the field and the G15 after Liberation.
Starting from the split of the EPLF in the seventies, Isaias never wanted to be the second man. Therefore, if you have a careful look, you can see the mysterious or suspicious disappearance or death of our brilliant comrades.
The death of Abraham Tewelde is a vivid example. After Isaias consolidated his power in the Selfi Netsanet, he saw that Mesfun Hagos was a contender since all the rank and file admired and loved him. He was, for your information, elected in both the Qedamay Wegen and Kal'ay Wegen. This was bitter pill to swallow for Isaias. Therefore, he knew that he should, by any means, lower that profile.
In between this, Mussie's group arrived to the field after hijacking an Ethiopian plane to Libya. Mussie Tesfamichael was a genius and a revolutionary of a classic type. He was the only person that opposed Isaias boldy, and some eyewitnesses tell you that Isaias shrinked and was shy in front of him. All prominent intellectuals who later became members of the central committee of the EPLF supported the movement and Isaias was helpless.
But by combining a Stalinist cruelty and Machiavellian political cunning, he discredited the glorious movement by putting a traitor's tag on the revolutionaries. Out of fear or opportunism all those that tried to lift Mussie's banner were beaten by the same fashion. The sad thing is that Isaias, in stark defiance, was able to do this technique repeatedly.
The liquidation of the Yemin [“rightwingers”] as compared to the Menka'es [“leftwingers”] is so blatant that even an explanation was not given. Shame on those that were able to stop it on time. As the saying goes, "A revolution eats its children" and they were to be hoisted by the same petard. Id shenahit tsenahit iyu eti neger.
Look at our history:
Isaias destroyed the Menka'e (left wing) with the help of the Yemin (right wing);
Isaias destroyed the Yemin with the help of the G15 (members of the Central committee).
Isaias destroyed the G15 with the help of the would-be-G20, or the Gang of Generals. And yet, no one really understands.
The systematic liquidation of any contender to power is a purely Stalinist method. Without going into the details, Stalin used Berya as his henchman and finally destroyed him.
To be continued…