Mengistu Haile Mariam: Difference between revisions

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==Early life==

Unsubstantiated accounts allege that Mengistu Haile Mariam's mother was the illegitimate daughter of ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dejazmach Dejazmach]'' Kebede Tessema, a high ranking nobleman and Crown Councilor to Emperor [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haile_Selassie Haile Selassie], and himself suspected of being the illegitimate son of Emperor [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menelik_II Menelik II]. These rumors of Mengistu being the grandson of ''Dejazmach'' Kebede are widely believed, but have never been confirmed by either Mengistu himself or by the late nobleman's family. Mengistu was born on 27 May 1937 in Addis Ababa. Mengistu's father, Haile Mariam, was in the service of an aristocratic sub-provincial governor, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoa,_Ethiopia Shoan] landowner ''Afenegus'' Eshete Geda. Eshete encountered Haile Mariam while he was on a hunting expedition in the administrative district of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimira Gimira] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maji Maji] (in Southern Ethiopia), then under the governorship of ''Dejazmach'' Taye Gulilat. He later became an enlisted man in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_army Ethiopian army]. ''Afenegus'' Eshete Geda was the half-brother of ''Dejazmach'' Kebede's wife, Woizero Yitateku Kidane, and it was through this connection that Mengistu's parents are alleged to have met.

Mengistu's mother died during childbirth when Mengistu was only 8 years old. After the death of his mother, Mengistu and his 2 siblings went to live with their grandmother for a few years. He then came back to live with his father and soon after joined the army at a very young age. Mengistu's father Haile Mariam Wolde was very proud of his son's achievements, though some people believe the Ethiopian popular account that states that his family was far from proud of his political accomplishments. His grandmother, who was called Woyzero Abebech, was still alive when he seized power, and had become an Orthodox nun (as is very common amongst elderly women in Ethiopia). Woyzero Abebech (Mengistu's grandmother) lost her land that she inherited from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Zewditu Empress Zewditu] whom she had served as an attendant, as well as her husband. She continued to live in a place known as Addis Alem not far from Addis Ababa and was said to have been furious at the nationalization of her land by her grandson's government.

==Servie in the Army==

Mengistu followed his father and joined the army, where he attracted the attention of the Eritrean-born general, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aman_Andom Aman Andom], who raised him to the rank of sergeant and assigned him duties as an errand boy in his office. Mengistu graduated from the Holetta Military Academy, one of the two important military academies of Ethiopia. General Aman then became his mentor, and when the General was assigned to the commander of the Third Division took Mengistu with him to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harar Harar], and later was assigned as Ordnance officer in the 3rd division. A few years before his departure for training to the US he was in conflict with the then 3rd Division commander Geneara Haile Baykedagn who apparently hated the sight of him. It was said the general once said to him that he would "...chew him like chewing gum and make him suffer". At the time the Ordnance group was offered military technical training support in a large scale compared to other units of the Imperial Army. Despite his hatred, the general was obliged to release him and Mengistu went for six months' training in Maryland, USA. Returning after his training, he was expected to command the Ordnance Sub-division in Harar. Mengistu, without doubt, met General Haile Baykedagn, the man who treated him badly as a prisoner among other commanders, and later murdered him with the 60 ministers and generals.

In this country, some [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristocracy aristocratic] families automatically categorize persons with dark skin, thick lips, and kinky hair as "Barias" ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amharic_language Amharic] for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slave Slave])... let it be clear to everybody that I shall soon make these ignoramuses stoop and grind corn!

Professor Bahru Zewde notes that Mengistu was distinguished by a "special ability to size up situations and persons". Although Bahru notes that some observers "rather charitably" equated this ability with intelligence, the professor believes this skill is more akin to "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Know-how street smarts]": "it is rather closer to the mark to see it as inner-city smartness (or what in local parlance would be called ''aradanat'')."

==The rise of the Derg==

In 1974, Emperor [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haile_Selassie Haile Selassie]'s government had lost public confidence within Ethiopia following a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famines_in_Ethiopia famine] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wello Wello] province, leading to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_revolution Ethiopian revolution]. As a result, power came into the hands of a committee of low ranking officers and enlisted soldiers led by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atnafu_Abate Atnafu Abate], which came to be known as the Derg. Originally, Mengistu was one of the lesser members, officially sent to represent the Third Division because his commander, General Nega Tegnegn considered him a trouble-maker and wanted to get rid of him.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Henze-290_9-1">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mengistu_Haile_Mariam#cite_note-Henze-290-9 [9]]</sup> Between July and September 1974, Mengistu became the most influential member of the shadowy Derg, but preferred to act through more public members like his former mentor, general Aman Andom, and later [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tafari_Benti Tafari Benti].<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Keller-185_8-1">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mengistu_Haile_Mariam#cite_note-Keller-185-8 [8]]</sup>

Haile Selassie died in 1975. It is rumored that Mengistu smothered the Emperor using a pillow case, but Mengistu has denied these rumors.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mengistu_Haile_Mariam#cite_note-11 [11]]</sup> Though several groups were involved in the overthrow, the Derg succeeded to power. However there is no doubt that the Derg under Mengistu's leadership ordered the deaths without trial of 61 ex-officials of the Imperial government on 23 November 1974, and later of numerous other former nobles and officials including the Patriarch of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_Orthodox_Church Ethiopian Orthodox Church], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abuna_Theophilos Abuna Theophilos], in 1977. Mengistu himself has acknowledged that the Derg ordered these deaths, but refuses to accept personal responsibility. Members of the Derg have contradicted him in interviews given from imprisonment saying he conspired and was in full agreement with their decisions.

