Background:

The Battle of Tsorona was part of the ongoing Eritrean–Ethiopian border conflict. This conflict started on the 6th of May, 1998 and has continued to the present in the form of periodic clashes between the Eritrean and Ethiopian armies. The last battle fought in Tsorona was in 2016. It is estimated that around 70,000 to 80,000 people died in this conflict

Side A:

Cornelis ‘Kees’ Hulsman is traveling with Eritrean soldiers in a land-cruiser on his way to the war front. They left at 7:30 am from Asmara. The journey took them through the Eritrean mountains, culminating in a dirt road located in an area which the Ethiopians might soon seize control over. They know they are nearing the front, because most houses around are damaged and there are no people in sight. Someone told Hulsman that 2/3rds of the forest have been wiped out during the 30 years of war between Eritrea and Ethiopia. This is why the region might appear drier than it used to be. Hulsman arrived in a village where people had been evacuated from, but had returned to. The people in the village said that the Ethiopians had bombed them. The village appeared calm. Hulsman met some children and they offered some commentary in the microphone.

There was still some agriculture going on near the border, but there were not a lot of ordinary civilians. Some of the fields are being used, and there are still some papaya trees present. A truck full of soldiers is passing by. The soldiers are making mud to put on their cars because the mud will prevent the metal from refixation; this makes it safer to go to out to the front. Continue the trip to the front, they pass by a deserted village. Very few people are still there. One of them is a 15-year-old child with his mother, who is carrying two other children.

Hulsman and company arrived at the front. There are hundreds of piles of stones, thousands of people have died here. In March, the fighting carried on for 5 days. You can see on the ground rounds of ammunition. The Ethiopians forced Eritrean woman and children to get water for them, and killed them all when they had to withdraw. The Eritreans, however, committed similar acts, such as killing all of the wounded Ethiopian soldiers when they retook their land. The official death toll counts 9000 casualties, but it must have been a much greater number. It was still a 15-minute walk to get to the actual front, and the whole ground is full of pieces of metal. People are still afraid that the fighting will resume again at any minute. Furthermore, people don’t believe that the battle of March is the last one. Hulsman said that he thinks that the conflict couldn’t be about the border area alone, because the border area itself is worthless.

The group arrives at a seized Ethiopian bunker with bullet holes. There are also many burned tanks, and tank tracks. An Eritrean guide from the army explained what happened at that site. The Ethiopians launched their assault in February 1999, sending tanks, artillery and 100,000 soldiers in order to break though the Eritrean defense. The Ethiopian air force was also present. The Ethiopians thought that they could break through the Eritrean defense into this 5-kilometer valley, and after that to make a way open to Asmara.

Side B:

The Ethiopians thought that they could break through this empty plain with 100,000 soldiers. The guide said that Ethiopians should have learned from the previous war, implying that Eritrea will win the war.

A woman by the name of Azib, who fought in the battle joined the group said that she witnessed many soldiers and civilians die. One of them was a friend of hers. The friend was only 25 years old when she got killed. Azib was asked if she received any military training. Azib said that she had a training for two years before she came to the front. Hulsman entered one of the Ethiopian trenches. Hulsman described it as primitive and indeed a first world war method). He entered a shelter where he saw a woman and some Kalashnikovs. Hulsman sees dead bodies about 10 meters from the trench. The bodies are still there because there are mines present. On the ground was a piece of paper, and Hulsman picked it up. It was a temporary identity card from the Ethiopian army which belonged to an Ethiopian soldier by the name of Markus Sasafahaydi. Sasafahaydi was born in 1969 (Ethiopian calendar, which is 1979 in the Gregorian calendar.) His rank was private soldier. He was only 21 years old when he was killed in the battle.

The Eritrean commander joined for an interview and he was asked by an American journalist about what had happened. He said that the Gidada regime tried to attack that area. There was a great deal of fighting, and the Eritreans pushed the Ethiopians back. Many tanks and inventory coming from the Ethiopian side. Of the approximately 80 tanks dispatched, 70 were destroyed. The commander was asked who the people were in the tanks. He said that some were Tigrays and some were Oromos. They were not trained well. The commander claimed that the Ethiopians forced the Eritreans to supply them with weapons and water. There was continuous fighting from the 14th of March to the 16th of March. There were no prisoners of war because the Ethiopians basically didn’t stand a chance. The commander was asked if he was afraid when suddenly the Ethiopians ambushed them out of nowhere. He said that he always felt confident that they would win the battle and that the Eritreans always will defend their country. He followed up by saying that they are ready for the Ethiopians when they come back. They found evidence on the dead soldiers that their plan was indeed to capture Asmara. One other interesting aspect the commander mentioned was that 20% of the Eritrean soldiers at the front are women. The women don’t actually fight, but they assist.

Hulsman and company left the front for a refugee camp about 10 kilometers away. The refugee camp contained tents made of plastic bags. There are women and children present. Nobody speaks English at the camp. There is some trade occurring. People are selling soap and flour. Hulsman is talking to some children. He asked them in Dutch: What’s your name? Of course the children don’t speak any Dutch, but they started repeating what Hulsman said. A man living in the camp joined Hulsman and they discussed the life in the camp.