Mereja Forum

[Roha]

Awate was a trigger happy ordinary outlaw (shifta): A hero of Fascist Benito Mussolini !!!
Monday, 15 October 2012 12:00 Ghirmay Yeibio
Awate was a trigger happy ordinary outlaw (
shifta
): A hero of Fascist Benito Mussolini !!!
In defense of the Kunama version of the history of Awate and free speech
In the month of September, 2012 following a statement made by Mr. Kernelious Osman of the
Kunama regarding Hamid Idris Awate, a lot of uproar has ensued. In the ensuing uproar
many organizations and individuals like the Gulf Centre for Media Services, the Eritrean
Solidarity Front, Meskerem.net, and other numerous individuals and news outlets have come
up with articles condemning and demonizing Mr. Kernelious.
Some have tried to tell Mr. Kernelious and by extension the Kunama people not to cross a red
line which they have put. Some of them even have gone to the extent of demanding the
expulsion of his organization from the so call
ed “umbrella organization” Eritrean National
Alliance (ENA). Furthermore, ENA has taken th
e unprecedented and undemocratic decision of
suspending the organization led by Mr. Kernelious Osman, because he exercised his God given
right of freedom of expression.
These organizations and media outlets, in their attempt to create “an Awate which is beyond
reproach and criticism”, they deliberately have
alienated the Kunamas of Eritrea and simply
told them that the pain and suffering imparted on them in the hands of Awate and his outlaw
(
shifta
) group is not worth mentioning.
They are simply telling these indigenous Eritrean people that they and their painful history do
not matter. The Kunamas which have been the victim of an aggressive persecution by the
Asmara regime through its ethnic cleansing policy have been conveniently forgotten by the
mainstream Eritrean opposition groups.
The persecution and suffering of this Ethnic group and the stories and sufferings of the tens of
thousands of Kunama refugees have not been reported by any of the so called “Eritrean
human right organizations” who have flourished these days in every conceivable corner of the
globe where the Eritrean Diaspora lives. These Human right organizations that go by fancy
names like “concern”, “organization”, “Gezana” etc. would rather deafen us day in and day out
with their copy and paste reports about the G-15, and the burial rights of one of the most
notorious Gestapo of Eritrea Naizghi Kiflu. None of them came forward to defend Kernelious’
right to hold opinions without interference and freedom of speech.
Again for these Eritrean Opposition and so called Human right organizations, the sufferings of
the Kunama people is not worth reporting and sadly enough the Kunamas are “subhuman
species” who do not deserve a mention. No wonder then that the Kunamas and other minority
8
people feel alienated not only
by the Asmara regime but also by the main stream Eritrean
opposition groups and human right organizations. No wonder that they have incorporated in
their programs “the right for self determination up to and including secession”.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 19 clearly states that,
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to
hold opinions without interference and to se
ek, receive and impart information and ideas
through any media and regardless of frontiers.
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Article 19 also states that,
“Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference. Everyone shall have the
right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart
information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in
the form of art, or through an
y other media of his choice.”
“To restrict anyone from expressing his views freely about any historical event directly
contradicts the above human right declarations
and other similar regional and global laws
pertaining to civil liberties. Freedom of speech and the freedom to express one's beliefs are
essential to human dignity and liberty and as such Kernelious Osman and the Kunamas have
the right to express their version of the history of Awate without anyone censoring, or
curtailing them.”
Who was Hamid Idris Awate? What was his history? What was his motivation if any when he
led a band of his outlaws (shifta) to shoot th
e first bullet against an Ethiopian police post?
Hamid Idris Awate was born in 1910 in Gerset
village located between Omhajer and Tessenei
in Gash Setit region of South Western Eritrea, from a Nara father and Beni Amer mother. In
