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29-544: Dahlak may refer to: Dahlak Archipelago , an island chain in the Red Sea Sultanate of Dahlak Dahlik language , a language spoken on three of those islands and in parts of Eritrea Dahlak Subregion , part of Eritrea's Northern Red Sea region See also [ edit ] Dalek (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with

58-577: A broad educational policy for maintaining every language and improving literacy. It was also set out that the boundaries of an Eritrean state would be based on the colonial treaties of Italy. From 1975 to 1977, the ELF and EPLF outnumbered the Ethiopian army and overran much of Eritrea. Only Asmara, Barentu, and the ports of Assab and Massawa remained under government control. The road between them cut, however, Asmara and Massawa were under siege. The hopes of

87-412: A chain of events leading to total victory three years later. After Afabet the front became a virtually unstoppable insurgent force as it began its campaign aimed for the strategic port of Massawa . The Ethiopian army, caught in a long-simmering crisis and plagued by internal divisions, underestimated the resilience, skill, and adaptability of the rebels. Af Abet, one of the three crucial turning points in

116-519: A declaration of war by the ELF in mid-1972, leading to the "first civil war" ending inconclusively in 1974. Internal dissension within the EPLF, fueled by accusations of authoritarian practices and military shortcomings, was quelled by Isaias, resulting in the execution of eleven members in August 1974. This event contributed to the centralization and security focus of the EPLF. The Ethiopian Revolution shifted

145-581: A defensive line in 1979. The fronts faced a lull in fighting in 1980–81, with the army engaged in operations against rebels. The uneasy peace between the fronts crumbled in August 1980, leading to the "second civil war," where the ELF was decisively defeated a year later with assistance from the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). Some ELF fighters joined the winning side, and those in Sudan were disarmed. The ELF ceased as an effective organization by

174-564: A general staff headed by Sebhat Ephrem after 1987, emphasized decentralization and local initiative during defensive guerrilla tactics. Command became more centralized during conventional offensives. The insurgents relied on light and portable equipment, with the AK-47 being the primary individual weapon. Leaving the EPLF was practically impossible, and instances of kidnapping and forcible conscription were reported. Child soldiers, drafted as young as ten, were used between 1979 and 1983 but this policy

203-499: A nationalist victory raised by the insurgents’ achievements and fear of the Red Terror drove thousands of young men and women to the fronts, principally to the EPLF. As most of the new recruits were Christian, highland society was no longer peripheral to the conflict. The success of the insurgents was due more to government weakness than their own strength. A counteroffensive in 1978 led to the EPLF's strategic withdrawal, establishing

232-541: A series of offensives known as the Red Star Campaign in an attempt to crush the EPLF. Despite these efforts, the government forces were thwarted by the EPLF. Rather than crushing the EPLF, the unsuccessful operation had the opposite effect, strengthening it. This outcome led to an increased fervor among the Eritrean people, who rallied behind the EPLF. Growing from around four hundred men organized in squads,

261-658: A temporarily successful jihad with the help of cannons and guns from the Ottomans against the Ethiopian Empire . Sultan Ahmad joined the Adal Empire and was rewarded with the port town of Arkiko , which before the war had belonged to Medri Bahri. However, in 1541, one year after the death of sultan Ahmad, the Portuguese returned and destroyed Dahlak yet again. Sixteen years later, the islands were occupied by

290-516: A variety of invertebrates. The archipelago has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant populations of spotted sandgrouse , white-eyed gulls , lesser crested terns , lesser kestrels , sooty falcons , greater hoopoe-larks , blackstarts and cinereous buntings . [REDACTED] Media related to Dahlak Archipelago at Wikimedia Commons EPLF The Eritrean People's Liberation Front ( EPLF ), colloquially known as Shabia ,

319-646: The Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF), and Romodan Mohammed Nur , who had become commissar of the Fourth Zone after military training in Syria. Cuba also received ten individuals, including Ibrahim Affa, a skilled former marine commando, in 1968. Upon their return, these men improved the combat capabilities of the front but also intensified internal conflicts and feuds. Disillusioned with incompetent and feuding leaders, many young dissidents left

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348-879: The Ottoman Empire again, who made them part of the Habesh Eyalet . The Italian colony of Eritrea , formed in 1890, included the archipelago. However, during this time the islands were home to little except the Nocra prison camp operated by the Italian colonial forces. After Ethiopia allied itself with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, following the rise of the Derg , the Dahlak Archipelago

377-504: The archipelago have been famous since Roman times, and still produce a substantial number of pearls . Tourism is increasing. The islands can be reached by boat from Massawa and are popular with scuba divers and snorkellers. The islands and surrounding seas, with their coral reefs and shoals, are rich in marine life, including seabirds and waders . Some islands are fringed with mangroves and others with salt brush scrub. Dolphins, dugongs, sharks, and turtles can be seen as well as

406-749: The Dahlak archipelago a group of islands near Adulis called "Alalaiou" in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea which were a source of tortoise shell. According to Edward Ullendorff , the Dahlak islanders were amongst the first people in the Horn of Africa to embrace Islam , and a number of tombstones in Kufic script attest to this early connection. In the 7th century, the Sultanate of Dahlak emerged in

435-541: The ELF, forming competing organizations. Efforts at rectification and unity failed, leading to the emergence of the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) in August 1973, officially known as Shaabia ("popular" in its Arabic abbreviation) in 1977. Led by Isaias and Ramadan, the EPLF found refuge in the mountains of Sahel, successfully repelling repeated assaults from Nakfa, a garrison town on a high plateau. The EPLF faced immediate challenges, including

