By M. Mikael, May 31, 2000

In his famous novel ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’, George Orwell describes a bleak world of totalitarianism that is eerily reminiscent of present day Eritrea. The resemblance and the parallels that can be drawn between Orwell’s world of ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ and the EPLF’s Eritrea are downright disconcerting.

For instance, the imaginary political and cultural environment of the inhabitants of Orwell’s world can be easily mistaken for the fables on which Eritrean nationhood is founded upon. The dumbfounding subservience of the country’s “intellectuals” to the EPLF regime can perhaps be ascribed to methods of ‘brainwashing’ and also to the equivalents of the ‘Thought Police’ described in ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’.

Then there are the two Yemanes whose propaganda machinery churns out incredible fabrications that would put Orwell’s ‘Ministry of Truth’ to shame. To top it all, there is the Eritrean incarnation of the all-seeing Big Brother, Issayas, trying to do a good job of imitation as the top ‘Yikeallo’ (self glorifying name that they have given to themselves literally translated as ‘omnipotent’).

No surprise then if one wonders that the world described in Orwell’s fictional book has finally come to life in present day Eritrea. These guys are forcibly ROUTED from concrete fortified trenches and CHASED all the way to Agordat and what do they say?—“We have chosen to WITHDRAW”! (And “INTACT” I might add). No need to mention the thousands which perished in the trenches. And the thousands of poor guys that got (I am pained to say) mowed by helicopter gunships while fleeing—guys in the burnt out trucks journalists were using as an example of consequences of not having air superiority? Well, a dead Eritrean forfeits his/her citizenship it seems. ‘Death is Life! Fleeing is Repulsing!’ They are then totally outwitted and annihilated in the ‘Central’ front--(not withstanding fascist prop Alex Last’s confident declaration that the Eritrean defences and forces in the Central front were by far the strongest of any and would definitely hold the Ethiopians at bay)--and AGAIN chased all the way to Adi Keyih, Adi Kwala and the end of the Hazemo plain and what do they say? You guessed it!… We have executed an “orderly(!) WITHDRAWAL” in line with the OAU PEACE PLAN! ‘Rout is Resolve!’

These people were begged upon for months to see reason and withdraw (the PM of Ethiopia at one time even offered a cease fire of sorts to enable them to withdraw) BUT chose to conduct UNILATERALY an “orderly withdrawal” UNDER FIRE?!! ‘War is Peace!’ History, if not their befuddled people, will one day judge the EPLF for this crime.

The Orwellian antics have no end but this last one tops them all. The Ethiopian army, after having gained all its objectives, halts operations establishing itself deep inside Eritrean territory and, (fasten your seatbelts) the EPLF declares that the Ethiopian army “HAS LOST THE WAR?!!” ‘Defeat is Victory!’, ‘Lies are Truth!’

I really can’t see how our region can be stable with the EPLF and its acolytes around. I also frankly really don’t see any hope of peace materializing with a leadership stuck in stark DENIAL. The first step in the resolution of any conflict [be it big or small] is the assigning and accepting of mistakes and responsibilities. This, it seems, will never be achieved in peaceful terms. I think understanding this is paramount to bringing solutions to the problem our region in general and Ethiopia in particular finds itself in. A permanent solution dictates that the EPLF be no more. Thanks to the gallant Ethiopian Defence Forces, this can now be done in more ways than one.

The peace talks have to take into account the nature of the EPLF beast. Any outcome of the talks has to, first and foremost, ensure that the EPLF will never again engage in misadventures and embark on evil missions. Moreover, it should be made to PAY war reparations commensurate with the carnage and destruction it unleashed. But it still remains that no amount of war reparation would compensate us for the lives of the gallant members of our defence forces whose life was sacrificed for the sanctity of their motherland. Rest assured that we will always, always remember them and never, never forgive those who are responsible.