The Red Sea Afars and Christian-Muslim
 (Kebessa-Mataahit) Dichotomy   in Eritrea

The Eritreans are bickering and squabbling about their identity, their statehood, the meaning of their independence. They are actively engaged in romanticizing and de-romanticising Ghedli. Ghedli or the struggle is the designation they give to their 30 year war of independence against Ethiopia. A glance at the Eritrean websites in Diaspora would show that clearly. They are not only disputing about the past, but also about their future, well being and living in one Eritrea.  Who’s to own independent Eritrea asks one? All ask themselves: Are we better off under the government of PDFJ than under the two defunct Ethiopian regimes? Some go as far as asking: Was the Eritrean independence worth the sacrifices?   The euphoria of independence is over and most probably for ever.

While the painful self searching goes endlessly the Eritrean opposition groups are busy in realignment of forces, their forming of blocks, regrouping and posturing. The latest is the formation of the Democratic Front of Eritrean Nationalities (DFEN) which is formed by the Afar and Kunama organizations. The merger move by DMLEK and RSADO continues a trend that has emerged in the Eritrean political landscape recently. Just before that some four organizations formed Eritrean Solidarity Front. The Eritrean People’s Party (EPP) is conducting merger talks with the Eritrean Democratic Party (EDP) and so forth. The Eritrean opposition has regrouped itself into three main blocks. On the other hand, the Ethiopians are busy in debating the future relationship between Eritrea and Ethiopia

The issue of national unity in the Eritrean scene is become burning issue again. The Highland-Lowland, the Kebessa –Metaahit and the Moslem -Christian rift is gaping wider and wider day and day. The three blocks in the realignment in the Eritrean opposition is nothing but the reflection of those shifting alliances. When, in Eritrea, they speak of identity and national unity it is a euphemism for the relationship between the 8 (9?) nationalities in Eritrea and a nationality called Tigrinya in the highlands of Eritrea. Euphemism is using mild words for harsh realities.

The Afars in Eritrea are one of the 10 nationalities in Eritrea. I am saying 10 nationalities because the Jabartis who speak the same Tigrinya language as the “Tigrinya” (the ethnic group) are insisting on their own separate particular ethnic identity. It is only the Jabartis who can decide their identity. This is their unalienable and undeniable right. If they prefer to be called Jabartis and not Tigrinya or Tigrawis it is up to them.

Other are like  Samson Redeab From Washington  wishes a debate on “ Awrajanet”  as he  proposes in his recent writing “It is high time we reclaim our identity, and we shouldn’t stand-by idly when our identity is erased malignantly”. He wishes to have back the old Awrajas in Eritrea.

The Red Sea Afars are Muslims 100%. The Red Sea Afars are Lowlanders. For that matter, all the Afars in Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djbouti are 100% Muslims. The Red Sea Afars or the Afars in Dankalia are also Muslims and lowlanders, unquestionably. But they are not part to and hang on the Eritrean malaise of the Kebessa-Mataahit or Christian-Muslim dichotomy. The Afar question is particular, and has little to do with geographic altitude or religious faith.

It true, that some Eritrean Afars were members in the Rabital Islamiya in the end of forties and the beginning of fifties. It is also a fact that handful of them fought in the ranks of ELF in 1962-1967 in the fourth division. It is true that some came back triumphantly with EPLF when the Eritrea gained independent in 1991.Some like the alibi or representation Afars are there in membership of PDFJ even today in. Just like the late Ali Sayed Abdalla ad the Major- General Humad Karikaare.

The Eritrean Afars or the Red Sea Afars as they are calling themselves recently had their eyes and attention more fixed to rather to the west to their kith and kin in Ethiopia across the Ethiopian border rather than being part of the Muslim-Christian schism and kebessa-Mataahit rift that predominated the debate in the Eritrean political landscape for the last five decades.

Their demand was to be part of administrative region together with Afars in Harar, Wollo, Tegrai and Showa in Ethiopian Empire. First it was a call for administrative unity later an autonomous region within the Empire. This was their question as early as 1954. It was the Afars in the Red Sea or Dankalia who spearheaded this movement both on the plan of ideas and formal requests. As they did in:

In 1989 The Derg established the Assab Autonomous Region which was short-lived as it was overrun and demolished by the triumphant army of EPlF in 1991 after the demise of the Derg. It was then quite a number of Afar professionals and cadres who left Assab port to Aysaita to join their brothers in Afar Regional state. Today, more than ever, they are looking to that direction. They have valid reasons for that.

