The Untold Struggle

Much of what has been written about the Eritrean liberation struggle tends to focus on the political and military fronts although the struggle was fought on many fronts. In fact, the EPLF established many departments, including education and culture, information and propaganda, health care and economy, and social affairs, following its first congress held in January 1977 to be able to deal with multifaceted challenges. A lot might have been said about what these departments achieved during the struggle but not as much has been written. In an attempt to do justice to these departments, a book titled ዘይተነግረ ገድሊ-ተመኩሮ ክፍሊ ማሕበራዊ ጉዳያት ህግሓኤ (The Untold Struggle – the experience of the Department of Social affairs of the EPLF) was launched on Friday 28th.

Co-edited by Solomon Berhe, director-general of Press Department at the Ministry of Information and Tesfalem Yemane, member of the editorial board of Hadas Eretra newspaper, the book explores the social and humanitarian dimensions of the struggle and unpacks the efforts made by the Department of Social Affairs to provide support and relief to displaced communities, orphans, children and persons living with disabilities.

The social problems caused by war are enormous, and the Department of Social Affairs was set up to deal with the aftereffects of war, playing a key role in the liberation struggle by addressing humanitarian and social challenges that affected not only freedom fighters but also civilians.

The 557-page book is the first volume of a planned series of books that cover the experiences of the departments of the EPLF that were based at the EPLF’s stronghold in Sahel. It tells the story of how the Department of Social Affairs developed during the struggle to become one of the major institutions in the liberation struggle. The 105 pictures and 6 maps included in the book help the reader to visualize the past.

In writing the book only primary sources have been used, and a lot of the information was gathered by interviewing former members of the Department of Social Affairs of the EPLF. The book sheds light on profound themes such as social challenges, humanitarian care for vulnerable groups and others. It highlights the determination, innovation, resilience and sacrifices made by freedom fighters to alleviate the difficulties faced by displaced civilians, orphans, disabled fighters and children. It also describes the department’s innovative approach to finding ways to help victims of war and the physically challenged become self-reliant and productive.

The book paints a vivid picture of the mass displacement caused by the war, with entire villages getting abandoned and families uprooted. For 16 years, the EPLF provided shelter and sustenance to a total of 10,736 people at its refugee camps in its rear area commonly known as Solomuna refugee camp.

The book discusses extensively the impact of war on children. Due to the war a number of children became orphans when their parents were martyred. Thousands of children with an age range of few months to seven were taken care of by the Department of Social Affairs until they were old enough to be transferred to the Revolution School. The book sheds light on the services given by the caretakers and the resilience of the children.

The Department of Social Affairs had six units: refugees, children and orphans, disability, research and information, store and distribution, and healthcare. The book sheds light on the experiences of each unit during the liberation struggle, highlighting the resilience and the significant roles each played overcoming the challenges they faced. In October 1982, when the majority of the fighters living with disability were reassigned to the various departments of the EPLF, the disability unit had 180 persons to look after. The book shows that disabled fighters were integral members of the liberation movement and remained active contributors to the cause.

One of the achievements of the Department of Social Affairs was its success in giving training to the persons with disabilities to help them be independent and productive. Among others, it gave training to the blind on how to use the Braille. The stories of veteran freedom fighters Habteab Yifter and Fissehaye Kinfe, who both lost sight during the struggle, are moving. Both of them learned how to use the braille during the armed struggle and were able to join the university after Eritrea’s independence and earn a bachelor’s degree. After graduation, Habteab became a teacher and Fissehaye a lawyer.

One of the themes in the book that was presented in detail was “Marriage” during the liberation struggle. The EPLF’s decision to allow marriage was initially met with fierce opposition by the fighters who were concerned that it might divert the fighters’ attention. For this reason, only one couple got married in 1977 and twenty in 1978. Over time, the number picked up. From 1977 to1993, a total of 32,824 fighters got married under the auspices of the Department of Social Affairs.

The historical significance of “ዘይተነግረ ገድሊ- ተመኩሮ ክፍሊ ማሕበራዊ ጉዳያት ህግሓኤ”lies in its ability to illuminate the untold stories and challenges of the Eritrean struggle for independence. The book helps readers of Eritrean history to have a holistic view of the liberation struggle. It serves as a vital resource for understanding the struggle for independence in its entirety. It captures the personal and collective experience from those who experienced the struggle firsthand. The book, a must-read, offers valuable lessons and insights, and it would be great if it is translated into other Eritrean and international languages.