EPLF and the May 89 Coup:
A Response to Mr. Tibebe Samuel Ferenji (Part
II)
By
Neamin Zeleka I
March 10, 2010
“A man should keep learning as long as he is ignorant,
as long as he lives”
Seneca
“The whole glory of virtue lies in activity”
Cicero
In his latest article, written as a
response to my response, Mr. Tibebe continues his
exercise of recycling and rehashing fabrications and
allegations to prove his points which cannot be proved
otherwise. He starts by asserting: “…Though Mr.
Neamin’s article
“EPLF and the '89 coup: Setting the record straight”
is written eloquently, it is short in substance,
misleading and intellectually dishonest…”. Throughout
out the article, Mr. Tibebe does not give concrete
evidence to refute my arguments, where I was
“misleading” and where I was “intellectually dishonest”.
Instead he engages in desperate attempt of cover up his
previous blunders by repeating more the same. Full of
allegations and assertions without adducing factual and
material backing. Parading the names of Majors and
Generals—none of whom had ever corroborated his
ludicrous claims---is not going to cut it either. But
he chose to continue on a slippery slope just to win an
unwinnable argument. Therefore, I say Mr. Tibebe is the
one who should be looking himself in the mirror and
reexamine his assertions that I am engaged in
"intellectual dishonesty".
Before I lay out to the reader with
established facts how Mr. Tibebe is using fiction to
support his point, let me identify the theory he is
trying to prove. Mr. Tibebe’s main theory is that EPLF
is a treacherous entity and accepting Eritrea’s help in
fighting against TPLF is a bad idea. I do not wish to
debate this point mainly because I choose to debate this
point only with those who have accepted armed struggle
as a necessary means of freeing our people. The issue
whether or not to accept military aid and sanctuary from
Eritrea is a question of process and options for those
committed to free Ethiopia from the chokehold of TPLF’s
minority and fascistic dictatorship.
Mr. Tibebe, while having many
alternatives to make his point, however, chose to use
fabricated facts to establish the nature of the EPLF.
He boldly asserted that EPLF orchestrated the May 89
coup and directly or indirectly ordered the removal of
400 troops from Asmara to allow marching to Asmara. It
is on this point that I utterly disagreed with Mr.
Tibebe. It is this assertion that offended me so much
that I chose to set the record straight with the
credible information available.
·
Let me restate the core argument for
which I responded by refuting his claim as regard to the
direct involvement of EPLF in the coup of 1989. In fact,
as the writer claimed the EPLF was leading or
“orchestrated” the coup of 1989. Save for EPLF's
agreement to accept a ceasefire offer made by the
leaders of the coup, this is patently false statement; I
maintain my core point of refutation to Mr. Tibebe’s
claim. It is only a fabrication made by those who have
political points to score and recycled by the writer and
his likes. Of course, Mr. Tibebe’s claims are made in
order to prove a political position by distorting and
twisting hisorical facts and records in the service of a
political agenda. The agenda being that of “teaching”
and “enlightening” us about the EPLF and its past deeds
as lessons to be learned from and relevant for the
current political configurations.
·
Although he makes desperate efforts
to prove his points with all sorts of gymnastics and
mincing of words, his assertions as regard to who led
and orchestrated the coup of 1989 , I still maintain
they cannot be corroborated by General Kumlachew's
handwritten notes that Mr. Tibebe claims to have, or in
the books written by Maj. Seleshi, Maj Dawit, and
even with a dose of help from Col Mengistu ‘s 11 tapes
that he quotes. If one looks at the Dictators’ self
serving statements found in his tapes and that of Genet
Ayle’s book entield “YeColonel Mengistu Tizitawotch”,
the former president has no qualms to present himself
as the blameless saint and that he has nothing to do
with the woes and wrongs in Ethiopia during his reign.
While all others Ethiopians who worked under him
including Maj. Dawit and the leaders of 1989 attempted
coup were the culprits for the demise of the Ethiopian
armed forces and the ascent to state power of both EPLF
and TPLF in Asmara and Addis respectively.
