Eritrea was colonized by Italy in 1890 and was converted into and Italian state. They reigned for decades until the British came and threw out the Italians. The British then ruled for 10 years until relinquishing the territory due to a UN mandate. Consequently this gave Ethiopia the power to annex Eritrea. This created a turbulent environment for the bordering countries and later led to a 30-year war. This was resulted in Eritrea’s independence. This fight for independence wouldn’t be possible without the efforts of many leaders and commanders of the Eritrean independence movement. Hamid Idris Awate and Isais Afwerki were two influential figures that made this movement possible.
Hamid Idris Awate served in the Italian Colonial Army before coming back to Eritrea and fighting against the British forces. He created an armed campaign to combat the British. Awate’s faction then came to a truce with the British. After the British relinquished the state, a group of Eritrean exiles founded the Eritrean Liberation Movement under Awate’s leadership. Awate’s group of rebels wreaked havoc for the Ethiopians in power and were the greatest nationalist threat at the time. Ethiopians came at Awate many times but failed time and time again. It was then in 1962 did Awate die from battle wounds. He was one of the driving forces in the struggle for independence and is considered a hero among the people. The government of Eritrea erected a statue of him in 1994.
Isais Afwerki became apart of the struggle for independence in 1966. He was studying Engineering in Addis Ababa before leaving for Kassala, Sudan to join the Eritrean Liberation Front in exile. They were then sent to China for military training. They also spent 2 years studying political ideology and guerrilla warfare. When Ajwerki returned to Eritrea, he was appointed political commissar of the Eritrean Liberation Front. The Eritrean Liberation Front then divided into 3 different factions. Afwerki joined a new faction called the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front. Afwerki worked with a team to create a manifesto titled “Our Struggle and its Goals”. This manifesto keyed in on big social topics, asking the people to overcome ethnic and religious differences. It also called on the people to launch a revolutionary struggle for independence. Afwerki then became a military chairman for the committee in 1975. He was then elected vice secretary-general in 1977 and finally elected secretary general 10 years later. In 1991, under Afwerki’s leadership, Eritrea was declared an independent state. He was able to unite all of Eritrea and bring order to the state, ending the 30-year struggle for independence. He was then declared the first head of state in 1993. He restructured Eritrea’s entire government top to bottom making it an efficient democracy.
Both these men did great, unforgettable things for the country of Eritrea. Awate was a true rebel and started the initial push for independence until his death in 1962. He will remain prevalent in the history of Eritrea. Afwerki was a true diplomat and had the vision of a unified Eritrea. His work during the struggle for independence and his work in the new government define him as one of the great Eritrean leaders in their history.