521:. It destroyed the most formidable Ethiopian garrison in northern Eritrea and marked a pivotal moment, setting off a chain of events leading to total victory three years later. The Ethiopian army, caught in a long-simmering crisis and plagued by internal divisions, underestimated the resilience, skill, and adaptability of the rebels. Af Abet, one of the three crucial turning points in the Eritrean war, severely weakened the military's capacity to wage war and foreshadowed the downfall of the dictatorship, paving the way for Eritrean independence. The battle's strategic significance has been likened to the Vietnamese triumph against the French at
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ganta (platoon), hayli (company), and bottoloni (battalion). The brigade, comprising three battalions, was the largest unit until the mid-1980s when it was surpassed by the division. Remarkably, nearly a third of the EPLA's total force and 15 percent of its frontline combat units were women, challenging traditional gender roles. However, women remained underrepresented in leadership positions. Specialized units within the EPLA effectively employed guerrilla and conventional tactics. By the end of the 1980s, the EPLA consisted of six divisions, fourteen infantry brigades, four mechanized brigades, and various specialized units.
475:(TPLF). Some ELF fighters joined the winning side, and those in Sudan were disarmed. The ELF ceased as an effective organization by the mid-1980s but continued sporadic operations in Eritrea. The EPLF emerged as the dominant force, defeating major operations in 1982 and 1983. In 1988, the EPLF achieved a historic victory, signaling the defeat of the military regime and the path to Eritrean independence. The organizational structure and guiding ideas played a crucial role in the EPLF's success.
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thousands of young men and women to the fronts, principally to the EPLF. As most of the new recruits were
Christian, highland society was no longer peripheral to the conflict. The success of the insurgents was due more to government weakness than their own strength. A counteroffensive in 1978 led to the EPLF's strategic withdrawal, establishing a defensive line in 1979.
429:, who had become commissar of the Fourth Zone after military training in Syria. Cuba also received ten individuals, including Ibrahim Affa, a skilled former marine commando, in 1968. Upon their return, these men improved the combat capabilities of the front but also intensified internal conflicts and feuds.
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and resulted in EPLF seizing the city and defeating the
Ethiopian garrison. The defeat was complete, catastrophic, and irreversible. Even the vengeful bombing, which persisted until the end of March and resulted in the destruction of numerous historic Islamic buildings, could not alter the disastrous
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in an attempt to crush the EPLF. Despite these efforts, the government forces were thwarted by the EPLF. Rather than crushing the EPLF, the unsuccessful operation had the opposite effect, strengthening it. This outcome led to an increased fervor among the
Eritrean people, who rallied behind the EPLF.
441:
The EPLF faced immediate challenges, including a declaration of war by the ELF in mid-1972, leading to the "first civil war" ending inconclusively in 1974. Internal dissension within the EPLF, fueled by accusations of authoritarian practices and military shortcomings, was quelled by Isaias, resulting
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after 1987, emphasized decentralization and local initiative during defensive guerrilla tactics. Command became more centralized during conventional offensives. The insurgents relied on light and portable equipment, with the AK-47 being the primary individual weapon. Leaving the EPLF was practically
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and overran much of
Eritrea. Only Asmara, Barentu, and the ports of Assab and Massawa remained under government control. The road between them cut, however, Asmara and Massawa were under siege. The hopes of a nationalist victory raised by the insurgents’ achievements and fear of the Red Terror drove
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Disillusioned with incompetent and feuding leaders, many young dissidents left the ELF, forming competing organizations. Efforts at rectification and unity failed, leading to the emergence of the
Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) in August 1973, officially known as Shaabia ("popular" in its
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Growing from around four hundred men organized in squads, the EPLA became a formidable force by the mid-1980s. The primary combat component was the strategic mobile forces, consisting of permanent units like brigades and divisions. The smallest operational unit was the mesre (squad), followed by
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The fronts faced a lull in fighting in 1980–81, with the army engaged in operations against rebels. The uneasy peace between the fronts crumbled in August 1980, leading to the "second civil war," where the ELF was decisively defeated a year later with assistance from the
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in the execution of eleven members in August 1974. This event contributed to the centralization and security focus of the EPLF. The
Ethiopian Revolution shifted the balance in Eritrea, and a temporary truce allowed joint offensives by the fronts in 1976.
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impossible, and instances of kidnapping and forcible conscription were reported. Child soldiers, drafted as young as ten, were used between 1979 and 1983 but this policy was abandoned due to internal and external criticism.
553:. It was important as it converted the Front from a military organization to a purely political movement. At the time, the organization had 95,000 members. At this Congress, the name of the organization was changed to the
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as well as a broad educational policy for maintaining every language and improving literacy. It was also set out that the boundaries of an
Eritrean state would be based on the colonial treaties of Italy.
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Arabic abbreviation) in 1977. Led by Isaias and
Ramadan, the EPLF found refuge in the mountains of Sahel, successfully repelling repeated assaults from Nakfa, a garrison town on a high plateau.
