In Eritrea, many died for a meaningless war

Eritrean women in Massawa marching in honour of martyred fighters on the 17th anniversary of its liberation from Ethiopia. — AFP

AS a child in the early years after Eritrea’s independence, Filmon Debru longed for the annual festivities celebrating the country’s newfound statehood, and the heroes who fought and died for it.

Parties, music and dancing lasted the entire month to commemorate Eritrea’s liberation from Ethiopian rule in May 1991, and its overwhelming support for independence in a UN-backed referendum two years later.