The setting up of the Fifth Division was a further extension of the policy based on ethnic differences; it certainly could not be a solution to the problem. As stated above, the measures taken by the bosses were not guided by true revolutionary principles; they were military strategies opposed to the people's interest and based on religious, ethnic, regional and reactionary considerations. Under their respective leaders, the five divisions of "Jebha" continued their operations in accordance with the outlined strategy.
The leaders of the divisions, who had neither the correct understanding of, nor the inclination to promote the national interest, competed against each other, exploited the efforts and looted the property of those whom they professed to liberate; within the country, they established five groups and delineated five areas of plunder. They ventured to acquire all the requisite wealth and power and to commit acts of atrocity for the purpose of realizing their respective dictatorial aspirations. These leaders, who were eager to see their selfish interests fulfilled within a short period of time, did not curb their religious fanaticism. They stirred up some long dead grudges among some of the ethnic groups and started preaching that the Christians were their enemies, that the highlanders were their enemies, and that the Christians wanted unity with Ethiopia. Thus, they revealed their true sentiments and caused the eruption of religious convulsions within the front. Furthermore, they ordered their forces to plunder the Christian highlands of the country.
As a result it is estimated that about ten thousand heads of cattle were periodically looted from the lowlands of Serae and the eastern ridges of Hamasien by the First and Third division forces that were stationed there. The cattle were driven to the reserves of Kessela in Sudan.
Further looting and the burning of settlements of innocent civilians were conducted; and those who, in the face of such cruel incidents, demanded the observance of their rights were brutally put to death. In a place called Senbere, the leaders of the divisions, who could not control their thirst for human blood, condemned innocent peasants as "kafir" (infidels/traitors) and massacred more than fifty of them. Such killings of innocent civilians continued at a greater rate and intensity.
As a result of the successive plunder, the agents of "Jebha" acquired huge capital which they invested in construction and transportation industries in the Sudan. With their new fortunes, the unmarried acquired wives, and those who had wives took additional ones. In short, they used the wealth which they brutally milked from the people for establishing themselves, for decadent indulgence and alcoholism in the Sudan and the Arab world.
Upon the intensification of these corrupt measures, the true picture of the leadership of "Jebha" became more and more revealed. The bosses and their agents in the field constituted an oppressive class in Eritrean society; those fighters under their leadership became simple mercenaries; and the Eritrean people, aware only of Haile Selassie's oppression unexpectedly fell into the oppression of "Jebha".
In view of this, the highlanders who, more than any other group, suffered from this oppression, resolved not only to renounce "Jebha", but to even resist and combat its forces. The oppressive government of Haile Sleazier saw an opportunity in the situation to escalate its propaganda regarding the religious motive of the movement. Furthermore, it supplied arms to the defenceless people and lined them up to combat the forces of "Jebha".
Using this situation as a pretext, the leaders of "Jebha" intensified the same policy of killing and plunder instead of seeking the correct revolutionary solution; and by that, they only aggravated the already prevalent feelings of alienation and dissension. The feud and confusion did not revolve around the national interest of the country; they were essentially religious. This being the case, it was the fighters in the Fifth Division, the minority of which were Christians, who, more than any others, felt the grave nature of the problem.
They became seriously concerned about the corruption that prevailed; not only did they denounce it while in the field, but finally went to the headquarters in Kessela in order to air their grievances. The officials of "Jebha" in Kessela taking advantage of the political tensions in the Sudan, ordered the fighters to their zone of operation. The complainants resisted the order of the "Jebha" officials and continued to stay in Sudan, where they were detained by government authorities of the country. All these incidents combined frustrated them to such an extent that some finally handed themselves to Haile Selassie's consulate in Kessela. The agents of ", Jebha', using all kinds of false accusations, issued orders to the effect that the remaining Christian fighters in the field should be liquidated. Accordingly, more than one hundred innocent highland revolutionaries were hunted down and killed in the vales of the country.
The oppression of the people which ensued from this corrupt leadership was reflected in the armed resistance so clearly that religion-based dissensions became more and more grave. Following the submission of highlanders to the consulate in Kessela and the subsequent killing of valiant revolutionaries, very few Christian fighters remained in the field. The enemy echoed its propaganda with exaggerated reports on the situation. The whole phenomenon became disheartening to the people of the highlands, who then began to lose faith in and cast an auspicious eye on 'Jebha'. It may seem that all these events would take a whole generation to occur. Surprisingly, however, they all happened within 0ne year, that is, 1966 – 1967.
In the subsequent period the killing, plundering and the perpetration of acts of atrocity continued. The capitalists of 'Jebha' found it time-consuming to stay in Kessela making accounts of the revenues they obtained from the sale of cattle. They thus moved to the interior of Sudan from where they started to direct their businesses. The role of their soldiers was limited to that of looting the people's cattle, driving them to Kessela and returning to the country for more plunder. They had no qualms about their corrupt and exploitative engagements. The people lost faith in them even more and more. Eventually, there developed a marked popular opposition to "Jebha".
F. Falling Back on Former Mistakes
Committed revolutionaries in the field never ceased seeking the means to solve the problem. They realized that it was the enemy which time after time stirred up the religious based differences. They took it as their revolutionary duty to combat the foundations upon which "Jebha' was based. It was concluded that the most effective approach was to combat the dictatorship of the five agents of "Jebha', and enlighten and bring under one banner all the fighters who were used to serve reactionary goals. Sensing the determination to arrive at this solution, the bosses of "Jebha" and their agents realized that their interests were at stake, and made an all-out counter effort for a period of nine months. Consequently, the attempt to form a united front out of the five divisions was not completely successful.
Whereas the Third, Fourth and Fifth Divisions agreed to unify their supply and training units, the First and Second Divisions maintained their separate existence. Thus, from 1968 onwards, the three divisions continued successful political and military operations under one banner; it is to be recalled, however, that some running dogs of the bosses tried to sabotage them through the other two separate divisions. Furthermore, there were a number of false revolutionaries who infiltrated the three unified divisions.
The "Unity of the Three" rekindled the hope of the disheartened people of the country; the highlanders and particularly the Christians started joining the armed struggle in substantial numbers.
It was not only the capitalists of "Jebha" who were terrorized by the accelerated development of this united force. Haile Selassie's government, more alarmed than over, intensified its military activities and espionage to combat this invincible force. However, the United Front, through chains of historic victories has marked an ineffable scare of defeat on the enemy.
The unity of the divisions certainly marked the beginning of the process of correction. But, since it was not built on the basis of revolutionary political principles, the disguised opportunists managed to sabotage it.
Taking advantage of the fear of espionage, those disguised opportunists declared that no more fighters would be admitted to the Front. This was framed to serve the regressive, religiously motivated policy of keeping the number of Christians in the field at a controllable level. This policy however, apparently of no big significance, injected venom into the administration of the United Front.
Those opportunists in the two separate divisions were waiting precisely for a confused situation which they could exploit. Realizing the problems in the administration of the United Front and hoping to exploit these problems, those opportunists declared their willingness to join it. All those who, from the outset, aspired to the unity of all the forces, welcomed them believing they were sincere. Thus, the fighters met in a place called Adobha where they agreed to unite all the divisions under the common leadership of "Kiada El Ama". It was then decided that a National Congress would be held within a year, that is, sometime before September 1970.