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The Second
Congress in 1987, brought together the EPLF and the Eritrean Liberation Front/Central Leadership (also sometimes referred to as Central Command, CC) in what was called the
502:. This was the culmination of negotiations over three years which had brought together the two fighting forces in October 1986, under a unified command. On this congress,
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The First
Congress of the EPLF occurred in January 1977 and formally set out the policies of this new organization. At this first meeting
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was elected Secretary-General and Isaias as Assistant Secretary-General. This program specifically targeted a liberalization of
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1148:"Inside the EPLF: The Origins of the 'People's Party' & Its Role in the Liberation of Eritrea"
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replaced secretary-general Ramadan Nur. Subsequently, the movement abandoned most of its formerly
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in 1989, the EPLF went on the offensive in 1990 directed at Massawa. This offensive was known as
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List of incidents attributed to the Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front on the START database
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In 1967, thirty-three men underwent six months of training in China, including
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386:(ELF). After achieving Eritrean independence in 1991, it transformed into the
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Biopolitics, Militarism, and Development: Eritrea in the Twenty-First Century
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Shinn, David Hamilton; Ofcansky, Thomas P.; Prouty, Chris (2004),
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The EPLF won its most resounding victories on March 1988 at the
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The Third and last Congress of the EPLF was held in 1994 in
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Evil Days: Thirty Years of War and Famine in Ethiopia
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From 1975 to 1977, the ELF and EPLF outnumbered the
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The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa
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The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa
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The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa
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The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa
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The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa
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The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa
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The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa
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The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa
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The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa
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The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa
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The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa
27:Far-left paramilitary group of Eritrea (1973–1994)
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931:Doris, Burgess; Cliffe, Lionel (Spring 1987).
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555:People's Front for Democracy and Justice
388:People's Front for Democracy and Justice
159:People's Front for Democracy and Justice
92:Fronte di Liberazione del Popolo Eritreo
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390:(PFDJ), which serves as Eritrea's sole
343:question marks, boxes, or other symbols
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1280:Political parties established in 1973
1010:"Eritrean People's Liberation Front"
975:"Eritrean People's Liberation Front"
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345: instead of Ethiopic characters.
1260:Factions of the Ethiopian Civil War
1235:African socialist political parties
1152:Review of African Political Economy
937:Review of African Political Economy
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720:. Human Rights Watch. p. 50.
352:Eritrean People's Liberation Front
56:Hizibawī Ginibari Harineti Ēritira
35:Eritrean People's Liberation Front
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1245:Defunct communist militant groups
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979:Historical dictionary of Ethiopia
366:organization that fought for the
214:Eritrean People's Liberation Army
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473:Tigray People's Liberation Front
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71:الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير إريتريا
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1255:Eritrean War of Independence
1016:, Harassowitz, p. 373,
404:Eritrean War of Independence
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714:Waal, Alexander De (1991).
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133:16 February 1994
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1164:10.1080/03056240108704545
949:10.1080/03056248708703724
508:Marxist–Leninist ideology
423:Eritrean Liberation Front
384:Eritrean Liberation Front
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533:After another defeat at
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1285:Rebel groups in Eritrea
1008:Erlich, Haggai (2005),
368:independence of Eritrea
266:Political position
118:1 August 1973
1111:Tareke, Gebru (2016).
1076:Tareke, Gebru (2016).
933:"EPLF Second Congress"
893:Tareke, Gebru (2016).
858:Tareke, Gebru (2016).
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679:Tareke, Gebru (2016).
644:Tareke, Gebru (2016).
609:Tareke, Gebru (2016).
574:Tareke, Gebru (2016).
421:) in 1966 to join the
419:Addis Ababa University
331:This article contains
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1146:Connell, Dan (2001).
512:Eritrean nationalists
392:legal political party
380:left-wing nationalist
233:Left-wing nationalism
1250:Eritrean nationalism
1240:Communism in Eritrea
447:Romodan Mohammed Nur
427:Romodan Mohammed Nur
228:Eritrean nationalism
109:Romodan Mohammed Nur
301:Politics of Eritrea
50:ህዝባዊ ግንባር ሓርነት ኤርትራ
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425:(ELF), and
278:(1987–1994)
176:(1991–1994)
171:(1976–1991)
1229:Categories
1062:16 January
1029:15 January
994:15 January
959:2007-09-07
561:References
523:Diebienphu
283:Party flag
238:Secularism
211:Armed Wing
200:Youth wing
137:1994-02-16
122:1973-08-01
1198:145692529
1182:0305-6244
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1098:973809792
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596:973809792
542:outcome.
311:Elections
276:Left-wing
255:Socialism
181:Newspaper
130:Dissolved
732:Archived
557:(PFDJ).
376:far-left
372:Ethiopia
271:Far-left
220:Ideology
185:Vanguard
100:Chairman
43:Tigrinya
1190:4006615
539:Massawa
409:Origins
398:History
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193:Adulis
174:Asmara
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529:1990s
466:1980s
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