| | In the mid-1970s, the Eritrean liberation movement made very considerable advances, going beyond any others in Africa in reaching the stage of positional warfare and occupying towns. Indeed in 1977 they controlled almost all towns in the country except the main port, Massawa and the capital, Asmara - both of which were under siege. But then the Soviet Union intervened, their navy bombarded Eritrean positions around Massawa; they armed and directed a huge, new Ethiopian army, which reversed the military balance, especially after pushing the Somali army out of the Ogaden in 1978. This offensive was able to reopen the main roads to the Ethiopian army, so the Eritrean People's Liberation Front withdrew from the towns to avoid them being shelled. |
