Battle of Afabet

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Afabet
partof=Eritrean War of Independence
caption=
date=March 17, 1988 - March 20, 1988
place=Afabet, Eritrea
casus=
territory=
result=Decisive Eritrean victory
combatant1=EPLF
combatant2=flagicon|Ethiopia|1975 Ethiopia
flagicon|USSRUSSR
commander1=
commander2=
strength1=15,000? [cite web|url=http://www.shaebia.org/artman/publish/article_5299.shtml|title=Attempts to distort history|accessdate=2008-01-22]
strength2=20,000-22,000
casualties1="unknown"
casualties2=flagicon|Ethiopia|197515,000-18,000
(10,000 killed,5,000 captured)
flagicon|USSR1 killed, 3 captured [cite web|url=http://www.shaebia.org/artman/publish/article_5299.shtml|title=Attempts to distort history|accessdate=2008-01-22]
notes=The Battle at Afabet was a watershed battle in the Eritrean War of Independence. The Battle occurred from March 17, 1988 through March 20, 1988 in and around the town of Afabet.

The Battle

The Nadew Command was an Ethiopian Army Corps composed of three combat infantry divisions and accompanying support units. The force numbered between 20,000 [cite web|title= Deceit is its own damnation (part I) | url=http://www.dehai.org/conflict/articles/africa_confidential.html |date=1999-11-19|accessdate=2006-10-31] -22,000cite book| last=Killion | first=Tom | title=Historical Dictionary of Eritrea |id= ISBN 978-0-8108-3437-8 | publisher=The Scarecrow Press | year=1998] soldiers. By mid-March 1988 the Nadew Command was preparing to launch an offensive campaign against the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF), however, they were pre-empted by the EPLF.

On the morning of March 17, the EPLF deployed troops on three fronts around Hedai Valley to encircle the Ethiopian garrison. Upon their attack, the Ethiopian forces began to withdraw but were cut off. The battle continued while the Ethiopian garrison from Keren tried to reinforce their position. This attempt to reinforce was thwarted by the EPLF.cite web|title=Ethiopia and Eritrea, 1950-1991|url=http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_179.shtml|accessdate=2006-10-31] By the end of the three day battle the Eritreans had killed or captured over 18,000 Ethiopian soldiers.

Once the Ethiopian troops were routed in Hedai Valley, Afabet was stormed and the population liberated. As the town was a major garrison the EPLF also captured a large cache of weapons in addition to those captured in the valley. Another important consequence was the capture of three Soviet military advisers (a fourth was killed in combat action). This victory of the EPLF over the Nadew Command is considered by the historian Basil Davidson to be the most significant victory for any liberation movement since the Vietnamese victory at Dien Bien Phu. [cite book| last=Cliffe | first=Lionel | coauthors=Davidson, Basil | title=The Long Struggle of Eritrea for Independence and Constructive Peace |id= ISBN 978-0-932415-37-0 | publisher=Red Sea Press | year=1988] It has also been described as the largest battle in Africa since El Alamein. [cite web |url=http://www.qsl.net/eritrea/eritrea_1.html |title=Needless war engulfs a unique African oasis |accessdate=2008-06-25 |last=Worthington |first=Peter |date=December 27, 1998 |publisher=QSL.net/Toronto Sun]

References