1935, he was conscripted by the Italians to serve in the colonial army of the Eritrean Ascaris.
The Italians, impressed by Awate’s military performance and loyalty sent him to the Italian
African Police training school in Tivoli about 30 km north-east of Rome, for a course in Military
Intelligence. The Italian African Police force (
Polizia dell'Africa
Italiana
or
PAI
) was a racially
mixed organization, made up of Italian agents and native
Ascaris
. It was located in police
headquarters of major cities like Tripoli, Beng
hazi, Asmara, Addis Ababa, Mogadishu, Gondar,
or in small commissariats elsewhere.
During the fascist era of Benito Mussolin
i (1922–1943), the Italian African Police (
Polizia
dell'Africa Italiana
or
PAI
) along with the Carabinieri were one of the police forces entrusted
with suppressing opposition in Italian East Africa (Africa Orientale Italiana, or AOI), mainly in
Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia.
9
The other role of Italian African Police (
Polizia dell’Africa Italiana
) along with the
Carabinieri
was to set up machine gun posts to control the rear of attacking regiments and prevent
desertion. In the mid to late 1930s
, the Italian African Police and the
Carabinieri
were
responsible for the atrocities committed in Eritrea and Ethiopia during the Second Italo-
Abyssinian War.
Recruitment to the Italian African Police was contingent on the degree of loyalty one shows and
the ability to carry on instructions without question. Hamid Idris Awate was a proud and
loyal member of the Italian African Police and
Carabinieri
who committed untold crimes on
native Africans (Sudanese, Ethiopians and Eritreans) who were resisting the occupation of
their land by Italy.
For his loyal service to the Italian occupation forc
e he was first appointed as security officer in
western Eritrea and later as deputy chief admini
strator of the city of Kassala, Sudan and its
surroundings during the brief Italian occupation of
that city in early 1940s. As administrator
of Kassala he relentlessly worked to the politi
cal union of Kassala to Eritrea until the British
attack of January 1941 put an end to his dreams
. He further has fought gallantly with his
Italian benefactors as a brave soldier in the battle of Keren.
As a loyal fascist soldier, the defeat of Italy
by allied forces in East Africa disappointed Awate
bitterly. After the British army liberated Erit
rea from the Italians in 1941 he continued to
wage guerilla warfare against the British for over a year, with the cavalrymen of Amedeo
Guillet.
Amedeo Guillet (February 7, 1909 – June 16,
2010) also known as th
e devil commander was
an officer of the Italian Army who commanded a band of cavalrymen "
Gruppo Bande a Cavallo
"
during the Italian guerrilla war in Ethiopia in 1941–42. Guillet commanded approximately
2,500 locally recruited cavalrymen who were recrui
ted from all over Ethiopia and Eritrea with
Yemeni infantry men. They also consisted of some camel corps from Libya and were led with
six European officers and Eritrean NCOs all
hand-picked by Amedeo himself.
(N. B. Notice the similarity in attire between the
pictures of Amedeo Guillet here and Hamid
Idris Awate as cavalrymen above.)
(Photo: Amedeo Guillet with a native
cavalryman)
One of these handpicked Non Commissioned
Officers (NCOs) was Hamid Idris Awate who
was in charge of 100 Ascari cavalrymen with
another Eritrean officer of the Ascari named
Ali Gabre. Guillet tried to delay the advance of
the British Army when they crossed the Eritrean frontier in 1941. He fought the British army
at Cherù on the road to Amba Alagie and Agordat and his delaying actions enabled the Italian
army to regroup at Keren.
His actions saved the lives of thousands of Italians and Eritreans who withdrew from Amba
Alagie. After nearly two months the British broke through the defenses of the Italians and
Asmara was captured.
10
While most of the Italian army surrendered, Guillet refused to do so and began a private war
against the British. He continued to wage a guerrilla campaign, ambushing British convoys
and disrupting supply lines. For almost a year Guillet launched guerrilla actions against
British troops, plundering conv
oys and attacking isolated military posts, with his beautiful
gun-toting Ethiopian Muslim mistress Kedija by his side. She was the daughter of a chieftain
from Simien in Gondar. In 1942 realizing the futility of his actions, Guillet managed to escape
across the Red Sea to Yemen.
(Photo: Kedija – Mistress of Guillet the daughter of An Ethiopian Chieftain from
Simien, Gondar)