·
General Wubetu Tsegay’s name is mentioned
in Mr. Tibebe’s latest article. General Wubetu was the
commander of the 2nd Revolutionary Army in
Eritrea for several months before General Demissie took
over. He is a person who spent more than 13 years in
Eritrea, starting as a brigade commander, and then
reaching the height as the commander the 2nd
Revo. Army’s in Eritrea would not possibly corroborate
Mr. Tibebe’s claims. As the military adviser to the
former President Mengistu and in charge of the National
Service program, Gen Wubetu was among more than 400 high
ranking and line officers who were victims of
imprisonment for two years in the aftermath of the coup.
I know for sure that he would not be party to
corroborate Mr. Tibeb's ridicules claims.
·
I assert this in confidence because I
happen to speak with the General about many historical
issues pertaining to the era almost on a regular basis.
I bring his name to the fore because his name was
mentioned by the writer himself. With regard to Gen
Kumlachew, we also happen to have in our hands several
hours of tape records about the circumstances of the
coup and how it came about and why it failed. My
relationship with him was neither that of a business or
a professional one. We had a very close friendship for
several years that spanned from 1998 until he passed
away in 2004. This is just for the record and to give
an idea of how much time I spent time with the late Maj.
General Kumlachew Dejene. Even towards the final weeks
of his life, I was the one who flew with him to Boston
when he went there for medial treatment. I flew back to
Boston to bring him back to Virginia where he resided
until he passed away. Again, I am stating these facts
because they are relevant to establish the basis for
many factual assertions. Nowhere did the late General
Kumlachew make statements near to the claims made by Mr.
Tibebe so flatly and misleadingly. Indeed, the late
general never said, or wrote, or gave a tape recorded
testimonial that he had ever had a communication with
the EPLF let alone being sent by Mr. Issayas Afeworki to
Addis along with the 400 “elite military” as falsely
presented by Mr. Tibebe. Yet, the writer has the
temerity to accuse me of being presumptuous.
·
Mr. Tibebe seems ever determined to gloss
over his lack of knowledge of elementary military
matters. Although he tries to appear logical and
reasonable, his assertions are illogical and unfounded.
He writes: “The country was pulling all its military
personnel from everywhere, and I find it incredible that
Mr. Neamin who wrote a review for this book attempt to
convince us that taking 400 elite military forces from
Asmara was insignificant.” Mr. Tibebe’s insistence that
EPLF’s grand strategy was to have 400 troops withdrawn
to Addis to allow it to march to Asmara is stupefying.
Let’s be real, how on earth would the absence of 400
soldiers from Eritrea allow the EPLF to march to Asmara
undeterred? Mr. Tibebe never cares to answer the fact
that Ethiopia had close to a quarter of a million troops
I Eritrea, as I argued in my previous response. These
are battled tested troops in Eritrea back then, before
the coup of 1989. Does the writer know that the more
than 200,000 strong 2nd Revolutionary Army
included several brigades and divisions of Special
Forces, airborne commandos, mechanized brigades, and all
sorts of battle tested elite units numbering in tens
of thousands in Eritrea outnumbering the mere 400 at
least by many many times or more? Not to mention the
Naval Northern Command at Massawa and 2nrd Air Regiment
in Asmara.
·
Here is a hard fact for you Mr. Tibebe.
The entire air born division was withdrawn after the
coup and transferred to Wollo. Still, the EPLF did not
march into Asmara until after the government in Addis
fell and the then commander the army in Asmara, Gen.
Hussain Mohammed abruptly abandoned his troops in 1991.
The reader should keep in mind that EPLF was able to
march to take Asmara in May of 1991 , two years after
the coup of 1989.
·
In the interest of historical accuracy
for which the writer seems not to care, the less than a
battalion force numbering 400 under the command of Gen.
Kumlachew was sent by Gen Demissie to help the coup
leaders. Because the leaders of the coup in Addis did
not have a fighting force in their hands to take control
of the situation in Addis Ababa. They only planned and
depended on using the Sparta special force on training
by North Koreans at Toli military camp, hundreds of
kilometers away from Addis. Only 150 soldiers made it to
Addis from this force as opposed to the thousands
available. The reason for the failure of the coup, in
part, had to do with this fact. The force they intended
to use did not make it to Addis, for whatever reason.
