Mengistu Haile Mariam

Mengistu Haile Mariam (born 1937) was the head of state of Ethiopia from 1977 to 1991. This period, during which the country was ruled by a one-party Marxist-Leninist government, was characterized by systematic repression of all political opposition.

Communism and international isolation

Communism was officially adopted during the late 1970s and early 1980s with the promulgation of a Soviet-style constitution, a Politburo, and the creation of the Worker's Party of Ethiopia (WPE). All foreign-owned companies were nationalized without compensation. Several opponents of the regime were assassinated, and government officials allegedly forced loved ones to pay for bullets when they claimed the person's corpse.

Related Topics:
Communism - 1970s - 1980s - Worker's Party of Ethiopia - Nationalized

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On September 10, 1987, Mengistu became a civilian president under a new constitution, and the country was renamed the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

Related Topics:
September 10 - 1987 - People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

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Mengistu's government was faced with enormous difficulties throughout the 1980s in the form of droughts, widespread famine (notably the Ethiopian famine of 1984 - 1985) and insurrections, particularly in the northern regions of Tigray and Eritrea. In 1989, the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF) merged with other ethnically-based opposition movements to form the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). In May 1991, EPRDF forces advanced on Addis Ababa. Mengistu himself blames the collapse of his government on Mikhail Gorbachev for letting the Soviet Union collapse and hence cutting off its aid to Ethiopia.

Related Topics:
Ethiopian famine - 1984 - 1985 - Tigray - Eritrea - Tigrayan People's Liberation Front - Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front - Addis Ababa - Mikhail Gorbachev - Soviet Union

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Mengistu fled the country with around 50 Derg officials and was granted asylum in Zimbabwe, as an official "guest" of Robert Mugabe, the president of that country. He still resides there, in relative pleasure and in a luxurious mansion, despite attempts by Ethiopia to extradite him to face trial by the current Ethiopian authorities. Several former members of the Derg have been sentenced to death in absentia.

Related Topics:
Zimbabwe - Robert Mugabe

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