One of, if not the last, Eritrean askari, aboy Welday Tecle Weldekidan Melkai Tensai of the village of Damba Minche in the Serai region has passed away at the age of 93.
Aboy Welday was drafted into the Italian African Colonial Army, or “askaris” as they were known, in the first round of national conscription instituted by the Italian colonialist regime in Eritrea in 1937.
Italy began its invasion and occupation of Eritrea in the 1880’s but due to a half a century of armed resistance to Italian colonialism by the Eritrean people, had not dared to conscript, train and arm Eritreans in fear that they would revolt, turn their guns on their oppressors and go over to the anti colonialist resistance.
It wasn’t until the last remnants of the armed resistance had been suppressed in the early 1930’s and several years had passed did the Italians dare to enforce the creation of the the Eritrean askari military, of which aboy Welday was conscripted in the first round.
The Italians had carried out a census of sorts and set up a system whereby every village in Eritrea was required, depending on its population, to provide a number of its young boys for conscription by the Italian colonial military and at the age of 18 aboy Welday was choosen by the village elders to meet their quota.
Shortly after completing his military training aboy Welday was selected to be in the Elite 100 Tigrinia company, a program whereby every major ethnic group in the Italian Colonial African Army provided
100 of its tallest, handsomest conscripts to participate in the Italian Expo held in Italy in 1938.
So aboy Welday, along with thousands of other east Africans from Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia, boarded ships and set sail for Italy, where the arrival of such handsome young Africans in their smart uniforms caused quite a sensation, especially amongst the young Italian women.
All this excitement was broken by the advent of WW2 and aboy Welday’s unit was seconded to an artillery brigade and sent to the Italian colony of Libya to fight against the British and American armies on behalf of their Italian rulers.
With the defeat and surrender of the Italian army in Africa to the British, aboy Welday and his fellow askaris were imprisoned in a p.o.w. camp under harsh conditions for several months until they were finally repatriated to Eritrea where they each received 25 shillings compensation and were discharged.
Aboy Welday returned to his village of Damba Minche and took up his old life of farming but due to an infestation of locusts that ate his first crop moved to the capital city of Asmara.
Aboy Welday had taught himself to read and write while in the askaris and quickly found a position in the telecommunications sector in Eritrea under the British colonialists,later the Ethiopians, beginning an almost 40 year career as a lineman maintaining the telephone system in Eritrea.
Being from Damba Minche, one of the homes of Eritrean nationalism where Asmach Berhe, one of the founders of the Eritrea for Eritreans movement was to be assassinated (Berhe was aboy Weldays relative) aboy Welday was a staunch Eritrean patriot and eventually was imprisoned for a period for refusing duty in the Ethiopian created militia imposed on the town of Keren where Aboy spent most of his career in telecommunications.
Of aboy Welday’s nine children five joined the armed struggle for national liberation under the leadership of the Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front, of whom one was martyred.
Aboy Welday, one of, if not the last Eritrean Askari, is survived by his younger brother Kuflom, 7 children, 24 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren and will be laid to rest in his family burial plot next to his late wife of 74 years, Sebene Tecle in Damba Minche.
Thomas C. Mountain, son in law of aboy Welday, is the most widely distributed independent journalist in Africa, living and reporting from Eritrea since 2006. He can be reached at thomascmountain_at_yahoo_dot_com
December 30, 2012 at 4:18 pm
thats a damn interesting story. Keep history alive people
December 30, 2012 at 5:40 pm
U people should be ashamed not proud to have an askari . Shame on u eritreans. Slaves of Alltime !!!
January 4, 2013 at 12:12 am
Muller, how shallow of you, it is evident to see Ethiopians are pron to true histroy and past events, so much so that you Ethiopians are confused thet every leader comes and pises on you, so wake up and learn your history be it bad or good.
December 30, 2012 at 6:07 pm
Its about history my ethiopian friend, nothing else. To know your history saves your future.
December 30, 2012 at 6:18 pm
Eri, you are right in saying you need to know your history. What I did not get is how that is going to save your history!
January 6, 2013 at 1:08 pm
Azeb ???????
December 30, 2012 at 8:16 pm
With htoughts of peace and courage for you, our thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time.
December 30, 2012 at 9:46 pm
who gives a (deleted) about this story,bag off.
December 31, 2012 at 12:19 am
Some Eritreans were true Africans, like Asgedom and Abraha who threw a bomb a self sacrificed against Italians… Others are Askaris… And EPLF is a body consitituted by their children…
December 31, 2012 at 12:35 am
The article is totally wrong in its historical facts. Weather you call them Askari or not Eritreans started fighting for the Italian side way back in 1886 not in 1930.
There is even a photographic evidence of the captured Eritreans being hanged and some of them with arms and legs amputated for taking side with the enemy after they were captured by Emperor Meniliks army in 1886 at Adew fighting for the defeated Italians?
Why do you try to whitewash History and mislead your readers? Face it, the fact isn’t going nowhere, it will always be there in the annals of history.
December 31, 2012 at 1:07 pm
No need to talk a lot. Go to google and search for “Eritrean fighting along side Italian against Ethiopia”. You will find a lot of history. That is the truth. You have been slave through centuries and Ethiopians where trying to set you free. But you don’t like freedom. Despite that fact, we fought you askaris and Italians and we defeated you. Now you want to paint it. Go to google and swallow it. Listen to the blood of Asgedom and Abraha. Don’t be slave mental while you think you are free physically.
December 31, 2012 at 4:22 pm
This as interesting and confusing article which is factually wrong and desptive from begining to end. If a colonialist servant (askeri )is considered imortal hero i do not know what grand child son of thomas mountain will be called,grand son of colonial sevant and son of a liar reporter or wolf in a lamb skin.good luck Eritrea may god save you from this sleepery slop path of lie and deseption.
December 31, 2012 at 5:42 pm
The more things change the more they stay the same. The eritreans fought all those years to be free… only to be subject to the same harsh treatment under their own rulers. When i read the sentence.. each village in Eritirea had to contribute youth to fight in the war.. i think about todays Eritrea where even those that are not fit to fight are forced to enlist. Many flee and die in the desert under harsh conditions.. in places like Lybia..which is also a fate for the ‘askari’. Eritreans should also be very ashamed of the history of lining up to opress other africans.. they fought against the freedom fighters of ethiopia, libya and somalia.. they sold out to the white man. Thomas mountain is the new master! of Eritrean sell outs.
December 31, 2012 at 8:31 pm
Blame the ugly king of yours ugly Menelik he sold Eritrea poor Eritreans were forced to serve fascists some of them defected like Andom Tesfazion gave hell to the Italians but Hodam Amara will not give credit to them. Eritreans wanted to be united with the rest of Ethiopia what did they get pain. The Amara think that Ethiopia belongs to them they are wrong thanks to Meles no more dominant force it is pain full to be ruled by Debub Hizboch wich they consider them slaves. As for the author foolish commie leave Eritrea to Eritrean go to North Korea .
January 1, 2013 at 12:39 am
You Ethiopians should not come here and cry. This articlelf is honoring a 93 year old man, stop this- Eritreans are strong and not divided in the core.
January 1, 2013 at 3:08 am
seraye mesharewti kabkedemkum mszerbehekum mtka ember haki zeyblkum. ezi ka kurat nay eritreans kbhal aykaln u