Castro's friend fails in Eritrea

Socialist Press no. 123, 1 November 1978 · scan p. 3 · Foreign Secretary David · about 368 words

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The after effects of Owen's failure to convince the South African government to abandon plans for holding its own election in Namibia are continuing to Migrant worker in Namibia Last month in Addis Ababa, Fidel Castro and other representatives of world Stalinism gathered with their 'left' allies from the leadership of African nationalist movements.

Brought together by Colonel Mengistu, they 'celebrated' the fourth anniversary of the Ethiopian revolution-a revolution now frozen in the grip of the Derg's military dictatorship headed by Mengistu himself.

While Castro led the Stalinist hymns of praise to the 'socialism' of this 'progressive' Bonapartist regime, Mengistu's armies were working under orders to massacre the Eritrean Equipped with Soviet arms and jets and trained by Cuban advisers, the armies of the Derg are probably the largest mobilised by any African state.

In June, they finally moved forward in a major offensive against the Eritrean Liberation Front and the Eritrean Popular Liberation Front.

But the initially rapid advance into the areas defended by the ELF was soon checked, as the battlefield extended to cover the territories controlled by the EPLF.

As the ELF forces regrouped launch guerrilla warfare, tha EPLF made what it called "tactical retreats' before the invading army. The defence of the city of Keren was central to this strategy.

North-west of the capital Asmara, Keren is a crucial town to the military control of western Eritrea.

Repeated attacks have failed to dislodge the EPLF, and the Ethiopian offensive has ground to a halt.

The Red Sea port of Massawa remains encircled by the liberation forces, while 50,000 of the Derg's troops are still trapped under regular siege in Asmara.

This situation has clearly strengthened the struggles of the Eritrean people for self determination against the attacks of Ethiopian colonialism.

At the same time it has dealt further blows against Mengistu's attempts to consolidate his dictatorship.

For all their sophisticated equipment, the armies of the Derg are almost entirely composed of ill-trained peasants seeking to escape from the colossal poverty and increasing starvation of rural Ethiopia.

Mass demoralisation, widespread desertion and gathering agitation for higher wages are • adding every day to the military problems created by Mengistu's , adventure into imperialism.