464-458: The EPLA became a formidable force by the mid-1980s. The primary combat component was the strategic mobile forces, consisting of permanent units like brigades and divisions. The smallest operational unit was the mesre (squad), followed by ganta (platoon), hayli (company), and bottoloni (battalion). The brigade, comprising three battalions, was the largest unit until the mid-1980s when it was surpassed by

493-522: The Eritrean war, severely weakened the military's capacity to wage war and foreshadowed the downfall of the dictatorship, paving the way for Eritrean independence. The battle's strategic significance has been likened to the Vietnamese triumph against the French at Diebienphu . As its success grew the EPLF began attracting a wave of new support. After another defeat at Shire in 1989, the EPLF went on

522-660: The archipelago. However, it was subsequently conquered by Yemen , then by the Ethiopian Empire . In 1517 the Ottoman Turks conquered the islands and placed them under the rule of the Pasha at Suakin as part of the province of Habesh . By 1526 the Dahalik sultan, Ahmad, had been degraded to a tributary. There was a short revival of the sultanate during the Abyssinian-Adal war , where the sultanate of Adal waged

551-523: The balance in Eritrea, and a temporary truce allowed joint offensives by the fronts in 1976. The First Congress of the EPLF occurred in January 1977 and formally set out the policies of this new organization. At this first meeting Romodan Mohammed Nur was elected Secretary-General and Isaias as Assistant Secretary-General. This program specifically targeted a liberalization of women's rights as well as

580-485: The division. Remarkably, nearly a third of the EPLA's total force and 15 percent of its frontline combat units were women, challenging traditional gender roles. However, women remained underrepresented in leadership positions. Specialized units within the EPLA effectively employed guerrilla and conventional tactics. By the end of the 1980s, the EPLA consisted of six divisions, fourteen infantry brigades, four mechanized brigades, and various specialized units. The EPLF, led by

609-485: The islands are permanently inhabited, with Dahlak Kebir being the largest and most populated. Other islands of the archipelago are Dhuladhiya, Dissei, Dohul (Dehil), Erwa, Harat, Harmil , Isra-Tu, Nahaleg, Nakura , Nora (Norah) and Shumma. Besides Dahlak Kebir, only Nora and Dohul are permanently inhabited. Residents of the archipelago speak Dahlik and maintain a traditional way of life, including fishing, shepherding and raising camels . The local pearl fisheries of

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638-439: The mid-1980s but continued sporadic operations in Eritrea. The EPLF emerged as the dominant force, defeating major operations in 1982 and 1983. In 1988, the EPLF achieved a historic victory, signaling the defeat of the military regime and the path to Eritrean independence. The organizational structure and guiding ideas played a crucial role in the EPLF's success. Between February and June 1982, over 80,000 Ethiopian troops launched

667-514: The movement abandoned most of its formerly Marxist–Leninist ideology , in favour of an own revolutionary left-wing concept and a more comprehensive and pragmatic approach to unite all Eritrean nationalists . The EPLF won its most resounding victory in March 1988 at the Battle of Afabet . It destroyed the most formidable Ethiopian garrison in northern Eritrea and marked a pivotal moment, setting off

696-477: The offensive in 1990 directed at Massawa. This offensive was known as Massawa and resulted in EPLF seizing the city and defeating the Ethiopian garrison. The defeat was complete, catastrophic, and irreversible. Even the vengeful bombing, which persisted until the end of March and resulted in the destruction of numerous historic Islamic buildings, could not alter the disastrous outcome. Isaias Afewerki , leader of

725-490: The title Dahlak . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dahlak&oldid=1242324923 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Dahlak Archipelago G.W.B. Huntingford has identified with

754-517: The victorious army, concurs, acknowledging it as a victory of the greatest strategic value in the history of the struggle. The Third and last Congress of the EPLF was held in 1994 in Asmara . It was important as it converted the Front from a military organization to a purely political movement. At the time, the organization had 95,000 members. At this Congress, the name of the organization was changed to

783-722: Was abandoned due to internal and external criticism. The Second Congress in 1987, brought together the EPLF and the Eritrean Liberation Front/Central Leadership (also sometimes referred to as Central Command, CC) in what was called the Unity Congress . This was the culmination of negotiations over three years which had brought together the two fighting forces in October 1986, under a unified command. On this congress, Isaias Afewerki replaced secretary-general Ramadan Nur. Subsequently,

812-718: Was an armed Marxist–Leninist organization that fought for the independence of Eritrea from Ethiopia . It emerged in 1973 as a far-left to left-wing nationalist group that split from the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF). After achieving Eritrean independence in 1991, it transformed into the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), which serves as Eritrea's sole legal political party . In 1967, thirty-three men underwent six months of training in China, including Isaias Afwerki , an engineering student who had left Haile Selassie I University ( Addis Ababa University ) in 1966 to join

841-426: Was the location of a Soviet Navy base. In 1990, Ethiopia lost control of the Dahlak Archipelago and the northern Eritrean coast to the Eritrean independence movement ( EPLF ) and by 1991 Ethiopia had lost control of all of Eritrea. Following the international recognition of Eritrean independence in 1993, the Dahlak Archipelago became a part of Eritrea. Consisting of two larger and 124 smaller islands, only three of

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