Conditions being as such, should one opt to face butchery in the hands of "Jebha' simply because one was born Christian or should one surrender to the enemy, the Haile Selassie government? Which option is better? Dying at the hands of religious fanatics or giving one's hand to the enemy?
Both are abominable; both are poisonous pills to swallow; both mean death. Moreover to make neither choice is tantamount to sitting on the edge of a sharp blade. But rather than choose either of the two alternatives, it is better to nit on the edge of a sharp blade.
Now then we are the fighters who chose to alt on the edge of a sharp blade. We are the fighters who made this choice rather than die in the hands of the religious fanatics of "Jebha" or flee to Ethiopia. It is said that he who does not participate in battle belittles its hardships.
Those who did not face what we have faced, those who have never confronted the physical and moral hardships which we have experienced may spread rumours about us and even blame us. It is understandable.
We wish to make it clear that we separated from the fascist administration of "Jebha" and not from fellow freedom-fighters. It is a big shame that there should exist religious, ethnic and other divisions within the Eritrean liberation struggle. As freedom fighters, our role should be to eradicate this and other ills of Eritrean society; and in no way should we create a situation wherein such ills could be accentuated. What if one stood for the national cause, but the "Jebha" lenders misdirected the struggle? What if one was oppressed by these same lenders while one was fighting for national liberation? To liberation fighters, the answer is simple. The nature of our separation might give the impression that we gathered on the basis of religion. But what alternative did we have? In fact, what saddens us is not the fact that we have gathered together and separated, but the harsh causes that forced us to do so, for we uphold the primacy of our country and our people over religion. We are freedom fighters and not preachers of the gospel. What led us to take the stand we have taken is revolutionary conviction and not spiritual preaching. We consider what we have done to be induced by evolutionary courage, honesty and love of our country.