·
That was why the leaders of the coup were
surrounded by the palace force numbering less than a
battalion and few Tanks under the direct command of
Capt. Mengistu Gemechu, the former President’s special
assistant. The palace force managed to put under its
control the so-called “elite military” force of 400 so
feared by the EPLF as to be a target of an orchestrated
ploy to send it to Addis so that EPLF’s march to Asmara
is cleared of from the fearsome millitary force. This is
if we take Mr. Tibebe’s claim seriously. Tragic indeed
that the “elite” force was deceived and quickly put
under control by Palace force under Cap Mengistu Gemechu
without putting up a fight.
·
The coup failed, in part, also due to
breakdown of the original plan to shoot Col Mengistu’s
plane and, in part due to the subsequent breakdown of
communication between Gen Kumlachew, the Sparta special
force of more than 7000 under Gen Wubetu, Gen. Abera
Abebe, the head of Defense Ministry’s Head of military
operations and training. He was put in charge of
leading the operations for the coup. But the late
General Abera fled the premise after shooting Maj.
General Habte Giorgis Habte Mariam the Minister of
Defense inside the building of Ministry of Defense
instead of coordinating and deploying the forces under
the command of Gen Kumlachew and Gen. Wubetu.
·
Mr. Tibebe makes yet another claim
without adducing evidence of direct and active role of
the CIA in the coup either through Maj. Dawit or with
one or more of the coup leaders. Mr. Tibebe writes:
“the 1989, coup was initiated by the CIA, led by Major
Dawit, orchestrated by Mr. Issayas, and conducted by
General Fanta Belay and by others under him”. He
continues “I have no doubt that you have read Major
Dawit’s article written on June 29, 2009, because his
response was prompted by your article. In his article
titled “The Way Forward for Ethiopia and Eritrea” this
is what he said regarding his role in the 1989 coup.
“After I left
the Derg at the end of 1985, I became actively involved
in the effort to overthrow the regime through the
movement we had established, The Free Ethiopian Soldiers
Movement. The first attempt was the failed coup of the
generals. I and my colleagues did the external
arrangement for the coup. During those times I went into
the area controlled by the EPLF in Nakfa”. (Major Dawit
Woldegiorgis).
·
The foregoing quote by Mr. Tibebe taken
out of Maj. Dawit’s article does not state or prove,
contrary to the writer’s misleading quotations that Maj.
Dawit, along with the CIA was behind the coup. The
above quote, the article in its entirety, or the book
written by author do not argue or give any indication
that CIA had a direct or an indirect involvement. Maj.
Dawt did not, anywhere, in the book tells the story of
CIA’ involvement in the coup. Maj. Dawit did not say
nor does any other person claim that the EPLF was the
one that “orchestrated the coup” as the writer flatly
asserts and misleadingly attempts to defend those
assertions. What is intellectually dishonest is
stacking quotations that have nothing to do with his
utterly false thesis with regard to the details of how
the coup came about, who led the coup and many others
details of coup and its tragic conclusion.
·
Despite the writer’s insinuation, Maj.
Dawit did not hide anywhere in the book and articles he
authored that he worked hard to topple Col Mengistu’s
regime. His efforts to find an alternative by
establishing contact with opposition forces including
the EPLF are subjects he has dealt with profusely and
openly in public. He and Major Seleshi even met with Ato
Mersha Yossef, among The Ethiopian People’s
Revolutionary Front (EPRPs) leadership then, in their
bid to find allies to their pursuit of an all inclusive
peaceful solution for Ethiopia’s political crisis. I
know the writer may not be privy to this and other facts
that have not been made public.
