This is a response to Nammarraa Gabbisaa whose article demanding for facts regarding Assab appeared on August 12 at Walta, the Ethiopian Government's website.

Nammerraa dear, since you accused the articles regarding Assab appearing at Dagmawi's website to be polemical, I have made an attempt to be a little numerical. I would like to tell you that your article provoked my smile because you made it look like the Ethiopian Government acts based on facts. I was happy because you gave me the opportunity to provide the facts and the world is here to see if in deed the Addis Ababa Government is not oblivious to facts.

Before I proceed to the gist of the matter, I earnestly ask you to question the Ethiopian government why it is not as good as its words in providing a free medium for exchanging ideas between Ethiopians. The Government has apparently refused to let my articles appear at Walta. It is ironic to see that Walta welcomes articles originating from Sheabea as long as it makes the point that Assab does not belong to Ethiopia. In today's Ethiopia, you are a child and I am a stepchild because you and me aren't equal in the face of the laws of the land.

Note: as an Ethiopian of humble upbringing and a patriotic one like you are I don't demand that which is not mine.

Chronology of events

Alpha: - 1000BC. Beginning about 1000 BC Bahire Negash (Eritrea) had always been part of Ethiopia (Soft note 1)

Beta: - 100BC. The biblical and ancient Ethiopia is present day Ethiopia. Eratosthenes recorded a reference to what may have been Ethiopia's Lake Tana (known to the Greeks as Psebo, or Koloë) and to its island, Dak. Agatharchides, a Greek historian and geographer of the 2nd century BC, observed the habits of cave dwellers in Punt; and Artemidorus, a Greek geographer of about 100 BC, described the coast's configuration, naming various ports, and the desert region of Danakil, where he indicated the existence of certain lakes--possibly Assal (in present-day Djibouti) and Awsa (in Ethiopia). N.B. These are recorded facts, not oral tradition. (Soft note 2) The Axumite kingdom of Ethiopia included modern Somalia and Djibouti and all the Red Sea coasts (Soft note 3)

Gamma: - 1415. Ifat which used to be intermittently independent and which included the port of Zeila was for the last time incorporated in the Ethiopian empire by Ishaq I of Ethiopia in 1415. (Soft note 4) The various Muslim Sultanates to the stretch of the port of Zeila were under Ethiopian rule. (Soft note 5). Afars are Ethiopians, original Ethiopians (Soft note 6). In the 17th century, Gondar being the Capital of Ethiopia, the coastal lines were linked via a caravan network (Soft note 7).

Delta:- 1872. The loose presence of Turks was only at Massawa coast (not all Eritrea). Only Egyptians opted to come to mainland Bahire Negash and were defeated by the brave King Yohannes. After defeating the Egyptians Yohannes sought the port city of Massawa (Soft note 8).

Episilon: - 1885. In 1885 Italy occupied coastal positions in Ethiopia. N.B. ITALY occupied COASTAL POSITIONS in ETHIOPIA (Soft note 9).

Upsilon: - 1890. January 1, 1890 Italy named its hold in northern Ethiopia "Eritrea." Italy stayed in this region until 1941 (Soft note 10).

Zeta: - In 1924 Haileselassie demanded coastal outlet from France and France discouraged him further threatening that anymore demand would affect the remainder of Ethiopia. Hailesselassie did so with Italy. Italy offered a 99-year lease of Assab to Ethiopia. A History of Ethiopia, Harold G. Marcus PP123, 1994. (Hard note 1)

Eta: - 1928. A treaty of friendship between Italy and Ethiopia in 1928 envisaged the cession of free port facilities to the latter in Assab and the construction of a modern highway to Dessie. Sic. Contribution to Collier's, PP381. Robert Gale Woolbert, PhD. Professor of History, University of Denver, 1949. (Hard note 2)

Theta: - 1936. In 1936 Italy invaded Ethiopia and combined the administration of both Eritrea and Ethiopia (Soft note 11). The capital city became Addis Ababa. Victor Emmanuel III of Italy was decorated king of Ethiopia from 1936-1943 (Soft note 12) .

