General information
First Active Year: 1975
Current Name: EPLF
Current Name full English: Eritrean People’s Liberation Front
Current Name full native language: n/a
Original Name: EPLF
Original Name full English: Eritrean People’s Liberation Front
Original Name full native language: n/a
Actor Chronology
This section contains information about (if applicable) group splinters, name changes, and alliances according to the UCDP definitions of these concepts.
Broke Away from Actor: ELF (Eritrean Liberation Front)
On: 1970-01-01
Joined Actor: Government of Eritrea (Government of Eritrea)
On: 1993-05-24
Conflict issues
Annual information
This section contains annual information systematically collected by the UCDP.
1975
Actor Active in Dyad(s):
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
1976
Actor Active in Dyad(s):
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
1977
Actor Active in Dyad(s):
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
1978
Actor Active in Dyad(s):
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
1979
Actor Active in Dyad(s):
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
1980
Actor Active in Dyad(s):
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
1981
Actor Active in Dyad(s):
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
1982
Actor Active in Dyad(s):
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
1983
Actor Active in Dyad(s):
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
1984
Actor Active in Dyad(s):
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
1985
Actor Active in Dyad(s):
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
1986
Actor Active in Dyad(s):
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
1987
Actor Active in Dyad(s):
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
1988
Actor Active in Dyad(s):
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
1989
Actor Active in Dyad(s):
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
1990
Actor Active in Dyad(s):
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
1991
Actor Active in Dyad(s):
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
Group Archive
This section contains annual information no longer systematically collected by the UCDP.
1975 Group Archive
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
Comment on Name: Eritrean People’s Liberation Front
Troop Size: 11 000
Secondary Support: Internationally, EPLF was represented by a foreign mission, headed by Osman Saleh Sabbe, which had good contacts in the Arab world. The relationship between the internal and external leadership was strained, however, since Sabbe advocated more rightist politics than the left-leaning leaders in Eritrea. Most analysts describe it as a marriage of convenience, with the foreign mission receiving a small measure of influence over events in Eritrea and – more importantly – prestige abroad, and EPLF receiving support solicited by Sabbe from the Arab world.
In 1975, South Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Libya provided financial support to the Eritrean rebels. South Yemen was EPLF’s most important backer, and also provided arms and ammunition to the front, as well as care for wounded rebels.
1976 Group Archive
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
Comment on Name: Eritrean People’s Liberation Front
Secondary Support: The Eritrean rebels had a vacillating relationship with the government of Sudan, very much dependant on the status of the relationship between Addis Ababa and Khartoum. While Khartoum’s overall sentiments appear to have been that of support of the Eritrean rebels and their cause, this support was not unwavering, but changed over the years. In 1976 the relationship between the Ethiopian and Sudanese governments reached its lowest point in a long time, when the former backed a failed coup attempt against the latter. In response, the Sudanese government, more openly than before, supported the Eritrean rebels, allowing them to transit supplies, including military equipment, through Port Sudan. Apart from the increased Sudanese support, 1976 was a dark year for EPLF in terms of external support. The front’s main backer, South Yemen, officially cut off all support, to put themselves in closer step with the policies of the Soviet Union, which was moving closer to the Derg regime in Addis Ababa. The same was true for another important backer; Libya. To the further detriment of the front’s external relations, its alliance with Osman Saleh Sabbe’s Foreign Mission was broken. Sabbe had been the one to solicit important support from the Arab world, and according to most sources the break with him led the group to have virtually no links to the outside world. However, some argue that despite the rift, Sabbe continued to channel funds from Syria, Iraq, the Gulf States, and Saudi Arabia. This has not been possible to confirm, wherefore it is not included in UCDP data.
1977 Group Archive
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
Comment on Name: Eritrean People’s Liberation Front
Troop Size: 15 000
Secondary Support: The Eritrean rebels had a vacillating relationship with the government of Sudan, very much dependant on the status of the relationship between Addis Ababa and Khartoum. While Khartoum’s overall sentiments appear to have been that of support of the Eritrean rebels and their cause, this support was not unwavering, but changed over the years. In 1976 the relationship between the Ethiopian and Sudanese governments had reached its lowest point in a long time, when the former backed a failed coup attempt against the latter. In response, the Sudanese government, more openly than before, supported the Eritrean rebels, allowing them to transit supplies, including military equipment, through Port Sudan. This policy continued in 1977 and in January Sudanese president Numieri officially pledged his full support for the Eritrean cause. After the 1976 split with its foreign mission, which had caused the loss of support from the Arab countries, EPLF in 1977 attempted to counter the negative impacts of this by starting to organize Eritrean communities abroad, especially in Western Europe, Scandinavia and in the US. These Diaspora organizations soon became one of the most important sources of finance for EPLF. Of special importance were the Associations of Eritrean Students and Women in North America. During the year also Kuwait and the United Arab Emirate provided financial support to EPLF.
