Civilians Return to their Homes in Shiraro

from Ethiopian Television and archived newswires; March 17, 1999

The residents of Shiraro town held a large demonstration on March 16 to celebrate the success of Operation Sunset and express their gratitude and admiration to the Ethiopian defence forces. Music filled the air and convoys of vehicles parading through the streets, as the local administrator thanked the population for the support they had given to ensure the success of Operation Sunset.

Shiraro is located near the Badime front line, and was within artillery range of the Eritrean army.

On June 11, 1998, Eritrea suffered heavy casualties in a failed attempt to advance on Shiraro. The intense 14-hour infantry and tank battle took place along the Erde Mattios ridge, only 10 km (six miles) northwest of Shiraro. (See news reports below)

Many local residents fled the fighting and took shelter in Shiraro. However, Shiraro itself became unsafe as the Eritrean army began shelling it in October 1998.

As a result, Shiraro was evacuated and visitors described it as a "ghost town" (See attachment 2). Most of the residents moved 15 kilometers away from the town and lived in temporary shelters until the Ethiopian defence forces routed the Eritrean army along the Badime front in late February, 1999.

The defeat of the Eritrean army in the Badime region, has allowed the resident of Shiraro to return home and resume their peaceful lives.


Attachment 1: News reports on the Battle of Erde Mattewos


    1. "Local commander Guosh Gebrezegi says the battle of Erde Mattios began with an Eritrean tank barrage about 5:30 in the morning. Commander Guosh says Eritrean tanks and infantrymen tried to capture the hills overlooking Sheraro. After 14 hours of mortar fire and hand-to-hand combat, the Eritreans were driven back, with Ethiopian tanks crushing Eritrean anti-aircraft guns." Scott Stearns, VOA, Erde Mattios, June 15 1998
    2. "Seven Eritrean soldiers lay dead and disfigured, not far from the burned-out tanks used to try to seize this high and lonesome borderland between Ethiopia and Eritrea. There was no time to bury them -- only to strip them of their rifles and shoes." Neely Tucker, Knight Ridder News Service, Erde Mattios, June 17 1998
    3. " Nearly 2,000 Eritreans died and 1,600 were wounded in one fierce 15-hour infantry and tank battle on Thursday along the Erde Mattios ridge some 10 km (six miles) northwest of Sheraro, an Ethiopian colonel told reporters. Ethiopia sustained 38 killed and 250 wounded in the fighting, according to the colonel, who declined to be identified. Ethiopian soldiers said they had buried some of the bodies and a Reuters team who visited the area saw small mounds of earth that could have been graves." Rosalind Russell, Reuters, Erde Mattios, June 15 1998
Note: It was in this battle that Mehari Tekeste, the midfielder for the Eritrean Melotti soccer club was captured.


Attachment 2: Background report from December 1998

Shiraro town almost deserted

Excerpt from a UNDP-EUE Report: Evacuees from border towns in Tigray setting up makeshift camps based on a field mission from 9 to 18 December 1998.
The capital town of Tahtay Adiabo wereda in the West Tigray Zone, Shiraro had, according to wereda information, a pre-conflict population of 15,000 (according to the 1994 census 8,415). By the end of September, the town's population had reached about 22,000 due to the influx of displaced people from the surrounding area. After Shiraro was directly affected by shelling on 21 October, the population began to evacuate the town. Most of the evacuees, and also many people from rural areas near the frontline, went subsequently to Zeban Gedena, a settlement which is located about 15 kilometers south-east of Shiraro town.

Some two kilometers away from the old Zeban Gedena settlement, a camp consisting of "das" type grass-shelters has been established. The site itself houses an estimated 5,000 evacuees, while, according to local authorities, some 30,000 more are living in the general locality of Zeban Gedena. The circumstances of the evacuation and living conditions in this new settlement are similar to those encountered in Ba'eker. People had to organize and pay for the move themselves. To various degrees people were able to bring along personal belongings, household goods and other assets, but still had to construct their own shelters using locally available wooden poles, grass and straw. Speaking to a number of evacuees, the mission learned that people in this location had also tried to continue their normal business activities. Petty trade, like the sale of spices and "tsoa" (local beer), is going on while locally grown (through irrigation) lettuce and tomatoes were available in the camp's market. A few shops and makeshift bars have also been set up. The general complaint, however, is that a significant loss of income has had to be borne.

Distributions of relief food appear to be well organized although a significant number of beneficiaries sell up to half of their 15 kilogram grain ration in order to make up income losses and to buy household necessities. This leads to a situation where many beneficiaries still view food as one of the relief priorities. Another need expressed by a number of people is shelter material. While some people had collected their own "das" material in the bush, others, not being physically able, had to pay 50 Birr for the construction of a shelter. The mission saw only small quantities of donated shelter material here and there consisting of some tents and and a little plastic sheeting. While blankets were mentioned as a requirement, the water situation was described as "satisfactory" by people spoken to. More water points were being planned by the authorities, while for the sanitation sector the construction of latrines was envisaged.

Driving from Zeban Gedena on a bush track to Shiraro, the mission encountered a number of people who were obviously visiting their hometown to look after their houses and belongings left behind. Others were seen transporting beds and other furniture items on camels and donkeys from Shiraro to Zeban Gedena. In Shiraro town itself, the vast majority of houses were locked up with doors and windows barricaded. Very few civilians were seen in the streets - most of them day-time visitors. Four shops were seen open, catering mainly to the needs of the soldiers in the area.

On the way back to Shire (Inda Selassie), the mission noted that the tented camp in Adi Hageray, previously the only exception to the regional "no-camp-policy", had been moved away from the main road to a point some three kilometers into the bush. While the camp comprised, as in September, around 30 tents, the new location has a well and hand pump where previously water tankering had been necessary. The people in the camp, who number around 600, were displaced from the Badme area soon after the border conflict broke out in May, 1998. Although living conditions have improved over the past months, women spoken to - many men went reportedly away to join the militia - pointed to the problem of overcrowding in the tents (sometimes shared by up to twenty people) and expressed a wish for more shelter materials, adding that they also suffered from a shortage of blankets and clothes.



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