Weldu Gebreselasie (PhD)
The word martyrdom dates back to Ancient Greek, derived from martys (or martur), meaning “witness,” originally in the context of faith in early Christianity. Over time, its meaning evolved from simply testifying to a belief to the physical act of dying for that belief. In its later meaning, martyrdom denotes the psychological readiness to suffer or to give up one’s life for a deeply held conviction.
Martyrdom is the ultimate expression of devotion to a cause of supreme importance. It underscores the idea that self-interest pales in comparison to a noble cause that individuals regard as the foundation of their existence. In this sense, martyrdom is self-effacement — a conscious commitment to die because the cause transcends all other aspects of life.
A question often raised when the word “martyrdom” comes to mind is: why do people suffer or give up their lives for a cause? The answer may be found in the power of collective identity. Human beings, driven by shared values, identify with causes such as a nation, a social movement, religion, political ideals, or ideology. The survival and success of such causes may come to be viewed as more important than individual life itself. Many believe that sacrificing their lives will bring freedom, justice, or a better future for generations to come.
History demonstrates that humanity’s story is not only one of cooperation, coexistence, and the rule of law. It is also marked by greed, invasion, cruelty, human rights violations, and injustice. Such darker aspects of human behavior often culminate in systemic injustice, where laws are trampled by those who perpetrate oppression.
In the absence of justice, people may feel compelled to sacrifice their irreplaceable lives to resist injustice. Failure to confront oppression can result in the loss of dignity, freedom, and even homeland. The Eritrean political and armed struggle stands as one such example of resistance to injustice.
Eritrea was an Italian colony from 1890 to 1941. After the defeat of Italy by the Allied Powers during World War II, the fate of the former colony was placed in international hands. Following prolonged geopolitical maneuvering and negotiations, Eritrean aspirations for independence were overshadowed by global strategic interests. Eritreans organized political movements advocating for independence, facing continuous external pressures and territorial claims from Ethiopia.
The political struggle was marked by violence and repression. Abdulkadir Kebire, a prominent political leader, was assassinated, and Woldeab Woldemariam was forced into exile. Hundreds were killed in protests in Asmara and other towns while opposing the denial of their right to self-determination, and livelihoods were devastated.
The forced federation of Eritrea with Ethiopia in 1952 — later dissolved unilaterally by Ethiopia in 1962 — paved the way for Eritrea’s annexation. This abrogation of the right to decolonization, carried out with the involvement of international actors including the United Nations and support from the United States, deepened the political crisis. Ultimately, the suppression of peaceful political expression transformed the struggle for self-determination into an armed struggle for independence.
The beginning of the Eritrean armed struggle intensified not only the national consciousness of the Eritrean people, but also the war itself. As the cruelty of the Ethiopian colonial system worsened, hundreds of young people from all walks of life — including some from outside Eritrea — flocked to the field with unmatched willingness to sacrifice their lives for the cause of independence. The struggle demanded that Eritreans leave behind their families, siblings, and parents, and abandon various professions — including well-paying jobs — to endure the harsh and arduous life in the field.
The powers that were indirectly responsible for the devastating conflict, which could have been avoided in the 1940s, failed to address the legitimate aspirations of the Eritrean people, allowing it to escalate into a prolonged and destructive war that took a heavy toll on human life and the livelihoods of the population.
The revolutionary song Meswaeti Waga Nay Harnet Iyu (“Martyrdom Is the Price of Freedom”) by veteran fighter-singer Berhkti Weldeslasie (also known as Tanki) aptly captures the immense sacrifice paid by Eritreans. The sheer number of martyrs — over 65,000 — and the more than ten thousand disabled fighters — maimed, blinded, or paralyzed — testify to the magnitude of the struggle and the profound human cost of the betrayal that fueled it.
The immense sacrifice Eritreans paid in the quest for independence did not end with the hoisting of the national flag in 1993. Instead, the post-independence era highlighted a persistent, recurring historical pattern: the preference of global superpowers for raw regional geopolitics over the legitimate aspirations of the Eritrean people to exist peacefully as an independent, sovereign entity. This bias became glaringly obvious during subsequent conflicts aimed at undermining Eritrea’s sovereignty, notably the 1998–2000 border war initiated under the pretext of a boundary dispute.
For nearly two decades, consecutive Ethiopian administrations engaged in reckless attempts at vilifying and violating the Algiers Agreement, physically occupying sovereign Eritrean territories like Badme in flagrant violation of international law. Rather than enforcing the treaty, international guarantors—including the United Nations, the European Union, and the United States—adopted a lukewarm, indifferent attitude toward enforcing these final and binding border settlements, placing geopolitical favoritism ahead of international covenants. For Eritrea, this meant that the price of independence transformed into an ongoing, multi-generational price required to safeguard their borders.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the history of Eritrea is an extraordinary testament to the triumph of human dignity over systemic geopolitical injustice. From the early political assassinations in Asmara to the grueling decades of armed struggle and the modern defense of its sovereign borders, the Eritrean identity has been forged in the fires of unyielding resistance.
Martyrdom, in the Eritrean context, transcends mere historical remembrance; it serves as the foundational bedrock of the state. The thousands of lives laid down in the trenches were not lost in vain, but were consciously invested into the purchase of an independent future. As long as global structures continue to favor strategic expediency over international law, the legacy of Eritrea’s martyrs remains an enduring moral compass—a reminder that a nation’s sovereignty, once bought with the ultimate price, is non-negotiable and will be fiercely protected by succeeding generations.
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