1978 Group Archive
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
Comment on Name: Eritrean People’s Liberation Front
Troop Size: 27 500
Secondary Support: The Eritrean rebels had a vacillating relationship with the government of Sudan, very much dependant on the status of the relationship between Addis Ababa and Khartoum. While Khartoum’s overall sentiments appear to have been that of support of the Eritrean rebels and their cause, this support was not unwavering, but changed over the years. In 1976 the relationship between the Ethiopian and Sudanese governments had reached its lowest point in a long time, when the former backed a failed coup attempt against the latter. In response, the Sudanese government, more openly than before, supported the Eritrean rebels, allowing them to transit supplies, including military equipment, through Port Sudan. This policy continued through 1977 and at least the first part of 1978. During the first part of 1978 EPLF was supported by the Associations of Eritrean Students and Women in North America (AESNA and AEWNA), which provided both money and skilled recruits. However, in August AESANA and AEWNA broke off from the group. This rupture had to do with the front’s attitude towards the Soviet Union. Even though the latter had chosen to side with the Derg regime, a residue of sentiment in favour of the Soviet Union remained within the leadership. Aside from AESNA and AEWNA, the Eritrean Diaspora continued to be a solid source of financial support to EPLF. In 1978 both Iraq and the United Arab Emirate provided financial support to the rebels. In addition, Iraq also supplied military aid.
1979 Group Archive
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
Comment on Name: Eritrean People’s Liberation Front
Troop Size: 30 000
Secondary Support: In 1979 Iraq provided EPLF with both medical and pharmaceutical help which included flying wounded fighters to Baghdad. In addition, the country aided the rebels financially, militarily and politically. The United Arab Emirate continued to support the rebels with financial aid. The Eritrean Diaspora continued to be a solid source of financial support to EPLF.
1980 Group Archive
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
Comment on Name: Eritrean People’s Liberation Front
Troop Size: 30 000
Secondary Support: The Eritrean Diaspora continued to be a solid source of financial support to EPLF.
1981 Group Archive
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
Comment on Name: Eritrean People’s Liberation Front
Troop Size: 4 000
Secondary Support: The Eritrean Diaspora continued to be a solid source of financial support to EPLF. TPLF, an Ethiopian rebel group fighting to overthrow the Derg regime in Addis Ababa, was a close ally of EPLF. Being a younger and initially smaller group than EPLF, TPLF had received important backing from the Eritrean rebels during its inception and by 1981 the two groups began to coordinate their military operations. Furthermore, as TPLF’s popularity grew in its base area in Tigray, an ever increasing number of people wanted to join the front. By 1981 the group was unable to cope with the large number of recruits and turned to EPLF for help with military training. EPLF agreed, on the terms that the TPLF fighters after receiving training would stay on and fight with the Eritrean rebels for some time, hereby the Eritreans received a valuable boost in its ranks.
1982 Group Archive
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
Comment on Name: Eritrean People’s Liberation Front
Troop Size: 2 000
Secondary Support: The Eritrean Diaspora continued to be a solid source of financial support to EPLF. EPLF had a vacillating relationship with the government of Sudan, very much dependant on the status of the relationship between Addis Ababa and Khartoum. While Khartoum’s overall sentiments appear to have been that of support of the Eritrean rebels and their cause, this support was not unwavering, but changed over the years. While Khartoum had striven to improve its relations with Addis Ababa from 1979, subsequently working to close the border to EPLF activities and to curtail its activities within Sudan, this changed in mid-1982. During that summer the Sudanese government once more switched its loyalties, starting more assertively support the Eritrean rebels. EPLF was subsequently granted free access to Sudanese territory and Khartoum also shared intelligence with the rebels. During 1982, EPLF continued cooperating with Ethiopian rebel group TPLF (Tigray People’s Liberation Front). Being a younger and initially smaller group than EPLF, TPLF had received important backing from the Eritrean rebels during its inception and by the early 1980’s, the two groups had begun to coordinate their military operations. Furthermore, as TPLF’s popularity grew in its base area in Tigray, an ever increasing number of people wanted to join the front. By 1981 the group was unable to cope with the large number of recruits and turned to EPLF for help with military training. EPLF agreed, on the terms that the TPLF fighters after receiving training would stay on and fight with the Eritrean rebels for some time, whereby the Eritreans received a valuable boost in its ranks. This cooperation continued in 1982, with between 2500 and 3000 TPLF fighters helping EPLF withstand the Dergs Red Start Campaign.
