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Battle of Togoruba Puzzling Historical Records

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BATTLE OF TOGORUBA PUZZLING HISTORICAL RECORDS Historian Haile Menegesha Okbe Toronto, Canada March 26 2017 PART-2, THE BATTLES Intro Battle of Togoruba, March 15, 1964 is an ideal Eritrean heroism . Operation Sembel, February 12, 1975, a dual operation in one shot, by which 700 Eritrean political prisoners from Sembel Prison in Asmara and another 300 prisoners from Adi Quala Prison were simultaneously set free in a single heroic operation . The Crushing of Nadew Command, March 17-19, 1988, equaled to Dien Bien Phu victory by Vietcongs in Vietnam is an exceptional heroism . Fenkil, February 8- 1 10, 1990, the decisive blitzkrieg that captured Massawa from the control of Derg is also a distinguished Eritrean heroism. These are the four outstanding triumphs of all time accomplished by the Eritreans in their quest for freedom. Eritrean Liberation Front executed Togoruba and Sembel. Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front executed the smashing of Nadew and Fenkel. I am merely specifying who does what for the purpose of the historical records. Both organizations are "We" and "We" are both of them. Today, all Eritreans are one and united against the fascist ruler Isyas Afeworki. 1890-1941 - Italian Colonial Period in Eritrea. 1942-1952 - British Military Administration in Eritrea. Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery the ultimate winner of the Battle of El Alamein, Egypt. 2 Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (front) commander of German Afrika Korps was defeated by Montgomery in the Battle of El Alamein, which ended the German African campaign. October 23–November 11, 1942, The Battle of El Alamein was a turning point in the fight between the German and British forces in North West Africa. The fighting in North West Africa took place in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia. The theatres in Eritrea and Ethiopia were also part of it. The fall of Keren to British and Common Wealth forces on April 1, 1941 was a decisive victory. 3 In World War II, the desire to control Suez Canal pitched the Allied Forces and German Afrika Korps into fierce battles in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia. Parallel to those battles, British forces campaigned to dislodge the Italian forces from their colonies in Eritrea and Ethiopia. February 5 to April 1, 1941, The Battle of Keren. The fall of Keren to the British in the aftermath of the Battle of Keren, which was fought for two months, brought unconditional surrender of all Italian forces in Asmara and Massawa. April 1, 1941 is the date of the first liberation of Eritrea. The Battle of Keren belonged to the grand theatre in the campaigns of North West Africa between German Afrika Korps and the Allied Forces. Our historians quite often don't convey the complete and precise historical records. In reality, all historical records when put together are full of controversies and history is seldom fair to all opposing sides. The Battle of Keren was another facade of the Battle of El Alamein. Yet our history books falsely classify the British the same as the Ottoman or Egyptian colonial rulers in Eritrea. The British were the caregivers of the protectorate Eritrea while the latter were starkly marauders. October 7, 1951, UN introduced the Federation plan. Commissioner for Eritrea, Dr. Eduardo Anze Matenzo, from Bolivia by origin, announced that Eritreans had accepted a UN plan for federation with Ethiopia. Some Eritreans accepted it while a big chunk opposed it. 1952-1962 - Federation Right from the outset the provisions of the Federation were violated by Ethiopia as well by some Eritrean officials. In essence Federation was never implemented legally in Eritrea. Step bay step the Federation was 4 dismantled through Ethiopian heavy-handed interferences. Gradually it was replaced with the full colonization of Eritrea by Ethiopia. Emperor Haile Selassie officially cut a ribbon at the border of Mereb between Ethiopia and Eritrea after he officially accepted in September 15, 1952, the UN plan of the Federation. November 1958, Eritrean flag was lowered and Ethiopian flag hoisted. September 1, 1961, the beginning of the armed struggle in Eritrea. November 14, 1962, Eritrea was annexed by Ethiopia. Hamid Idris Awate pioneers versus Field Force of Eritrea Beginning in September 1, 1961, Hamid Idris Awate and the pioneers of the armed resistance launched numerous skirmishes against the Field Force of Eritrea, a native force trained and armed by the British Military Administration in Eritrea. The main task of the Field Force was to keep law and order in the country. They had the role of the federal army of Eritrea. Eritreans referred them as "Abay Police" or "Grand 5 Police" in order to distinguish them from regular city police referred as "Duguana" (Arrest). Field Force of Eritrea, the "federal army" trained and armed by the British Military Administration in Eritrea. 6 Infantry of the Ethiopian Armed Forces or "Tor Serawit". 7 Battle of Togoruba, the battle that shattered the ice in Eritrea From September 1, 1961 till the Battle of Togoruba in March 15, 1964 there has never been a combat in the field, which was engaged between Ertitreans and Ethiopian army personnel. All prior Togoruba combats were to be defined as the process of a civil war as all the duels were between Eritrean natives. The first combat that shattered the ice in Eritrea was the Battle of Togoruba. Togoruba is an historic event, which has three distinctive features. 1. The first battle between Eritreans and Ethiopian infantry. Togoruba marked the first combat between Eritrean natives and the infantry of the Ethiopian colonial army referred as "Tor Tserawit". Togoruba is also a puzzle. The challenge with Togoruba is how should we accommodate the precise timing of the start of the armed revolution against the actual colonial army? In real time it should be March 15, 1964 instead of September 1, 1961. The puzzle rests to historians. Symbolic face of Togoruba. Muhammad Ali Idris (Abu Rejela) leader of the Battle of Togoruba. 8 2. The first heroic battle in Eritrea. In the Battle of Togoruba the gallant fighters of Eritrean Liberation Front attacked the well-armed Ethiopian infantry for the first time in the history of Eritrea. The fighters killed 84 Ethiopian soldiers and officers. 3. Remembrance Day for the martyrdom. Togoruba is also a day of martyrdom. 18 fighters perished in the battle. The Ethiopian infantry who had advanced logistics at their disposal brought re-enforcement to the battle and they overwhelmed the fighters after the deployment. The fighters quickly retreated with four wounded fighters to safety. The Ethiopian infantry were able to secure the battle area. They collected the strewn corpses of the martyrs. The Ethiopian colonizers hanged the corpses of 6 martyrs in Akordat, 6 in Keren, 3 in Barentu and 2 in Haikota as showcases to demoralize the Eritreans. Collecting corpses of martyrs who fell in combat fields and hanging the corpses in city squares were common practices of the Ethiopian colonizers in Eritrea during the 60s. This showcase took place in Keren in the aftermath of the Battle of Halhal, September 6, 1968. 9 Contributions and Gratitude Historian and researcher Haile Menegesha Okbe has presented this document. It is Part-2 to the previous article, TORONTO MARCH 8 & TOGORUBA 2017, MAJOR BREAKTRHOUGH, PART-1, MARCH 8 CELEBRATION, March 20, 2017. This historical document recounts the Battle of Togoruba in a precise and concise fashion. It also contains summarized history of Eritrea leading to Togoruba event. For the first time, this document separates the domestic skirmishes from the first combat with the Ethiopian invading army in Eritrea with a clear marking using well presented information and dramatic photos. Some of the photos supplemented in this document are from GENBARTORONTO archive as well from the websites of other Eritrean historical experts. Thanks Ato Mohamed Kheir Omer, an Eritrean political activist of hedgait.blogspot.ca and Ato Fetsum Yukuno Amalak of gereger.com for the contribution of materials included in this document. Haile Menegesha Okbe [email protected] 416-858 9305 The End 10.
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