The Mehber Andenet (Unionist Party with Ethiopia)

The Mehber Andenet (Unionist Party with Ethiopia) sabotaged our independence in the 1950s where the Orthodox Church then, under Abune Markos played a crucial role in mobilizing followers for the party and threatening to excommunicate those who opposed it. It was fully supported by Ethiopia. The party acted under the direction of the Ethiopian security officer in Eritrea, Colonel Negga Haile Sellasie. One of its main slogans was ‘Ethiopia or death’. There was no problem that some Eritreans wanted to unite with Ethiopia and that was within their own right, but the problem was that they pursued and achieved their goals with extreme shifta terror. Abdulgadir Kabire and many pro-independent activists were killed and their property burned and looted. Woldeab Woldemariam survived several assassination attempts. But it was not long before the leaders and supporters of the party got both Ethiopia and death. Do we learn from our mistakes? This was the organizational structure of the party in 1947

COMPOSITION OF PATRIOTIC ASSOCIATION FOR THE UNION OF ERITREA WITH ETHIOPIA:
“THE UNIONIST PARTY”

A. THE PRESIDENCY

RAS CHIDANEMARIAM GEBREMESKEL, HONORARY PRESIDENT.
DEGHIAT BEYENE BERACHI,PRESIDENT.

PASHA SALEH AHMED KEKIA, VICE PRESIDENT.

B. THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE

ASMARA

FIT. GHEBREMARIAM CASSA
KEGN. GEBRESELLASIE TAMENU
KEGN. GOBRU NEGUSSE
AZM. KINFU KIDANE
BAL. TEGEGNE MENGUSTU
HAJI ABDEL OMARADIN
Gir. AHMED HAJI TAHA

HAMASIEN

BLATTA DEMSAS WOLDEMIKAEL
FIT. HADGU GHILAGABER
DEG. HAGOS GHEBRE
BLATTA MEBRAHTU GENETEW
ATO MISGHINNA GHEBREZGHI
ATO SALOMON MERSAA
Bas. IBRAHIM SEID SEGUM

SERAE

DEG. BERHANE GHIRMATZION
GRAZ. TESFAMIKAEL WERKE
BASHAI WOLDU WELDEMICAEL
ABDELGABI SAYJI
Gir. ABDELLA GONAFIR
Kenj. ABDELRAHMAN ADEM
Bey ARABI SALIM
IBRAHIM HASSEN BEYAN
Balm. IBRAHIM MUSA
Gir. MOHAMED ABDELGADIR AHMED
MOHAMMED SAID KONTI
SULEMAN HAJI HAMID
Gir. AL-AMIN ADEM
Gir. SALEH ALI

AKELE GUZAI

KEGN. HAGOS REDDA
FIT. GHEBREMESKEL WOLDU
AZM. GHEBREMIKAEL GURMU
BASHAI TZEGGAI TEFERRI
AZM. ZEROM KIFLE

KEREN

DEG. ARAIA WASSIE
IBRAHIM R. SULTAN
Bel. TALAAM HAJI HUSSEIN

MASSAWA

Bel. MOHAMED OMAR KADI
Bey MOHAMMED SEID ADEM
SAID ABDEL KADIR
Cav. YASSIN JAMAL

AGORDAT

Fit. YASSIN GORNOY

C. THE SECRETARIAT

ATO TEDLA BAIRU, SECRETARY
SAID AHMED HAYOUTY, VICE SECRETARY
FIT. TAHA ADEM, TREASURER
FIT. HAREGOT ABBAI, VICE TREASURER

(The composition of ANDENET PARTY is taken From the “Eritrea Weekly News,” March 8, 1947).

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Interestingly 22 of the 42 members were Muslims yet 10 members of the 13 CC members from Seraye  were Muslims though the Muslim population there was 13% which means that 45 % of Muslim members were from Seraye and 5 (22%) of the Muslim members were from Massawa.

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Ghebre-ab (PhD), who gave an account of a documentary study of the United
Nations (Four Power Commission Investigation for the Former Italian Colonies -
Vol. I: Report on Eritrea 1948) summarized as follows, and this will help to
weigh and make up the mind on who carried the torch for a nation's generation
burden with a high cost but valuable resources: materials, animals and 
human
lives:

1. "Hamasien Division: 95.8% of its inhabitants expressed for
unconditional union with Ethiopia
2. Akel-Guzai Division: 70% of its inhabitants expressed their views for
unconditional union with Ethiopia
3. Seraye Division: 77.6% of its inhabitants expressed their views for
unconditional union with Ethiopia.
4. Western Province (mainly Senhit, Barka including Settit (Barentu):
74.9% of their inhabitants expressed their views for the 'British Trusteeship'
for a period of ten years to be followed by 'independence'.
5. Massawa Division (Red Sea) including Dankalia: 86% of their inhabitants
expressed their views in favour of an 'Italian Trusteeship' as first and a
'British Trusteeship' as second". (Report on Eritrea 1948, cited in R13,
1993)

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"By 1942 every priest had become a propogandist in the Ethiopian cause, every village church had become a center of Ethiopian nationalism, and popular religious feast day like 'Maskel' had become occasions for open displays of Ethiopian patriotism. The Cathedral, monasteries, and village churchs would be festooned with Ethiopian flags and the sermons would be delivered in an equivocal political language" This is what travaskis wrote and quoted in Jordan's book p.90

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