1983 Group Archive
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
Comment on Name: Eritrean People’s Liberation Front
Troop Size: 35 000
Secondary Support: The Eritrean Diaspora continued to be a solid source of financial support to EPLF. EPLF had a vacillating relationship with the government of Sudan, very much dependant on the status of the relationship between Addis Ababa and Khartoum. While Khartoum’s overall sentiments appear to have been that of support of the Eritrean rebels and their cause, this support was not unwavering, but changed over the years. While Khartoum had striven to improve its relations with Addis Ababa from 1979, subsequently working to close the border to EPLF activities and to curtail its activities within Sudan, this changed in mid-1982. During that summer the Sudanese government once more switched its loyalties, starting more assertively support the Eritrean rebels. In 1983, EPLF was subsequently granted free access to Sudanese territory and Khartoum also shared intelligence with the rebels. EPLF continued to coordinate its military operations with fellow rebel group TPLF in 1983.
1984 Group Archive
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
Comment on Name: Eritrean People’s Liberation Front
Troop Size: 3 000
Secondary Support: The Eritrean Diaspora continued to be a solid source of financial support to EPLF. EPLF had a vacillating relationship with the government of Sudan, very much dependant on the status of the relationship between Addis Ababa and Khartoum. While Khartoum’s overall sentiments appear to have been that of support of the Eritrean rebels and their cause, this support was not unwavering, but changed over the years. While Khartoum had striven to improve its relations with Addis Ababa from 1979, subsequently working to close the border to EPLF activities and to curtail its activities within Sudan, this changed in mid-1982. During that summer the Sudanese government once more switched its loyalties, starting more assertively support the Eritrean rebels. This policy lasted through 1984, and EPLF was subsequently granted free access to Sudanese territory and Khartoum also shared intelligence with the rebels. EPLF continued to coordinate its military operations with fellow rebel group TPLF in 1984.
1985 Group Archive
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
Comment on Name: Eritrean People’s Liberation Front
Troop Size: 22 500
Secondary Support: The Eritrean Diaspora continued to be a solid source of financial support to EPLF. EPLF had a vacillating relationship with the government of Sudan, very much dependant on the status of the relationship between Addis Ababa and Khartoum. While Khartoum’s overall sentiments appear to have been that of support of the Eritrean rebels and their cause, this support was not unwavering, but changed over the years. While Khartoum had striven to improve its relations with Addis Ababa from 1979, subsequently working to close the border to EPLF activities and to curtail its activities within Sudan, this changed in mid-1982. During that summer the Sudanese government once more switched its loyalties, starting more assertively support the Eritrean rebels. This policy lasted through the first months of1985, and EPLF was subsequently granted free access to Sudanese territory and Khartoum also shared intelligence with the rebels. However, in April 1985 Nimeiri was overthrown in a coup and replaced by a Transitional Military Council which worked to improve relations with Ethiopia during the rest of 1985.EPLF continued to coordinate its military operations with fellow rebel group TPLF during the first months of 1985. For example, the two fronts launched joint attacks in April. However, in mid-1985 EPLF broke off its relations with TPLF after a long-simmering dispute over a range of issues. One of the main areas of contention was over TPLFs claim that the right to independence it proclaimed for Tigray and other Ethiopian nationalities also applied to the various Eritrean nationalities, something that EPLF was not willing to accept.
1986 Group Archive
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
Comment on Name: Eritrean People’s Liberation Front
Troop Size: 21 000
Secondary Support: The Eritrean Diaspora continued to be a solid source of financial support to EPLF.
1987 Group Archive
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
Comment on Name: Eritrean People’s Liberation Front
Troop Size: 21 500
Secondary Support: The Eritrean Diaspora continued to be a solid source of financial support to EPLF. EPLF had a vacillating relationship with the government of Sudan, very much dependant on the status of the relationship between Addis Ababa and Khartoum. While Khartoum’s overall sentiments appear to have been that of support of the Eritrean rebels and their cause, this support was not unwavering, but changed over the years. When Sudanese president Jafaar Nimeiri was ousted in April 1985, the Transitional Military Council that seized power changed the prevailing policy of support of EPLF and worked to improve relations with Addis Ababa. However, in 1987 relations between Sudan and Ethiopia deteriorated yet again, as the intrastate conflict in Southern Sudan escalated and the Derg regime continued to provide support to the Sudanese rebel group SPLA. Khartoum subsequently resumed its support to the Eritrean rebels, granting free access to Sudanese territory and sharing intelligence with the rebels.