·
The author even brings the tape recorded
messages of the former President to back up his patently
false thesis full of fabrications. All those who have
listened to Col. Mengistu’s tape would agree that it is
nothing other than a condemnation and scapegoating of
most of those under that system and all those against
him as evil and unpatriotic. Of course, he would like us
to believe that and to think of him as the immaculate
saint. Let it be known that Col Mengistu executed more
than 40 of Ethiopia’s brightest and best generals while
the number of generals killed or captured by EPLF and
TPLF remains a negligible 5 during the course of
seventeen years of war with EPLF, TPLF, the Somali
invading forces, and conflict and war with other
Ethiopian opposition groups such as EDU and EPRP
combined. If there is anyone who should take the prime
responsibility and a culprit for the demise of the
Ethiopian Armed forces and the march of both liberation
front’s to Asmara and Addis Ababa, it is none other than
Col Mengistu and his political, economic, military
policies, and including the meddling of his top cadres
like Sergeant Legesse --the supreme commander of the
Military in Tigray and prime culprit for the loss of
Tigray to the TPLF-- and other inept loyalist cadres of
the former president in military matters at the expense
of those with professional know how, expertise and
experience. Indeed, these were the professional
commanders whose top leadership, for the most part,
constituted part of the leaders of the attempted coup of
1989.
·
The Achilles hills of the Derg/PDRE
regime when it comes to its military policies and
handling of millitary problems and affairs are amply
documented by many writers including in Dr. Gebru
Tareke’s recent book, The Ethiopian Revolution. He has
dealt with such issues as argued above and many other
challenges faced by the Ethiopian military leaders. It
provides a fairly objective account of the war in both
Eritrea and Tigray. In fact, a serious understanding
with regard to the origin and tragic conclusion of the
attempted coup of 1989 can only be understood in the
context of the politico-military and other problems as
well as the attendant strategic and tactical challenges
the leaders of the 1989 coup encountered when
prosecuting the war in the North.
·
It cannot be comprehended with useless
allegations and tabloid like fabricated accounts by
certain writers--whose discredited account Mr. Tibebe
chose to use --who bring external forces such as the CIA
and EPLF etc as the main causes and leaders of the
attempted coup 1989. This is not to suggest that the CIA
did not want to topple the communist regime of Mengistu.
Surely it was the Cold war era; the CIA would have a
vested national interest to engage in such activities
the pursuit of keeping the spread of communist for which
the Derg/PDRE regime is among many in the third world.
Surely, there were such Ethiopian forces that were
supported, in many ways, by the CIA. Commodore Tassew
Desta’s book “Ye Tigil Tizita” gives a good account of
the role of the CIA and opposition forces like EPDA that
included the Late Mr. Dereje Deresa, Kifle Wodajo, and
many others in a bid to overthrow the Derg. But, so far
there are no concrete evidences that directly link the
CIA with the coup leaders 1989, leave alone instructing
them to do this and that. And for the EPLF even less so.
As the author weaves them together as the masterminds
and leaders of the coup. Pathetic indeed.
·
Whatever claims are made by Col Mengistu
against Maj. Dawit and many others, they should be taken
with a chuck of salt instead of a grain of salt. It only
proves the writer’s gullibility to take what the former
president says to be the truth and only the truth in his
attempt to score a point. Even then, as argued in my
previous article, nowhere does the former president says
the EPLF was the one that planned and orchestrated the
coup of 1989. How one can be so audacious and full of
himself to make such the same foolish statement in
attempt to twist and distort history to prove a
political point.
Mr. Tibebe writes: “Reading Major
Getachew Yerom’s book would shed some light regarding
the role of the CIA in this coup.”
What light would that be? Why don’t you
cite to any particular fact that establish your point.
Where did Major Yerom assert that EPLF or the CIA
orchestrating the coup? Simply stating a book “shed
some light” does not allow you to make the leap and
boldly assert that the CIA was involved. It was not a
secret that the US wanted Mengistu removed, that it had
dealings with TPLF and EPLF. But where is the evidence
that the generals receiving orders from the EPLF as you
assert? If one stretches this fact to its limit, one
cannot draw a reasonable inference other than that the
US would have supported the coup makers if they
succeeded. Any other inference is a mere speculation.
