The UK and USA Secret Telegrams That Betrayed Eritrea’s Destiny

By ALULA FREZGHI

A Hidden Archive of Betrayal

The recently declassified telegrams, now spotlighted in the podcast “The Secret Telegrams That Changed Eritrea’s Destiny”, expose a chilling truth: Eritrea’s fate was not decided by its people, but by the cold calculations of global powers. For over four decades, Eritreans endured displacement, massacres, and cultural erasure not as collateral damage of war, but as the direct consequence of decisions made in Washington, London, and New York.

The Sin of Silence

The United Nations, entrusted with safeguarding self-determination, became complicit in Eritrea’s subjugation. Telegrams reveal how UN officials, under pressure from the U.S. and U.K., ignored Eritrean voices and legitimized Ethiopia’s annexation. This betrayal was not passive; it was deliberate. The silence of the UN was a sin that cost tens of thousands of Eritrean lives.

Cold War Calculations, Human Consequences

For the U.S. and U.K., Eritrea was a pawn in the Cold War chessboard. Ethiopia’s Haile Selassie and later Mengistu were propped up as allies, their atrocities overlooked in exchange for military bases and geopolitical leverage. Telegrams detail how Western diplomats prioritized access to the Red Sea over the rights of Eritrean citizens. The result: decades of scorched earth campaigns, forced displacement, and the systematic attempt to erase Eritrean identity.

The Human Toll

Behind every telegram lies a story of suffering. Families torn apart, villages burned, generations uprooted. Eritrean resistance was not only against Ethiopian aggression but against the weight of international betrayal. The telegrams are not just historical documents, they are evidence of crimes against humanity, sanctioned by global indifference.

Why Memory Matters

To forget these telegrams is to absolve the perpetrators. To remember them is to honor the martyrs and displaced, and to demand accountability from institutions that failed Eritrea. The podcast is more than a revelation; it is a call to action. Eritrea’s destiny was stolen, but its memory must not be.

A Call for Justice

Today, as Eritrea continues to navigate regional instability, these telegrams remind us that sovereignty is fragile when global powers treat nations as bargaining chips. Justice requires acknowledgment: the UN must confront its complicity, and the U.S. and U.K. must reckon with their Cold War sins. Eritrea’s struggle was not just national, it was a struggle against the machinery of betrayal.

The Secret Telegrams That Changed Eritrea’s Destiny | Declassified U.S. Cables