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September 14, 2006 Dawit Wolde Giorgis, critically acclaimed author of Red
Tears, a book on Revolution, War and Famine during the cold War era,
pens a new book in Amharic. Emaelafe
Zeleke Title: Kihidet Bedem Meret In
his new book, Kihidet Bedem Meret,
Dawit Wolde Giorgis recants an age of inexorable war in Ethiopia—the
struggles, defeats, and victories. At times, a harrowing tale of foreign
enemies and invaders, traitors and foreign agents, Dawit searches
desperately for the silver lining. He finds it among the scores of
gallant Ethiopian fighters constantly resisting anti-Ethiopian forces.
These resistance fighters are clear and resolute of purpose; freedom and
unity are paramount and to be achieved at all costs. He masterfully
tells the story of a nation that has been in agony for long years;
placing himself in the midst of a struggle to reclaim Ethiopian history
from its current propaganda spinning regime. Dawit
addresses a whole host of long-standing threats and challenges of
Ethiopia's survival and security as a multi-ethnic nation state—from
issues of access to the Red Sea to the hydro-politics of the Nile, the problem of the Ogaden,
and the threats posed by Jihadist/Islamic extremism in our present time.
Kihidet Bedem Meret
chronicles significant yet forgotten aspects of Ethiopia’s political
and military history to date. Dawit, with invigorating insight bring to
the fore the events and attendant errors committed by the nation’s successive leaders and the
grave impact that these errors and blunders have had on the destiny of
the Ethiopian nation. Kihidet
Bedem Meret is a political story that unravels the truth about the
corroding legacies of Isaias Afeworki, Meles Zenawi, and other leaders
of the Tigrean People's Liberation Front (TPLF), who, over the past 35
years, have worked treacherously in an attempt to disunite Ethiopia.
With
equal pains, Dawit tells the story of the huge sacrifices paid in sweat,
blood, limbs and lives by countless Ethiopian Eritreans who remained
steadfast in defense of Ethiopia, their beloved homeland. Kihidet Bedem Meret tells the amazing story of the patriotic
struggles of Black Lion veterans such as Colonel Haileab and other
patriotic Ethiopians of Eritrean origin such as General Andom, Dejazmach
Gebrekal, among scores of others. Their struggles, victories, and
martyrdom inform the narrative flow of the book. In
much the same way, Dawit promotes discussions about historical facts and
figures. The book touches on the King of Kings Yohannes IV, Ras Alula,
Emperor Minilik and Eritrea, and Eritrea and Adwa in relation to the
bigger picture of strategic significance for what would unfold in later
periods. The battles of Korea, Congo, Ogaden, Wolwol, Dogali, Gundet,
Guraa, Haley Koatit and Senaafe also have broad representations. The
major battles in Northern Ethiopia during the Derg/WPE regime
such as: Key Bahir Zemecha (Operation of Red sea),Yekey Kokeb
Zemecha (Operation Red star ), and
Bahre Negash Zemecha (Operation Ruler of the Sea) are presented
critically with all the success and failure that had far reaching
consequences for the final collapse of the Ethiopian Armed Forces. The
story tells a heart-wrenching record of defeats and glamorous days of
spectacular victories. It gives a detailed account of those zealous
combatants of the modern Ethiopian Armed Forces, their huge sacrifices
and remarkable supremacy over invading enemies and local traitors. Kihidet Bedem
Meret
is an archive of many civilian officials and officers of both the
emperor and the Derg era. Dawit has a lot to tell as never before about
the modern Ethiopian army from its inception all the way through to its
maturity. The book discusses the historical beginnings of the Ground
Force, Air Force and the Navy, from their superior warfare to the
immense sacrifices paid by their members on various battlefields.
Inevitably, Dawit follows the armed forces to their tragic demise. In
Kihidet Bedem Meret, Dawit
exposes much about the current tyrants’ treachery, deception, and
infamous attempt to fabricate a "new history" of Ethiopia. The
book goes to great lengths to prevent the current and future generations
of Ethiopians from confusion in regards to our recent past.
It is also an appeal for all Ethiopians to honor the heroes who
have given their precious lives in defense of the unity and territorial
integrity of Ethiopia. It evokes strong emotions, implanting vivid
images of the fallen heroes of Ethiopia in the minds and hearts of this
generation and of generations to come. Major
Dawit Wolde Giorgis, the writer, is one of the prominent figures in
Ethiopian politics. Major Dawit, who was among the 2nd intakes of the
Harar Military Academy, and who later graduated with a Law degree from
Addis Ababa University and Columbia University in the United States, has
served as a military trainer and operations officer/fighter during many
operations in Eritrea. Later, and until he was forced to leave the
country following serious disputes with the top echelons of the Derg/WPE
regime, he held civilian positions as supreme civilian
representative of the regime to
Eritrea, Deputy Foreign Minister and the Commissioner of Relief
and Rehabilitation, among other civilian
positions he held during Col Mengisu's regime. Major
Dawit, who previously wrote Red
Tears, a treatise on Revolution, War, and Famine in Ethiopia during
the final waning of the Cold War era, makes his literary return with Kihidet Bedem Meret in an effort to demystify and debunk the many
fabrications about the war and the root causes of the war in Eritrea,
erroneously penned and told by those at the helm of state power today in
both Asmara and Addis Ababa. He invites his readers to take part in
terrific stories never told before. Dawit, in his meticulous narrative,
helps the reader to visualize the real, phenomenally heroic, and yet
tragic stories of Ethiopian battlefields, as opposed to the fictitious
stories orchestrated by the TPLF/EPRDF propaganda
machinery. Part
historical text and part authorial memoir, Dawit tells us a lot about
Ethiopia. The topics found in this moving piece of political and
military history/memoir, will undoubtedly provoke discussion and debate
among the readership and scholars of our recent political and military
past. Dawit is a source person. His work Kihidet
Bedem Meret will be hailed as a historical document about the heroic
achievements and huge sacrifices of generations of gallant Ethiopians
and the members of the Ethiopian Armed Forces. All told, the book
contains many previously neglected aspects of our history, which this
generation simply can’t afford to ignore. Dawit's Kihidet
Be Dem Meret is a must read. Title: Kihidet Bedem Meret . Author: Dawit
Wolde Giorgis Pages: 470. Price:
$30 (USD). Publisher: Aesop Publishers and Distributors To
Order a copy of the book E-mail:
Aesoppublishers@aol.com.
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