Mr. Tibebe’s bold and offensive claim is
encapsulated in this paragraph: “The facts are that
Major Dawit had a primary role in recruiting generals
like Fanta Belay; the facts are, Major Dawit had several
meetings with Issaias; the facts are Issaias wanted
chaos and bloodshed in Ethiopia; the facts are, the
1989, coup was initiated by the CIA, led by Major Dawit,
orchestrated by Mr. Issaias, and conducted by General
Fanta Belay and by others under him. I have no doubt
that you have read Major Dawit’s article written on June
29, 2009, because his response was prompted by your
article.”
If one parses this paragraph, it shows
Mr. Tibebe’s proclivity to draw conclusions based on
mere speculation. The fact is Maj. Dawit and Gen. Fanta
had limited communication. Other than that one cannot
say who recruited who. There is also no evidence that
Maj. Dawit recruited “generals like Fanta Belay.”
Speculation. Maj. Dawit had dealing with EPLF. So
what?. The coup leaders were motivated by bringing
peaceful resolution to the war and to the extent peace
requires the cooperation belligerent forces, it is not
unusual that contacts would be made. It is significant
that Maj. Dawit initiated the contacts and he went to
EPLF to begin negotiations.
The assertion that EPLF directed the coup
cannot be made with such flimsy speculations. This is a
significant part of our history. This is the story of
many brave men who sacrificed their lives. The coup
plotters, particularly generals Merid, Demissie, Fanta,
and Abera Abebe, have been plotting to get rid of
Mengistu for several years. It is written by many that
Mengistu shuffled these generals from various posts,
including removing Gen. Fanta from his post as Air force
commander; several times because he was concerned they
were plotting to overthrow him. He himself has stated
that the Russian intelligence came to him several years
before the coup and informed him of the suspicion that
these generals were plotting against him. The difference
between our analyses of the historical fact is clear.
Mr. Tibebe ignored the personalities and motivation of
the individuals involved in the coup inside Ethiopia.
He ignores several books and accounts of individuals who
were involved in the coup. None of these people share
his view. Mr. Tibebe, however, ignores these specific
facts. Mr. Tibebe claimed that I was perhaps asleep
during “part I” of his metaphorical movie that showed
the role of Maj. Dawit and others in the US. I think
the problem with Mr. Tibebe is that he was watching
science fiction version.
As yet another example of Mr. Tibebe’s
proclivity to jump to conclusions without factual basis,
I cite to his description of my book review of Derege
Demissie’s book, Abate Yachin Seat. Mr. Tibebe wrote,
“The claim that the book is written with an enormous
research and even from documents obtained from US State
Department record through Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) is ridiculous and laughable. The book has one
record found through FOIA which shows the denial of
General Kumlachew Dejene’s asylum claim in American
embassy in Addis Ababa.”
Well, Mr. Tibebe, if you have paid
attention when reading the book, you would have learned
that Derege did receive a lot of information through the
Freedom of Information Act. He has referred to the
source in describing how Mengistu’s plane returned to
Addis, for example. The fact that the over one hundred
pages of information he received was not attached to the
book does not mean he did not receive several
documents. Before you find something laughable, I hope
you dig a little deeper in the future. Additionally,
the interviews Derege conducted of many participants in
the coup and personal recollections of his conversation
with his father, the late Gen. Demissie Bulto, are
incredibly important facts.
I never made the claim that the notes of
Gen. Demissie were from the coup days. If you re-read
the review I wrote properly, you will discover they were
correctly identified as notes from two major military
operations in the North. Again, I merely point out
these misrepresentations because they are symptomatic of
your thinking and writing.
Finally, let me make it clear to the
readership once again that I have neither the time nor
the interest to debate Mr. Tibebe on whether or not the
opposition should engage with the government of Eritrea.
In deference to the readership let me also make it very
clear too, as the writer did, that I do not know Mr.
