The significance to the Ethiopian regime of the loss of Afabet cannot be overstated. In this single battle, Ethiopia lost whole divisions of its best-trained and armed troops. Worse still, it left behind a weapons stockpile that it had amassed to carry out what it believed was to have been 'a decisive offensive' against the EPLF.
The significance of Afabet's defeat for the Ethiopian regime is profound. The loss of troops and weaponry represents a major setback for their military ambitions.