1988 Group Archive
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
Comment on Name: Eritrean People’s Liberation Front
Troop Size: 38 000
Secondary Support: The Eritrean Diaspora continued to be a solid source of financial support to EPLF. After three years of cool relations, the relationship between EPLF and TPLF was restored in April 1988. The two groups subsequently resumed military coordination and cooperation. Sudan continued to grant EPLF access to its territory in 1988, whereby they could have rear-bases and transit supplies more easily.
1989 Group Archive
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
Comment on Name: Eritrean People’s Liberation Front
Troop Size: 30 000
Secondary Support: The Eritrean Diaspora continued to be a solid source of financial support to EPLF. In 1989 the cooperation with fellow rebel group TPLF (Tigray People’s Liberation Front) – now joined with EPDM (Ethiopian People’s Democratic Movement) in a new coalition group called EPRDF (Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front) – continued. The two groups shared intelligence and coordinated their armed operations. Sudan continued to grant EPLF access to its territory in 1989, whereby they could have rear-bases and transit supplies more easily. During the year a coup in Khartoum brought Brigadier Omer al Bashir to power. The new regime’s hold on power was initially weak and in late 1989 it faced a serious challenge from the Ethiopian government. The latter substantially increased assistance to Sudanese rebel group SPLM, sending a message to Khartoum that if it did not cut off its aid to Ethiopian rebels on its soil, its days were counted. However, instead of ceasing its support to EPLF and other groups, Khartoum at the end of the year made use of the Eritrean fighters and struck back at both the SPLA and the Derg regime. EPLF’s assistance in this operation and one beginning on New Year, served to guarantee continued and improved Sudanese support to the Eritrea rebels.
1990 Group Archive
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
Comment on Name: Eritrean People’s Liberation Front
Troop Size: 40 000 - 50 000
Secondary Support: The Eritrean Diaspora continued to be a solid source of financial support to EPLF. EPLF and fellow rebel group EPRDF (Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front) continued to cooperate closely, coordinating their armed struggles.EPLF had a vacillating relationship with the government of Sudan, very much dependant on the status of the relationship between Addis Ababa and Khartoum. While Khartoum’s overall sentiments appear to have been that of support of the Eritrean rebels and their cause, this support was not unwavering, but changed over the years. In 1989 a coup in Khartoum had brought Brigadier Omer al Bashir to power. The new regime’s hold on power was initially weak and in late 1989 it faced a serious challenge from the Ethiopian government. The latter substantially increased assistance to Sudanese rebel group SPLM, sending a message to Khartoum that if it did not cut off its aid to Ethiopian rebels on its soil, its days were counted. However, instead of ceasing its support to EPLF and other groups, Khartoum made use of the Eritrean fighters, striking back at both the SPLA and the Derg regime. First striking against SPLA inside Sudan, an entire elite brigade from EPLF subsequently launched a mechanized assault from Sudanese territory, together with fellow Ethiopian rebel group OLF (Oromiya Liberation Front), across the border into the western province of Wollega, and routed both SPLA and Derg fighters. The Bashir government subsequently returned the favour and provided the Eritrean fighters with more and better access to Sudanese territory. In 1990 Kuwait supplied the rebels with five patrol boats that EPLF then used in the capture of Massawa. Syria donated ammunition during the year. Apart from these sources of supplies and general support, EPLF was also alleged to have received assistance from Iraq (in the form of artillery), and Libya (in the form of weapons). However, both states denied this and it has not been possible to confirm, wherefore Iraq and Libya are not included as secondary parties in UCDP data in 1990.
1991 Group Archive
Government of Ethiopia - EPLF
Comment on Name: Eritrean People’s Liberation Front
Troop Size: 60 000
Secondary Support: The Eritrean Diaspora continued to be a solid source of financial support to EPLF. EPLF and fellow rebel group EPRDF (Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front) continued to cooperate closely, coordinating their armed struggles.Sudan continued to grant EPLF access to its territory in 1991, whereby they could have rear-bases and transit supplies more easily.