Tibebe Samuel Ferenji. It is true that we have met or
seen each other a couple times several years, to be more
exact, more than a decade or so ago. I understand that
the author was politically active since he was 13 and
as he claims an “independent thinker” too. Well and a
good. The words I used to describe the writer such as
“sudden appearance” and “zealous” in my first article is
due to the fact that I have never seen Mr. Tibebe in
person in any social or even political activities
organized by various opposition groups in the past
decade to expose and oppose the fascistic minority
regime of Meles Zenawi. At least here in this part of
the United States where I live. I bring this to clear
any shadow that may linger in the readership that Mr.
Tibebe and I may have problems of personal or political
in nature.
In part, that is why I do not find it
compelling to debate with him or any other critiques
giving advice from their fountain of wisdom on how and
with whom Ethiopian opposition groups should conduct
their affairs and what kind of strategy they should
follow etc etc. On the issue of engaging with the
government of Eritrea a life and death mater for the
writer where he zealously and repeatedly pontificates,
I have already made myself very clear in the previous
article as follows “ ...Several
Ethiopian groups have made the liberation of Ethiopia
from the ethnocentric minority mafia groups in power
their paramount objective. Indeed the liberation of
Ethiopia from the Apartheid like anti-Ethiopia minority
dictatorship that has imposed a quasi-internal
colonialism with its political, economic, and military
domination over the rest of the Ethiopian people has
become the prime and overriding task of our times.
Those groups will do that by any means necessary within
the bounds of international law and democratic
principles including respect for each other’s views.
Freedom and democracy are our rights. If we need to
struggle for it, we will. If we need to find allies who
will help us gain our freedom, we will form alliances.
Throughout history all alliances were formed to promote
mutual interests. Alliances were formed out of pragmatic
necessity as opposed to based on moral Puritanism. We
will keep our eyes on the prize!” .
I agree that our Ethiopia is in grave danger indeed.
But the most potent danger facing Ethiopia and our
people comes from none other the ethnocentric minoroty
dictatorship of Meles Zenawi that has stranglehold the
Ethiopian nation and our people. Our task then is to
liberate our country from the chains and bondage imposed
by the internal cancer eating away our country and
people. By all and any means neccessary! If Mr. Tibebe
and others have the political wisdom and strategy
otherwise, nobody has held them not to do so. Let them
show us that they are worthy and able to bring about the
change we aspire. Let them walk the talk. The talk they
have started after prolonged absence or a no show in the
struggle many others have waged consistently to see a
United and Democratic Ethiopia.
Note to the readership and the young generation:
I have received several e-mails in response to the
original article I wrote on this topic posted on
Ethiopian websites. All those who have keen interest in
finding more about our recent political and military
history are served better to do their own readings and
research instead depending on many false prophets and
pseudo historians out there with no respect for
historical truth and Intellectual honesty. I urge the
readership to evaluate and come to their own
understanding and judgment by discerning the facts from
fictions on these and related issues. This could be
accomplished by reading and researching all the
available literature, and when possible speaking with
and interviewing the military and political actors of
the Derg/PDRE regime era, including the wars in the
Northern Front. Few of the relevant books include
Miskernet, Ye Letena Mengisu Haile Mariam
Tizitawoch by Genet Ayele, Ye Tigil Zemen Tizita
by Commodore Tassew, Yewogen Tor Tizita by Maj.
Mamo Lemma, YeTor Meda Wullo by Brig Gen. Tesfaye
Habte Mariam, Tisnat and Meswatinet by Maj.
General Hussein Ahmed, the Ethiopian Revolution by Dr.
Gebru Tarake, Neber Vol I and II by Zenebe Bekele.
Ethiopia Ferje by Maj. Getachew Yerom, Abate
Yeachin Seat by Derge Demissie, Kidhet Be Dem
Meret by Maj. Dawit Wolde Giorgis, Ye Tor Meda
Wullo form East to North by Brig Gen. Kassaye
Chemeda,. There are also many other works of
scholarship that deal with the genesis of problems in
Eritrea and Tigray including books written by Dr.
Daniel Kindie, Dr. Shumet Sishagne, Dr. Aregawi Berhe,
Ato Kiflu Taddesse, and many others.