During this adventure one of the loyal subjects of Guillet was Hamid Idris
Awate who was fighting for the return of the Duce’s African Empire. It was
this guerilla experience which the ELF wanted to exploit when asking Awate to
start the Eritrean insurrection in 1961.
After the departure of Guillet in 1942, Hamid Idris Awate based himself in the
western lowlands of Eritrea in the vicinity of his tribal land with his army of approximately 50
men, and continued to fight the British, awaiting for the return of his commander Amedeo
Guillet with help and reinforcement from Rome.
He continued his fight against the British
until 1945. After he realized that the empire
of Fascist Italy was gone for good he continued
his outlaw (
shifta
) life, this time targeting innocent Eritrean civilians. He conducted raids into
Kunama villages and plundered cattle which he sold in the markets of Kassala, Sudan. He set
ablaze countless Kunama villages and looted them and engaged in indiscriminate killing of
Kunama women and children including infants.
Awate’s notoriety as a
shifta
and crimes against civilians was such that the then British
Military Administration set a price of £300 for in
formation leading to “the arrest or capture of
Awate dead or alive”. He was a notorious outlaw (
shifta
) alongside other outlaws of the
time like
Weldegebriel Mosazghi
of Berakit Abay and
Berhe Mosazghi
of Berakit Abay,
Hagos
Temnewo
of Debri Adi Tsadek and
Asresehenge Embaye
of Areza, who were targeting
defenseless highlanders of Akeleguzay, Seraye and Hamasien and killed countless Jebertis,
Sahos and Kunama of South western lowlands
of Eritrea. A 1949 British Military
Administration document enumerates 51 such outlaws (
shiftas
) with a bounty on their heads
with Awate at the top of the list and with the highest bounty of £300.
He was later pardoned by the British Administ
ration in Eritrea in 1950 and given complete
amnesty for his past crimes and allowed to return to his hometown. He was also allowed to
retain his gun for personal protection. The restless and trigger happy Awate was living in his
native village when the ELF approached him to start the armed struggle. He still had some of
his band of outlaws with him. He was 50 years old at the time. Awate accepted the request
by the ELF and in September of 1961, fired the first shot declaring the start of the armed
struggle and was back in business again. He led the ELF armed wing for only about 20
months and died on May 28, 1962 presumably fr
om food poisoning. Thus the so called
“Eritrean war of independence” was launched by a criminal outlaw (
shifta
) and is still run by
another outlaw (
shifta
) Isayas.
Hamid Idris Awate was a simple outlaw (
shifta
). An ordinary soldier entrusted with
accomplishing a political goal ch
arted out for him by ELF leadership in the Sudan. He never
interfered nor tried to influence the political
decision of the front, nor did he have the
analyzing capacity of what he was doing. He wa
s politically ignorant and was glad to do what
he was trained to do his whole life and which he
knew best how to do
i.e. killing and causing
mayhem
.
11
He was a trigger happy fascist loyalist who worked against the interests of the Eritrean people
in particular and colonized Africans in General, who continued to fight the British forces,
alongside Amedeo Guillet, to bring back fascist Italian rule to Eritrea even after Mussolini’s
army had surrendered in East Africa to the allied forces.
He was a fascist loyalist who conducted a guerrilla war for 5 whole years for “a king, country
and a people whom he never saw or knew”. He was loyal Carabinieri who diligently worked to
keep Eritreans under the yoke of Italian colonialism. As a right hand man of the Italian
administration he approved and enforced the racist and oppressive policy of Italy which
confiscated around half of the land of Eritrea under the principles of state land “
Terreno
Demaniale
”, particularly around western lowlan
ds of Eritrea during his tenure as
administrator. He wanted to reinstate the It
alian Fascist rule that dehumanized Eritreans
using apartheid and segregation and continued to fight to bring back that system to East
Africa for five whole years, until the end of the Second World War.
What makes Awate different from the tens of th
ousands of Eritrean, Ethiopian, and Somali
Ascaris who fought alongside Italy is the fact that he conducted a guerilla war to reinstate the
fascist rule on Eritrea even after the demise of Duce Mussolini’s empire and even after all the
Italian soldiers and Ascaris have surrendered.
