The indignation which has been simmering in the people's hearts for the past 9 or so months was giving way to exultation. The coincidence of the recapture of Badme with the 103rd anniversary of the victory of Adwa also gave additional dimension to the celebrations.

Virtually every Ethiopian was rejoicing since the issue pertained to averting a threat to the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. But as the nation savours the victories in the battlefields, some absolutely essential axioms must be brought to the limelight. We have casualties (both dead and wounded) in the war.

For Isaias to realize that it takes only a human courage to deflate his human hubris (with the sun out of the equation), there was a dear price to pay. That price was the blood of our compatriots in the armed forces. These martyrs left their parents or families to respond to the call of their aggrieved motherland.

These were the sons and daughters of the nation. Thanks to their feat and courage Badme has been freed from invaders. Their comrades-in-arms in the other fronts will surely wipe out the enemy from the remaining Ethiopian territory, which is still under occupation. And in the near future our full national dignity will be restored. The geographical wounds of the aggression will be healed.

But the effects of the human cost of our victory will endure. There will be parents and families directly affected by the loss of their beloved ones-those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defence of their country.

These could be parents, wives or children of the martyrs. The nation as a whole is morally and historically obliged to provide adequate care for these people.

Every Ethiopian must make a solemn promise to share every burden of this just war as well as its aftereffects, no matter the length of the struggle and the enormity of the price. Keeping this promise is most likely to be a life-time venture.

This historic and noble necessity must be brought home to all Ethiopians both at home and abroad. Victory has costs to be paid by every citizen.

Some pay in blood and others in money, labour or time.