Mereja.Forum

[Axumezana]

[Zmeselo]

Of course! You biatches submitted once, & will submit again!

When Britain bombed Tigray into submission


ROYAL AIR FORCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST, 1944-1945. (CM 5929) Hadrami civilians unload grain from Vickers Wellington B Mark X, LP202 'F', of the Famine Relief Flight, at El Qatn in the Hadhramaut region of the British Aden Protectorate, during operations to alleviate famine in the area. Gathered by the tail are the aircrew, (left to right): Sergeant R J Oke, Pilot Officer R Mann (captain), Warrant Officer L H J Sullivan and Flight-Sergeant N L Davy, talking ... Copyright: © IWM. Original

By Martin Plaut

https://martinplaut.com/2019/10/06/when ... ubmission/

06/10/2019

This is a sad, but little told story. In 1943, at the request of the Emperor Haile Selassie, the Royal Airforce bombed two towns – Mekelle and Corbetta.



The source for this information is an article by Aregawi Berhe, in African Affairs https://tand-tesfana.webs.com/The_Origi ... regawi.pdf – the journal of the Royal African Society, from 2004.

Further details can be found in an earlier article https://www.jstor.org/stable/181225?seq ... b_contents by David Killingray.

The RAF squadron that carried out the raid may actually have been carried out by Canadians from number 8 Squadron.

This information is from a publication called Legation: Canada’s Military History Magazine. https://legionmagazine.com/en/2012/02/i ... e-part-49/

In this strange colonial world the Canadians experienced things never imagined when they enlisted…On Sept. 1, 1943, a request was received from the Emperor of Ethiopia for aircraft to drop leaflets in Macaille and eastern Tigre province prior to operations against rebellious tribes. No. 8 Sqdn., another Bisley unit and normally based in Aden, operated a three-plane detachment from Addis Ababa and spent several days bombing rebel concentrations and native hutments. One of the wireless air gunners was Flight Sergeant Joseph Leon Belley of Quebec City. This squadron was the destination for numerous Canadians. Indeed, as of December 1943 at least 19 members of the RCAF had been posted there.

When in 1942–43 peasants in central and southern Tigray began to rebel out of desperation, they were met with a harsh response. Haile Selassie’s government in collaboration with the British Royal Air Force (RAF), after dropping warning leaflets addressed to

the Chiefs, Balabats — people of Tigre province

on 6 October 1943, devastated the region including Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, throughout the rest of that month.

This quelled the Tigrayan peasant uprising, known as Woyane, meaning ‘revolt’.

Thousands of defenceless civilians lost their lives as a result of aerial bombardment. It is recorded that

on 14th October [1943] 54 bombs dropped in Mekelle, 6th October 14 bombs followed by another 16 bombs on 9th October in Hintalo, 7th/9th October 32 bombs in Corbetta.

Repression did not stop there.

The people of Tigray region were forced to pay large sums of money and their land was confiscated and distributed to loyal gentry as a punishment and as a deterrent to future revolt. A new taxation system was imposed that

cost the peasants five times more than they had paid under the Italians.

In the name of centralization, Haile Selassie took away regional power from hereditary leaders and gave it to loyal Showan administrators.

This predicament again raised the level of collective resentment, taking the form of ethno-nationalist sentiment against the Showan ruling class at the centre. As Gilkes rightly observed,

independence from Shoan (sic) rule was raised as a rallying cry and proved popular.

The punitive measures of the central government, and especially the memory of the RAF bombardment of Mekelle on behalf of Haile Selassie’s government, became grievances rooted in popular memory.

[Axumezana]

The indomitable Axumite power is under resurrection, this time the center of gravity of power in the Horn Africa is shifting to Axum.

[Axumezana]

[Noble Amhara]

Haile Selassie Axum Tsion Mariam Church designed in Byzantine architecture symbolising the Byzantine relations with Axumite kingdom

[Deqi-Arawit]

You turned axum to a place of prostitution and misery hence shove axum to your agame [deleted]

[Axumezana]

Ascari boy,

Your jealousy is going to destroy Eritrea ! See you at Adi Halo,!

[Axumezana]

[Meleket]

በተመሳሳይ ዜና

PHOTOS: Cardinal Pizzaballa opens 2025 Jubilee Year in Holy Land
By Marinella Bandini
Jerusalem, Dec 30, 2024 / 13:30 pm


The entry of the cross into the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth on Dec. 29, 2024, marks the opening of the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope in the Holy Land. The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, crossed the threshold of the basilica carrying the jubilee cross accompanied by Archbishop Moussa Hage, Maronite archbishop of Haifa and the Holy Land (on his right), and Archbishop Youssef Matta, Greek Catholic (Melkite) archbishop of Acre, Haifa, Nazareth, and Galilee (on his left). | Credit: Marinella Bandini

The entry of the jubilee cross into the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth on Dec. 29 marked the opening of the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope in the Holy Land.

The event, celebrated on the feast of the Holy Family, was led by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. As the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, he inaugurated the holy year in his diocese, which includes Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Jordan, and Cyprus.


