Thread by @saayEritrea

Mesfin Hagos (founding member of the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (#EPLF) in the 1970s who served as Minister of Defense in the 1990s), the most authoritative voice on #Eritrea|n military affairs, reveals the extent of #Eritrean involvement in the #Ethiopia|n war.

Thread

(2/18) In an address to his country’s parliament on November 30, 2020, #Ethiopia’s Prime Minister confirmed #Eritrea|n support to his ongoing war against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (#TPLF), the regional government of the northern regional state of Tigray...

(3/18) ... where they were provided shelter and the space and provisions to recuperate. He flew there with three of his generals to reorganize the troops for a counterattack on #Tigray – from #Eritrea.

What Prime Minister Abiy did not tell his audience was the fact that...

(4/18) ..according to sources in the #Eritrean capital, #Asmara in the run up to the current conflict, a large number of Ethiopian elite units had slowly trickled into Eritrea as part of a security pact between Abiy and Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki. Hidden from public view..

(5/18) at an ad hoc base in Gherghera, in the outskirts of Asmara, these units were expected to be the hammer and the Northern Command the anvil to strike out of existence the #TPLF. TPLF preempted this scheme in what it called “anticipatory defense”,...

(6/18)... which forced both #Abiy and #Isaias to improvise leading to the eruption of conflict. Abiy did not disclose to the #Ethiopian public and international community that even more federal troops were airlifted into #Eritrea following the outbreak of conflict on November 4.

(7/18) In the 48 hours before #TPLF’s bombing of #Asmara on November 14, local sources counted close to 30 military airplanes flying in thousands of soldiers from #Ethiopia. Subsequent flights transported more soldiers into the Eritrean seaports of #Massawa and #Asseb....

(8/18) The Prime Minister also hid from the world the #Eritrean military’s direct involvement in combat along the entire border that #Eritrea shares with #Tigray regional state as well as inside Tigray. The following information is pieced together from three different sources:

(9/18) first, reliable sources inside the #Eritrean Ministry of Defense; second, Eritrean opposition intelligence sources in Sudan and Ethiopia; and finally, anecdotal pieces communicated from friends and relatives, including some academic researchers.

(10/18) When the reorganized and reinforced #Ethiopian troops launched a series of offensives into #Tigray from #Eritrea along four frontlines, #Eritrean support units provided intelligence and logistics, their heavy weapons gave cover to advancing federal troops,

(11/18) and eventually took active part in combat. Reliable sources have confirmed injury and death of a large number of #Eritrea|n soldiers, including senior officers, fighting deep inside #Ethiopia.

(12/18) Through #Zalambesa alone, the #Eritrea|n President sent in the 42nd and 49th mechanized divisions and the 11th, 17th, 19th and 27th infantry divisions. On reaching #Edaga-Hamus, south of #Adigrat and north of #Mekelle, these divisions were reinforced...

(13/18) with an additional five #Eritrean divisions, including the 2nd brigade of the 525th commando division. He also unleashed the 26th, 28th, and 53rd infantry and 46th and 48th mechanized divisions on the #Adwa front along with only one division of the #Ethiopian federal army

(14/18)...In addition, the #TPLF claims that #Eritrea|n technical and combat units also took active part in the #Alamata front, southeast of #Mekelle. The same #TPLF sources also claim that they have Eritrean prisoners of war

(15/18)...although they are yet to present them to the public – live or in recordings.

Although #Eritrean army divisions have been shrinking in size in the past twenty years and their individual capacities are shriveled, put together they are a formidable force.

(16/18) Their combined technical knowhow (intelligence and weaponry) as well as tactics and strategy expertise and experience can deliver blistering firepower against any adversary.

(17/18) Either approving of or oblivious to President Isaias’ role in the planning, initiation and execution of the ongoing #Ethiopia|n civil war, the international community commended his uncharacteristic silence in the fact of repeated TPLF rocket attacks on #Eritrean towns.

(18/18) #Abiy Ahmed’s complete media and communication blackout ensured that #Eritrea’s intervention remained above scrutiny and censure.

More here: africanarguments.org/2020/12/04/eri…