March 10Mar 10 #1 An unexpected find! This is a Derg-era patch for the Ethiopian 22nd Mountain Division. It was formed in 1981 and suffered an estimated total of 1500 dead, wounded and prisoners when the Eritrean People's Liberation Front attacked the Nadew Command in December 1987. It was so bad that the division was withdrawn from the northern front and moved to Keren. The Nadew Command CO, General Brigadier Tariku Ayne, was relieved of his position under direct orders of Mengistu and then arrested and sentenced to death on February 15th 1988. This was the prelude to the battle of Afabet, one of the most important to take place in Africa since WW2, during which the Ethiopian Army was routed by the EPLF with 8,000-9,000 dead or missing and 5,000 prisoners. The Derg eventually collapsed in 1991.
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