 As far as I know, the Afars and Sahos are the most closely knitted ethnic groups. Their languages are mutually intelligible, as far as I know. The Sahos who reside in Djibouti join the Afar tribes and become the citizens of the country just like the rest of the Afars. But the Sahos , unlike the Afars in Red Sea, fought for the independence of Eritrea and paid one of the highest sacrifices both before and during the war of liberation. First the likes of the former Kommandis such as Major General Wuchu brutalized them later the Torseraweet did the rest. They, the Sahos and Afars, seem to have diametrically opposing views on the independence of Eritrea.

With the Italian colonization of Eritrea, the French colonization of Djibouti the Afars were portioned into 3 states when as the history accounts tell us that a certain Sabeto lessened a piece of  land from Sultan Ibrahim in the village of Assab .But when the colony of Eritrea was baptized as Eritrea in 1890 the capital city was in far away Asmara in the high plateau of Hamasien and  105 kilometre distant  Massawa became the main port. Assab become famous and important when the Italians reached an agreement with king of Showa at the time the late Emperor Menelik to import arms. Later Assab became the main entrance to import and export Ethiopia’s goods. Assab gained importance and prominence when the Italians were making preparations to invade Ethiopia in early 1930s.

Assab or for that matter the Red Sea coast line of 700 kilometres of  Red Sea area later known as Dankalia was a faraway outpost to Colonia Eritrea as it is today’s independent Eritrea. What President Esayas and his EHGEDEF are doing to the Afars has strengthened them in their belied and orientation. Today, more than ever the Red Sea Afars seem to think that their future and destiny is their brothers on other side of the border.

The Afar Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization (RSADO) was organized and recruited from among the Afar Students who fled Assab port after the occupation of the city by EPLF by Woyyane in 1998 by Siye Abraha and his crew. At the initial stage the organization was demanding separation of Red Sea coast from Eritrea. Later it became part of the Eritrean opposition on the orders of Meles Zanawi and his group. Lately together with the Kunama organization it is demanding self-determination for the Afars on Red Sea.

So when the Eritreans in Eritrea proper in Highlands of Hamsien, Seraye and Akele-Guzai and Moslim Lowlanders in Metaahit are soul-searching about their identity and national unity the Afars have little to do with this discourse. Because they had neither shared past nor destiny. It the Kebessas who have reduced Eritrea to Tigrinya when they call themselves “Eritrean” and the rest an appendage or outgrowth as one writer formulated it recently. Some times they call Tigrinya “Eritrigna” The language of Eritrea. That is exactly what the Amharas where trying to do with Amharic and Ethiopiawenet while the rest were reduced to “gussawotch”or behresebotch .Today the Amharas are in danger of becoming the Serbia of Ethiopia as when all the rest of nationalities establish their republics as when the nationalities in former Yugoslavia proclaimed the 6 Republics of Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Kosovo. The Serbians who said Yugoslavia can only survive only when they are at the helm are left in cold with portion of Yugoslavia or Serbia. The Kebessas could face the same future if they are not careful.

The Woyyanes has initiated the process by organizing the Afars and the Kunamas in one unified body. They are trying to tell their cousins in the highland of Eritrea they if they do not reach an agreement with them soon they will destroy them by organizing the nationalities as well Muslims. But, can the TPLF and EPLF come together to negotiating table to reach an agreement? It is not impossible. Both the Eritrean opposition and the Ethiopian opposition will be left in cold after being used as a pressure group to bring the other opponent to negotiating table. Are the Afars in RSADO and Kunams in DFLEK aware of such an eventuality? We hope they are.

They are not only the two organizations in the Eritrean opposition with sizable military force on the ground, but

·        Demand self-determination for their nationalities up to and including secession

·        Very close to TPLF, the ruling party in Ethiopia

·        TPLF has its own designs to incorporate  the two nationalities into Tegrai Republic in case of its secession from Ethiopia

The Eritrean Muslims and Christians, Highlanders and Lowlanders, Kebessas and Metaahits can sort out their national unity and jolte identity issues. They can go on romanticising and de-romanticising their ghedli endlessly. It is none of the business of the Red Sea Afars. Don’t call our ports “wedebatnna” our ports. None of you have EVER seen a salty water, leave alone a blue sea. Asa-badd Na’gata!! The Red Sea is ours .Its 700 kilometre coast of Dankalia belongs to Afars.It is only that decide the final destiny of this territory.

Taher Baruli

nukrayaggili@hotmail.com