Col Legesse Tafere has an old photo of his brother on his mobile phone
Two brothers ended up fighting on different sides during the war between Eritrea and Ethiopia – and they were not alone as many family members fought against each other.
“The war between Ethiopia and Eritrea can be explained by me and my brother, we are symbolic of the conflict,” Col Legesse Tafere, who fought on the Ethiopian side, told BBC Tigrinya.
“I am half-Eritrean and half-Ethiopian and so I was very sad that the war broke out between our brotherly nations.”
His younger brother Georjo Tafere was a commander on the Eritrean side during the 1998-2000 conflict.
They ended up on opposite sides as they joined different rebel groups that together fought against Ethiopia’s then-leader Mengistu Haile Mariam. He was ousted in 1991, leading to Eritrea’s independence.
“After the liberation of Eritrea and the defeat of the Derg regime in Ethiopia, we exchanged messages, congratulating each other on our victory,” he says.
“Since we had parted to take part in the liberation struggle in 1979, we had not met. But we had planned to see each other again in May 1998.”
BBC Amharic
This photo of Georjo Tafere was taken during the liberation struggle against Ethiopia’s Derg communist regime
However it was not to be as the conflict over the border town of Badme began that month – and the next year their units fought a fierce battle.
“My colleagues were teasing me, saying I was deliberately missing targets to spare my brother.”
But during that battle his brother was killed and he lost a leg.
“I felt sad when I heard about his death. The bloodiness of the war cannot be erased from my mind.”
Their mother, who died recently in Ethiopia, was never told about Georjo’s death – although the colonel believes she might have suspected.
“We wanted to spare her the pain of loss,” he says.
Tesfalem Araia
BBC Tigrinya
BBC Amharic
Two brothers ended up fighting on different sides during the war between Eritrea and Ethiopia – and they were not alone as many family members fought against each other.
“The war between Ethiopia and Eritrea can be explained by me and my brother, we are symbolic of the conflict,” Col Legesse Tafere, who fought on the Ethiopian side, told BBC Tigrinya.
“I am half-Eritrean and half-Ethiopian and so I was very sad that the war broke out between our brotherly nations.”
His younger brother Georjo Tafere was a commander on the Eritrean side during the 1998-2000 conflict.
They ended up on opposite sides as they joined different rebel groups that together fought against Ethiopia’s then-leader Mengistu Haile Mariam. He was ousted in 1991, leading to Eritrea’s independence.
“After the liberation of Eritrea and the defeat of the Derg regime in Ethiopia, we exchanged messages, congratulating each other on our victory,” he says.
“Since we had parted to take part in the liberation struggle in 1979, we had not met. But we had planned to see each other again in May 1998.”
BBC Amharic
However it was not to be as the conflict over the border town of Badme began that month – and the next year their units fought a fierce battle.
“My colleagues were teasing me, saying I was deliberately missing targets to spare my brother.”
But during that battle his brother was killed and he lost a leg.
“I felt sad when I heard about his death. The bloodiness of the war cannot be erased from my mind.”
Their mother, who died recently in Ethiopia, was never told about Georjo’s death – although the colonel believes she might have suspected.
“We wanted to spare her the pain of loss,” he says.
SOURCE – BBC