On Feb 15, 1982 Ethiopian/Derg Army launched the 6th Offensive, the Red Star Campaign, that involved 136,540 Ethiopian troops & 1200 Soviet military advisors to crush the struggle for freedom once & for all. It's the largest war ever fought in Africa, since WWII.
Mengistu moved his entire cabinet, to Asmara. Government ministries were ordered to send their best people to be part of the development campaign for the area, to prove the government's point that Red Star was not only a military operation.
Ethiopia was backed by Libya, South Yemen & the Soviet Union. Libya flew supply missions, South Yemen provided combat pilots. Soviet military advisors took part at every stage; planning, training and execution. The 6th Offensive took 2 years to prepare.
Ethiopia deployed a total of 63 Brigades of which 53 infantry, 6 mechanized & 4 para- commandos, 55 aircraft, 131 tanks, 162 armoured cars, 1 warship, 102 infantry vehicles, 499 field artilleries, 48 rocket launchers, 873 mortars, 691 anti-aircraft guns, 1349 anti-tank guns & 7714 heavy guns.
In the three battle fronts, Afabet, Alghena & Kerkebet, Ethiopia deployed 84,537 soldiers , 99 tanks, 94 armored vehicles, 283 artillery pieces, 611 mortars, 208 air defense guns, 1220 anti-tank guns and 5457 heavy machine guns.
EPLF’s defensive line stretched for about 400 km, from Barka-Sahel across Nakfa. About 13,000 EPLF fighters, fought in the 6th Offensive. 2700 of them were martyred, 5000 were wounded. A total of 26,230,549 bullets were shot by Ethiopian troops,1008 bullets per freedom fighter.
Menghistu Hailemariam, on the eve of the launch of the Red Star Campaign (6th offensive), 1982.We should not consider Sha'bia (EPLF) as a group of bandits, that is confined to the mountains of Sahil. It is one and many, at the same time. It is the group which has and is creating, training, arming and leading other groups of bandits inside Ethiopia. When this group is annihilated, the head of the other movements will be cut and there will be no force that can pose a threat to Ethiopia.