The entrance of the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth (from the inside). On the threshold, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, flanked by Archbishop Moussa Hage, Maronite archbishop of Haifa and the Holy Land on his right, and Archbishop Youssef Matta, Greek Catholic (Melkite) archbishop of Acre, Haifa, Nazareth, and Galilee on his left. Credit: Marinella Bandini

The entrance occurred after the proclamation of the Gospel of John (14:1-7), in which Jesus declares: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

The patriarch crossed the threshold of the basilica carrying the jubilee cross, accompanied by Archbishop Moussa Hage, Maronite archbishop of Haifa and the Holy Land, and Archbishop Youssef Matta, Greek Catholic (Melkite) archbishop of Acre, Haifa, Nazareth, and Galilee. Their presence underscored the unity among the diverse Catholic rites in the Holy Land.

A procession of 11 bishops and major superiors along with approximately 150 priests from across the diocese followed the patriarch into the basilica.


The reading of excerpts from the papal bull "Spes Non Confundit" during the opening celebration of the 2025 Jubilee Year in the Holy Land on Dec. 29, 2024, at the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth. Credit: Marinella Bandini

Heavy rain prevented the planned outdoor procession from the nearby Church of St. Joseph, where the Holy Family’s home is venerated, but the celebration proceeded with reverence inside the basilica.

The first part of the liturgy took place in the lower section of the basilica near the Grotto of the Annunciation, where the patriarch paused briefly in prayer.

Excerpts from the jubilee proclamation bull were read in English and Arabic, and the jubilee indulgence, which can be obtained by following the guidelines of the Apostolic Penitentiary, was announced to the people.

“The holy year is the favorable time to place ourselves before God,” the patriarch said. “Before him, we discover that we are sinners in need of forgiveness. During the jubilee, we have the privilege of receiving from God the complete remission of sins, but indulgence is not something we can buy; it is a grace obtained only through true conversion.”

The patriarch then sprinkled the congregation with holy water, a reminder of their baptismal commitment. The jubilee cross and the Gospel then led the procession to the upper part of the basilica, where the congregation of the faithful had gathered and the second part of the Eucharistic celebration took place.

The jubilee cross, especially created for the occasion by iconographer Maria Ruiz, was placed near the altar. The cross will remain in the basilica throughout the jubilee year as a sign of Christ’s presence and salvation.


A small replica of the cross that is a symbol of the jubilee year in the Holy Land. The cross was created by the iconographer Maria Ruiz. Credit: Marinella Bandini

Replicas of the jubilee cross will also be placed in the Nativity Basilica in Bethlehem, the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the Latin Patriarchate Church in Jerusalem, the baptism site in Jordan (al-Maghtas), and St. Mary of Grace Church in Larnaca, Cyprus, where a jubilee celebration was also held.

The ceremony concluded with the distribution of small reproductions of the jubilee cross to members of the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land (ACOHL), which includes bishops, exarchs, and eparchs from across the region.


The assembly of the faithful gather in the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth for the Eucharistic celebration marking the opening of the 2025 Jubilee Year, which took place on Dec. 29, 2024. Credit: Marinella Bandini

The jubilee year opening ceremony saw active participation from the faithful, who traveled from nearby towns as well as from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.


A moment from the Eucharistic celebration marking the opening of the 2025 Jubilee Year, which took place on Dec. 29, 2024, at the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, presided over by the patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. Credit: Marinella Bandini

In light of this, the Catholic ordinaries of the Holy Land issued a special message to local Christians encouraging them to embark on pilgrimages to the jubilee sites in the region. These sacred places, deeply rooted in the faith and history of the Holy Land, are often overlooked by local believers.

The Latin Patriarchate has emphasized the importance of reviving pilgrimages to these holy sites, particularly given the current decrease in international pilgrims. The initiative aims to sustain the rich traditions and spiritual heritage of the Holy Land while fostering a renewed connection among local Christians.

Parishes, associations, and faith groups are being mobilized to participate in this effort, ensuring that the jubilee year becomes an opportunity for the faithful to deepen their faith and rediscover the profound significance of the holy places.

“In order to live the experience of the jubilee in its fullness, as an experience of reconciliation and indulgence ... we Christians of the Holy Land are offered a pilgrimage to three special places. Throughout the year, let us try to be ourselves pilgrims to these places, as a community, as families, and also in a personal way,” the message from the ordinaries of the Holy Land reads.


The assembly of the faithful gather in the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth for the Eucharistic celebration marking the opening of the 2025 Jubilee Year, which took place on Dec. 29, 2024. Credit: Marinella Bandini


The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, delivers the homily during the Eucharistic celebration marking the opening of the 2025 Jubilee Year, which took place on Dec. 29, 2024, at the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth. Credit: Marinella Bandini

In his homily, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa focused on the virtue of hope, which lies at the heart of the jubilee year. This virtue is particularly significant in the context of the Holy Land, a region long marked by conflict and, for the past 15 months, enduring its longest modern-day war.

It is a virtue “that seems to be most affected at this difficult time in the life of the world, because of the wars, hatred, and, in general, so much violence around us,” the patriarch observed.

“We really need a jubilee year,” the patriarch emphasized. “We are all prisoners of this war and its aftermath in one way or another. We are imprisoned, trapped in our fears, which prevent us from having trusting views and, therefore, from having hope in others or in the future.”

“We truly need a jubilee year so that God can cancel our debts, lift the unbearable burden of our sins and fears from our shoulders and hearts, and bring light back into our eyes,” he continued. “For this is the meaning of the indulgence we can obtain this year: to receive forgiveness from God so that he may reopen our hearts again to trust and hope. We need this spiritual renewal that will restore confidence in God’s work in our homes and communities, bringing with it the hope that one day we may attain the peace we all desire.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news ... e=hs_email