He was more dedicated to fascism than the
fascists themselves
.
He did not even have the slightest concept of freedom let alone be a freedom fighter or a
resistance fighter. The only resistance he showed was to resuscitate the dead empire of Benito
Mussolini in East Africa.
Therefore, Awate does not deserve to be given the honorable title of a freedom fighter. Trying
to glamorize and give Awate a face lift and give him a name which he does not deserve is not
only gross representation, but also an insult to his victims.
He was a gun, available for hire to the highest bidder, a “Billy the kid” of Eritrea, who availed
his services first to Benito Mussolini in 1935, ne
xt to Amedeo Guillet in 1941 out of love and
loyalty to fascist Italy and later in 1961 to
Idris Mohammed Adem and the ELF leadership in
the Sudan, out of familial and ethnic loyalty.
When there was no one to hire him, he turned
to cattle raiding and rustling for monetary
gains, burning down whole villages indiscriminately, killing and massacring innocent civilians
including infants, children and women. His primary victims were the Kunamas. Killing was
just a profession for him. That in short is
who Hamid Idris Awate was, no more and no less
.
The tragic irony is that even though Awate had no noble intention when he fired the first shot,
he is credited with starting the armed insurrection against the so called "Ethiopian colonizers"
because of a historical accident.
An interesting and weird twist to the story of Am
edeo Guillet is that he
visited Eritrea in 2000
upon the express invitation of Isayas Afeworki
. Isayas must have taken a few pointers from
Italian rule about how to subjugate the Eritrean people. Like father like son, both Isayas and
Awate were worshipers of Fascists of Douche Mussolini. The love of Isayas for Guillet came to
light during his visit to Italy in 1999.
During his visit to Rome Isayas was asked whether there was any single Italian he would care
to meet. Amedeo Guillet, he replied promptly.
The then 90 yrs old Guillet was immediately
summoned by Italian officials to meet the Eritrean head of state and was extended an
invitation to visit Eritrea by Isayas, which Guillet did in 2000.
12
(Photo: Isayas Afeworki welcomes Amedeo to his country.
The president’s Palace was very familiar to Amedeo.
It used to be the Italian army’s headquarters.
We also find another interesting twist to the story of Amedeo Guillet, who
died on June 16, 2010 at the age of 10
1. The official website of Amedeo
Guillet shows the picture of an Eritrean Greek by the name of Vassili
Kiriakakos at the funeral of Guillet.
The name Kiriakakos kind of rings a familiar bell for
Eritreans, and raises the question what the role of Eritrean
Greeks in general and “the Kiriakakos’’ in particular was
during the Italian occupation of Eritrea. How come one of
the Kiriakakos’ comes to pay homage and attend the funeral
of a well known Italian soldier of Benito Mussolini? Was
there any collaboration by them with the regime of Benito
Mussolini in East Africa? It makes one wonder. More
research needs to be done to know the extent of the role of
some of the Eritrean Greeks, if there was any, during the
fascist era.(Photo: Vassili Kiriakakos, a Greek Eritrean, and
Colonel Mongelli, who made a film documentar
y about Amedeo and was a devoted attendant
during the final years, with Major Ed Jeep, of
the US marine corps at the funeral of Amedeo
Guillet.)
Ghirmay Yeibio
Winnipeg, MB.
Saleh Gadi Johar
·
Keren secondary school
Selam Ghirmay,
Honestly, when I glanced at your article and saw some archive photos, including the
bombastic sub-title you provided (not to mention the importance of the subject) I expected to
see serious (if not a researched) work. It seems most of your material are from this website:
http://www.amedeoguillet.com/funeral/, Wikipedi
a, some of which is awate.com's work, plus
a photo from shabait. That is
not the issue though, I kindly ask you to educate me if you
would please by providing any reference or ev
idence on how out of tens of thousands of
Asakaris, you linked Awate to Amadeo's adventure. One more thing: the picture of the man on
the horse is not Awate by the way, according
to someone who is related to the man in the
picture which he know before someone posted it
on the Internet claiming it is Awate---and it
went viral....See more
15 October 2012 at 19:02
Teweldebrhan Kifle
·
Saleh,
You are fighting a war that you would never win.
Eritrea will be fine less those individuals.
Take it easy and no offence is intended sir.