==Leadership in Ethiopia==

Mengistu did not emerge as the leader of the Derg until after the 3 February 1977 shootout, in which Tafari Banti was killed. The vice chairman of the Derg, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atnafu_Abate Atnafu Abate], although with some support at this time, clashed with Mengistu over the issue of how to handle the war in Eritrea and lost leading to his execution with 40 other officers, clearing the way for Mengistu to become the complete master of the situation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mengistu_Haile_Mariam#cite_note-12 [12]]</sup> He formally assumed power as head of state, and justified his execution of Abate (on 13 November of that year) by claiming that he had "placed the interests of Ethiopia above the interests of socialism" and undertaken other "counter-revolutionary" activities.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mengistu_Haile_Mariam#cite_note-13 [13]]</sup> Under Mengistu, Ethiopia received aid from the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union Soviet Union], other members of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw_Pact Warsaw Pact], and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba Cuba].

===Political Conflicts===

From 1977 through 1978, resistance against the Derg ensued, led primarily by the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_People%27s_Revolutionary_Party Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party] (EPRP). Mengistu cracked down on the EPRP and other revolutionary student organizations in what would become called the "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Terror_%28Ethiopia%29 Red Terror]". The Derg subsequently turned against the socialist student movement [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MEISON MEISON], a major supporter against the EPRP, in what would be called the "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_terror White terror]".

However, the government's military position gradually weakened. First came the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Afabet Battle of Afabet] in March 1989, which was a humiliating defeat at the hands of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eritrean_People%27s_Liberation_Front Eritrean People's Liberation Front], with 15,000 casualties and the loss of a great deal of equipment. This was followed up less than a year later by another crushing defeat at Shire, with over 20,000 men either killed or captured and the loss of even more equipment. Then on 16 May, while Mengistu had left for a four-day state visit to East Germany, senior military officials attempted a coup and the Minister of Defense, Haile Giyorgis Habte Mariam was killed; Mengistu returned within 24 hours and nine generals, including the air force commander and the army Chief of Staff, died as the coup was crushed.

===Asylum in Zimbabwe===

In May 1991, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_People%27s_Revolutionary_Democratic_Front Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front] (EPRDF) forces advanced on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addis_Ababa Addis Ababa] from all sides, and Mengistu fled the country with 50 family and Derg members. He was granted asylum in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbabwe Zimbabwe] as an official guest of Zimbabwean President [[Robert Mugabe]]. Mengistu left behind almost the entire membership of the original Derg and the WPE leadership, precluding their escape; in fact, one officer was caught twice while trying to escape from Addis Ababa. Almost all were promptly arrested and put on trial upon the assumption of power by the EPRDF. Mengistu has claimed that the takeover of his country resulted from the policies of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Gorbachev Mikhail Gorbachev], who in his view allowed the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the termination of its aid to Ethiopia.

Mengistu still resides in Zimbabwe, despite the Ethiopian government's desire that he be extradited. He is said to live in luxurious circumstances, and it is claimed that he advises Mugabe on security matters; according to one report, he proposed the idea of clearing slums, which was implemented as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Murambatsvina Operation Murambatsvina] in 2005, and chaired meetings at which the operation was planned. State Security Minister [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didymus_Mutasa Didymus Mutasa] strongly denied that Mengistu was involved in Operation Murambatsvina in any way, saying that Mengistu "does not interfere at all with the affairs of our country. We also do not allow him to interfere with his country from Zimbabwe."

==Claims of genocide in Ethiopia==

Mengistu was charged by the current Ethiopian government led by Meles Zenawi, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_absentia in absentia], for the killing of nearly 2,000 people. Mengistu's charge sheet and evidence list was 8,000 pages long. The evidence against him included signed execution orders, videos of torture sessions and personal testimonies

After Mengistu's conviction in December 2006, the Zimbabwean government said that he still enjoyed asylum and would not be extradited. A Zimbabwean government spokesman explained this by saying that "Mengistu and his government played a key and commendable role during our struggle for independence". According to the spokesman, Mengistu assisted his guerrilla fighters during the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodesian_Bush_War Rhodesian Bush War] by providing training and arms, and after the war he had provided training for Zimbabwean air force pilots; the spokesman said that "not many countries have shown such commitment to us".

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