Popular Liberation Forces
Encyclopedia
The Popular Liberation Forces were a group of soldiers that separated from the Eritrean Liberation Front
(ELF). Two groups left the ELF at the same time, although from different regions of Eritrea
.
Based in the coastal regions of Eritrea, under the command of Ali Said Abdella
, was the Shaebia or the Red Sea faction. This organization was largely made up of Muslim lowlanders.
Based in the coastal regions of Eritrea, under the command of Isaias Afewerki
, was the Ala faction. The name of this group came about from the place in which they held their first meeting. This organization was largely made up of Christian highlanders.
Each was attacked by the ELF to ensure that the face of Eritrean resistance was monolithic. During the Eritrean Civil War, animosity between the competing organizations grew. In 1976 these two organizations would come together with a third (Obel), and create the Eritrean People's Liberation Front
.
Eritrean Liberation Front
The Eritrean Liberation Front was the main independence movement in Eritrea which sought Eritrea's independence from Ethiopia during the 1960s and 1970s. In the very late 1950s unorganized political movement seeking independence was secretly active as small cells...
(ELF). Two groups left the ELF at the same time, although from different regions of Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
.
Based in the coastal regions of Eritrea, under the command of Ali Said Abdella
Ali Said Abdella
Ali Said Abdella was an Eritrean rebel commander, politician and diplomat, who at the time of his death was serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Eritrea....
, was the Shaebia or the Red Sea faction. This organization was largely made up of Muslim lowlanders.
Based in the coastal regions of Eritrea, under the command of Isaias Afewerki
Isaias Afewerki
Isaias Afewerki is the first and current President of Eritrea, attaining that status when he led the Eritrean People's Liberation Front to victory in May 1991, thus ending the 30-year old armed liberation struggle that the Eritrean people refer to as "Gedli".-Early life and rise to power:Afewerki...
, was the Ala faction. The name of this group came about from the place in which they held their first meeting. This organization was largely made up of Christian highlanders.
Each was attacked by the ELF to ensure that the face of Eritrean resistance was monolithic. During the Eritrean Civil War, animosity between the competing organizations grew. In 1976 these two organizations would come together with a third (Obel), and create the Eritrean People's Liberation Front
Eritrean People's Liberation Front
The Eritrean People's Liberation Front was an armed organization that fought for the independence of Eritrea from Ethiopia. It emerged in 1970 as an intellectual left-wing group that split from the Eritrean Liberation Front .-Background:...
.