Word: massawa
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...Asmara, the city that Benito Mussolini called "the gem of the Horn of Africa," the Ethiopian army is increasingly nervous. The vital 56-mile highway to the port of Massawa, as well as all other roads, is frequently cut, if not actually controlled, by Eritrean forces. The railroad from the port of Assab carries no traffic; its bridges have been destroyed by guerrillas. Ethiopian army units dare not travel unescorted more than a few miles outside the capital. When they do go farther, they move by convoy with tank protection and air cover. Their supplies arrive only...
...determined first to defeat the Ethiopians. Mengistu's troops still hold the Eritrean capital of Asmara, but they can only resupply it by air or by twice-weekly convoys from the Red Sea, which are often ambushed or sniped at on the way from the port of Massawa to the city. The rebels have long since cut off all land routes between Asmara and the rest of the country...