The Dismantlement of ELF (Part II)

Once Abdella Idris realized that he is losing his dominance in the ELF leadership, he start maneuvering ploys against other members of the leadership. Before his supporters lowered their guns, he took them to one secret place, while he called the members of the other group to another place for a meeting. There, he ambushed the members of the other units and killed them, and imprisoned the rest of them. After this incident, the front was dismantled where almost 70-80% of its members moved to Sudan in exile.

After that a number of small units start appearing in the struggle. Some of those units are Abdela Idris’s group, ELF Central Committee (Sagem), ELF Sewerawi Bayto , and many others.Despite the fact that the ELF dismantled to a handful of units, EPLF’s efforts for unity continues because the main purpose that EPLF was working for unity is for the unity of the Eritrean people. And as far as there were a number of liberation units struggling for the independence of the country, the front was stepping up its efforts for unity since unity is valuable for the general public and the struggle for independence.

The Mutual Resolutions
While the aforementioned incidents were occurring among the fronts for liberation, EPLF was engaged in a bloody war of the sixth invasion against the Derg regime. Once the war was officially over by the victory of EPLF in June 1982, EPLF issued a press release regarding the unity of the fronts. And in October 25, 1982 the front proposed a mutual resolution. The main objective of the proposal was to bring all units and individuals together. The resolutions proposed also called on the liberation of the country, to plan for the future of the public and establish a national assembly. To ensure the aforementioned facts, EPLF started to take initiatives with all liberation units and individuals involved in the struggle for liberation of the country.

After the mutual resolutions were passed EPLF begun to meet with the bigger units of the opposition in Koroko and Tahedai, Central Committee of ELF, and while the meeting was progressing some units started to spread rumors saying that this is a scheme by EPLF to dominate and control the other units, which led to opposition against the unity meeting. But the main objective of the opposition was not the threat that EPLF may dominate the other units rather such unity will obligate the other units be governed by one mutual rules and regulations, as well as any donations and assistant given by sympathizers will end up benefitting the public than some individuals in the leadership. Saudi Arabia was also one of the countries that didn’t support unity of the units and the strengthened EPLF so as to have a puppet organization. As a result, it started to organize the other units together and tried to have one united puppet front.