[tarik]

SHUT Z FKKK UP U BAZTARD AGAME. HAMID IDRIS IS AND WAS AND 4 OVER Z REAL REVOLUTIONARY LEADER AND LEADER OF ERITREA!!! FKKK U AGAMES. LONG LIVE HAMID IDRIS AWATE!!!

[EthioRedSea]

Awate was an idiot, a fascist thug, a muslim fundamentalist, who had no idea what politics or policy making means. He was an ascari in the service of Benito Mussolini. It is bad, bad, bad for Eritreans who are Ethiopians that they accept Awate as a leader. Christian Eritreans should never accept Awate and his muslim supporter as citizens. Awate and his supporters should be deported from Eritrea to Sudan.

[( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

Rest in Peace to the agame Awash/Roha

[Eripoblikan]

Mumbo-jumbo of TPLF/Agaizian

Remember it's the armed struggle started by Awate that helped the TPLF truimph over the Dergue.

[EthioRedSea]

You are worthless idiots. He was a dirty muslim with no history. The problem is Ethiopians are too kind. TPLF cannot win any war against Ethiopia. It was the lack of leaders. The likes of Mengistu were street boys that have to be overthrown and killed. TPLF and EPLF cannot win any war against Ethiopians. Ethopians were divided along ethnic lines, which mad easy prey to cursed Eritreans and Tigrayans.

[kerenite]

Awate was an idiot, a fascist thug, a muslim fundamentalist, who had no idea what politics or policy making means. He was an ascari in the service of Benito Mussolini. It is bad, bad, bad for Eritreans who are Ethiopians that they accept Awate as a leader. Christian Eritreans should never accept Awate and his muslim supporter as citizens. Awate and his supporters should be deported from Eritrea to Sudan.

Ugum,

To begin with, I ain't a religious person but 2 SOBs here (fed-up and sebdoyeley) who happen to be your likes drag me to such trivial religious issues which I frequently try to avoid. The former fed-up out of idiocy applies outragious childish outrageous racial slur such as shiritam whereas the latter sobdeyeley does it cynically and the "hasas hamassien" cheer and hail what he says.

Now ayte komal ugum,

Let me stoop soooo low to your ugum level and respond:

Ugum, there is no such thing as ethiopian red sea while it was never, it is only on your dream. Correct your fuucking nick... komal.

And who the fuuck are you to talk about eritreans and worse you have even the audacity to plan and deport eri muslims to the sudan? Now! Who is gonna deport them, your aunt weizero Haddas? AbaQ who I'd !!!

You ugums, why don't you leave is alone. We eris told you WE HATE YOU.

For instance if a person tells you straight in your face that he hates you then where is the integrity? Why don't you reciprocate likewise by saying I hate you too.

GoHafatat Qurdid

[sebdoyeley]

I love the way you chewing the agame A$$ kerenite, and I applaud you on that. but I still not accepted you as quinine Eritrean. so for today I abundant that shi***m shire thing.do`t get cousy, it is for today

Awate was an idiot, a fascist thug, a muslim fundamentalist, who had no idea what politics or policy making means. He was an ascari in the service of Benito Mussolini. It is bad, bad, bad for Eritreans who are Ethiopians that they accept Awate as a leader. Christian Eritreans should never accept Awate and his muslim supporter as citizens. Awate and his supporters should be deported from Eritrea to Sudan.

Ugum,

To begin with, I ain't a religious person but 2 SOBs here (fed-up and sebdoyeley) who happen to be your likes drag me to such trivial religious issues which I frequently try to avoid.

Now ayte komal ugum,

Let me stoop soooo low to your ugum level and respond:

Ugum, time here is no such thing as ethiopian red sea while it was never, it is only on your dream. Correct your fuucking nick komal.

And who the fuuck are you to talk about eritrea and worse you have even the audacity to plan and deport eri muslims to the sudan? Who is gonna deport them, your aunt weizero Haddas? AbaQ!!!

You ugums, why don't you leave is alone. We eris told you WE HATE YOU. For instance if a person tells you straight in your face that he hates you then where is the integrity? Why don't you reciprocate likewise by saying I hate you too.

GoHafatat Qurdid

[EthioRedSea]

I am ffrom Ethiopia. Do not insult Tigrayans. Moron nomads and worthless [deleted] muslims!

[Follower]

ታኾኖም ተጠሊዕምየ ቁማር ተበሊዕምየ