Iota: - 1943. After the defeat of Italy in 1943 the Ethiopian Government laid claim to Assab (Sic). Contribution to Collier's, PP381. Robert Gale Woolbert, PhD. Professor of History, University of Denver, 1949. (Hard note 3)

Kappa: - 1941. 1941-1952 Eritrea was placed under British military administration (Soft note 13).

Lambda:- 1948. In 1948 a UN fact-finding team determined that Eritreans need union with Ethiopia (Soft note 14).

Mu: - 1952. Eritrea was reunited with Ethiopia as a federated state to Ethiopia. Part of the reason for the UN decision was Ethiopia's need to have a sea outlet (Soft note 15).

Nu: - 1960. The Ethiopian government implemented repressive measures to dismantle the federation. The name "Eritrean government was replaced by "Eritrean administration." On November 14, 1962, the Ethiopian parliament and Eritrean Assembly voted unanimously for the abolition of Eritrea's federal status, making Eritrea a simple province of the Ethiopian empire. The opposition announced the formation of the ELF at Cairo, Egypt (Soft note 16).

Xi: - 1987. The Ethiopian government rearranged administrative regions. Assab became an autonomous administrative region reporting directly to the government in Addis Ababa. All institutions in Assab, including the Assab administrative region administration office, the Maritime and transit office, the transport authority, the oil refinery etc. reported directly to Addis Ababa. Hard facts are available everywhere in Ethiopia. (Public note 1)

Omicron: - 1991. The EPLF controlled Eritrea and Assab by force. Hard facts are available Everywhere in Eritrea and Ethiopia. The same year the EPLF refused to join the 1991 conference initiated by the new Ethiopian government as an Ethiopian entity. Hard facts will be found at the Ethiopian Television records. (Public note 2)

Pi: - 1993. The EPLF conducted a referendum without a proper geographic identity initiated by it and completed by it. On April 23-25, 1993, the EPLF announced allegedly that the overwhelming majority of Eritreans voted for independence. (Public note 3)

Asterisk: - 1998. In May 1998 the Eritrean Government started a border war with the Ethiopian Government. The Eritrean Government demanded for border demarcation and demanded that this demarcation be made based on only Upsilon above. The geographic separation of Eritrea was not agreed on with Ethiopians. (Public note 4)

There is no partial truth. Partial truth is untruth where all injustice takes shelter. The above is the whole truth and isolating some and including others is unjust. Facts did not start at Upsilon and end at Upsilon. Italy was not limited to Eritrea. It included Ethiopia from 1936 to 1941. For whose sake shall we trash this fact? The UN decided Eritrea be united with Ethiopia in 1950 partly because Ethiopia needed Sea outlet. The fact however remains that Eritrea was united to Ethiopia and, as a result, Eritrea had become Ethiopia's affair. For whose sake shall we trash this? The Ethiopian Government rearranged administrative regions in 1987 and made Assab an autonomous region reporting to Addis Ababa. Addis Ababa was also made an autonomous region the same time. For whose sake shall we trash this?

Nammarraa, if you think article 39 helps Ethiopia to prosper, that is good. I don't agree with you, however I can't impose my views on you because I can't profess to be more Ethiopian than you are. But I will not passively watch when you mix apples and oranges to arrive at the wrong conclusion. You referred to article 39 to justify Eritrean independence. Is Eritrea a single ethnic nationality? Was Eritrean independence approved based on article 39? If that is the case then this raises more questions than it answers. Anyway, please note that our discussion isn't about Eritrea's independence; rather it is about the geographic justice regarding Assab.

Having provided you with the facts I want to ask you this: why did you ask me what nationality the Adal Sultan who allegedly Sold Assab to the Italian Shipping liner was? You know there was no Eritrea, no Djibouti and you know there was Ethiopia. Did you have in mind that he could be a Saudi Arabian or a French or a nation-less nomad?

Without being a historian I have now armed you with facts. Now it is your turn to join hands with me to restore Ethiopia's coastal frontier. No excuses please.