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Zekere Lebonna
Person source name · identity unresolved
Names below group exact source spellings. Identity remains unresolved: the same spelling can refer to different people. A mention does not establish participation, association or corroboration. Assignments use automatic source rules and have not received human review.
Original spelling: Zekere Lebonna. No reviewed aliases or translations have been assigned.
9 unique documents. Authored by: 2; Mentioned in source: 7. Role counts can overlap within a document.
Meles Ghebermariam who was formerly an activist at the Haile Selassie I University, joined the Selfi Nasnet from overseas. After serving as a ganta(platoon) commissioner, he was suddenly apprehended in 1973, and executed. Tewolde Tesfamariam, who joined from Hamburg in 1972, was also executed. Both of them were alleged by the EPLF leaders to have been foreign agents, and particularly that the working for the CIA. According Mengisteab, during the menka movement, Issays group within Selfi Nasnet spread the rumour that there were up to one hundred and fifty CIA agents within the movement (Megiesteab Kidane 2005:49). The Selfi Nasnet, a totalitarian organization from its inception, had some sort of cubbyhole for everybody. In the beginning, suspects and victims were mostly from the semi-proletariat class, according to the Marxist lexicon. Intellectuals appeared immune from the witch-hunting. This temporary reprieve did not last long .(Zekere Lebonna - Feb 02, 2004 ).
In their writings to Awate.com under the title of ‘Glimpses into the Kagnew Connection’ , Zekere Lebonna (19 Feb. 2004) and Berhane Redda (6 March 2004) referred to my posting of 2 February 2004 which was about ‘Nhnan Elamanan’ and not about the Kagnew Station event of 1970. Zekere Lebonna observed that people are shying away from writing about that 33-year old incident, and Berhane Redda encouraged people to write all what they know about the Kagnew event and other important occurrences during the years of struggle. Unfortunately, I am not coming up with any new evidence on the Kagnew Station incident, but wish to reproduce an old material for the benefit of those who did not read what had appeared in the Dehai discussion forum on 10 August 1999 about that subject. Included in my article entitled ‘Talking of Traitors and Treason’, was a summary of what Tesfamichael Giorgio, one of the key figures in the ‘Kagnew Connection’, had to say about the incident before his death in 1993. Therefore, reproduced below is part of the said material – a summarized translation of the press interview with Wodi Giorgio as well as my introduction to that story in my posting to Dehai. Good reading.
In the early 1970s when the EPLF split from the ELF, many Eritrean students from the University of Addis Ababa and abroad joined the EPLF as they thought that the EPLF was a progressive organization, However, the ELF’s ’legacy of killing of innocent fighters, didn’t stop in the EPLF, in fact it got much worse. During the 1970s many educated fighters became victims of the EPLF leadership. It is well documented at ehrea.org Teklay Aden who was head of the EPLF security department in his interview also states that the EPLF security department killed no less than 3,000 persons from 1973 to 1980 This is also confirmed by Zekere Lebonna ( 2004) who states that most of the Eritrean elite became victims of their fellow guerrilla leaders, and not of the Ethiopian regimes'. This is not an overstatement.
1972, but later he became the first victim of Isayas and his collaborators’. Regarding this Zekere (2004) states that Meles Ghebermariam after serving as a ganta commissar,was suddenly apprehended in 1973 and executed. Nobody raised a finger for him. Fear and conformism reigned then. Everything was hushed up, except for dubious rumours. It was alleged to be a foreign agent, the CIA being mentioned. Source The Dirty War In The Dejen byBy Zekere Lebonna - Zekere (2004) Aida Kidane (2010) adds that In 1973 Meles was imprisoned and tortured to death, a friend of Meles told Aida he was tortured and killed by being beaten by thorns, thus bleeding to death. (Contributed by Aida Kidane Oct.2010). In 1970s sometimes educated fighters were suspected spying for the CIA. For example in 1975 the rumour deliberately spread that there were up to one hundred and fifty CIA spies within the Front whom the challengers handled. and many young students were accused as CIA spies and they were executed as there was any news about them. For more information and evidence listen this brief interview " interview nai menkae short part"
Meles Ghebermariam,
Meles Gebremariam was one of the progressive University students who had studied at the Haile Sellasie 1 University in the late 1960s. Petros Tesfa Giorgis (2007) recalls that in one of the student demonstrations, ‘we were many Eritreans among us was Meles Gebremariam. He joined the Selfi Nasnet from overseas in the early 1970, but he became the first victim of Isayas and his collaborators’. Zekere (2004) adds that Meles Ghebermariam after serving as a ganta commissar, was suddenly apprehended in 1973, and executed. Nobody raised a finger for him. Fear and conformism reigned then. Everything was hushed up, except for dubious rumours. It was alleged to be a foreign agent, the CIA being mentioned. The fact that his father was a high-ranking officer in the then Emperor’s army (possibly from Digsa village) was a factor banded about. Source The Dirty War In The Dejen byBy Zekere Lebonna -
Tekle Wedi Keshi.
Zekere Lebonna ( 2004) states that he remembers Tekle Wedi Keshi, who was a former school-mate at Godaif Elementary School. Zekere added that Tekle Wedi Keshi suffered from foot blisters and was haggard: ‘I saw him being prodded on by some of our Ganta leaders. We were resting on a narrow forest trail (mengedi gebar) near Adi Shuma. I gazed at him, but did not show any acknowledgement or words of encouragement. Our detachment reached the Adi Shuma locality in rapid retreat. Tekle's situation worsened. Unable to put up with the walk, he was lagging behind with a few other strugglers. I overheard the Ganta leaders accusing him of faking it, and of having studied at Abadina College.(An Ethiopian Police Academy). In fact, the morons, were confusing it with Alemaya College (An Ethiopian Agricultural college in Harer, Ethiopia). This was ominous, for they suspected him of being a spy’. Read more
Zekere Lebonna who joined Selfi Nasnet in 1972 recounted that, the daily routine was attending endless criticism and self-criticism sessions and indoctrination lectures. the victims of these incessant sessions were summarily executed. Some were driven into madness and the rest were politically silenced. Torture and executions were rampant. I remember a group in Tegih, Sahel who were spared death but were savagely treated. Scalded by hot water and bruised by firewood, their skin showed festering wounds and they suffered ulcers. So much so that they could not wear rough military uniform, and were often strolling wearing loose outfits jalabiya Among this group were Berhane Afro and Tekle Rashaida. Like a leper colony, one often observed them sitting under the shade of acacia and Aday trees. read more