Glimpsing a modern building dominated by a huge sign reading “Red Terror” Martyrs Memorial Museum last September, while on our orientation bus tour of Addis Ababa during our VSO in country training, I did a double take. What was this about? Since then I have twice visited said museum and read a book that contains the reports of the period of Ethiopian history from 1974-1991 when the Derg (also spelled Dergue) ruled the country.
The Day of the Martyrs was compiled by Gedion Wolde Amanuel in 2010. It’s a chronological selection of eye-opening reports written by foreign journalists about the Derg regime in Ethiopia, found on the Internet . While some reports are contradictory and there is much repetition, the overall picture that emerges is one of brutal tactics that included summary executions, individual assassinations, forced disappearances, torture and imprisonment of tens of thousands of Ethiopians by their fellow countrymen without trial. Amnesty International estimated that half a million Ethiopians were killed during the “Red Terror” that occurred between 1978 and 1979.
Last visit, I got into conversation with the museum attendant:
“Not many foreigners know about this dark time in our history,” he said
“Well for me, that’s true – I did not know until I started to read about Ethiopian history as I prepared to move here”. I agreed
“ I don’t know why no one outside the country knows, so many were killed…”
“Well, I will do a blog about it and a few hundred more will know”, I said
“Thank you.”
Emperor Haile Salassie’s reign had begun in 1930 and by the late 60s and early 70s, as he began to lose touch with the people and famine ravaged the land, a revolution was brewing. “Haile Salassie ..established a more modern state by creating a structured central bureaucracy, a judicial system that codified laws and a Constitution. Despite these accomplishments however, revolts, rebellions, droughts and famines marked his reign. His unresponsiveness to the economic development and the political needs of his people…is what scholars believe ultimately led to his downfall.”(P.6) Widespread dissatisfaction amongst soldiers over poor food and water ended in a mutiny that was unresolved and began to slowly spread throughout the military. General discontent increased as teachers, students, intellectuals and workers demanded higher pay, better working conditions, education, land reform and famine relief. This discontent culminated in the 1974 coup organized by a committee (Derg) of 120 military officers who abolished parliament, suspended the Constitution and nationalized all land, industries and institutions.
Haile Salassie was arrested and, in a final act of humiliation, transported to jail in a Volkswagen beetle, far from the style to which he had become accustomed. It is said that he was eventually smothered with a pillow, an old and frail 80-year-old man, though this is disputed by some.
The euphoria of the revolution soon turned to dread and fear as the Derg took forceful control. Within the first 9 months, as power struggles ensued within the Derg, 2 of the leaders were killed, along with 59 members of the previous government. The man who emerged as leader, Mengistu Haile Mariam, ruled the country from 1974 until 1991.
“The period immediately following the overthrow of Hail Salassie was a time of open political debate. The new regime did not have a clearly defined ideology, but it was swept along by the growing radical discourse among members of the civilian left. Initially the Derg tried to win the support of the Ethiopian left by declaring its socialist intentions in a program statement, Ethiopia Tikdem (Ethiopia First). The economic and social policies articulated in the document were populist in tone and did little to co-opt the civilian left. Once it became clear the Deg had assigned to itself the vanguard role in the revolution, elements of the civilian left began to criticize the regime. Chief among the critics was the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party (EPRP). By 1976 they had become engaged in a systematic campaign to undermine and discredit the Derg…. At the height of its activities the EPRP included students, intellectuals, teachers, merchants, and government bureaucrats. It even had sympathizers within the military.” (P.25)
As the people began to realize that the revolution they thought they wanted was turning into a nightmare, former supporters began to organize against the Derg. Consolidating into what was called the White Terror, it involved a number of opposing groups throughout the country. Mengistu fought back, launching a reign of terror (Red Terror) that is estimated to have killed from 300,000 to half a million Ethiopians over the next several years.
“Mengistu officially began his campaign (of terror).. with a speech which included the words “Death to counterrevolutionaries!” When he delivered these words he produced three bottles of what appeared to be blood and smashed them on the ground to show what the revolution would do to its enemies.” (P.33)
Loosely following a Marxist ideology, Mengistu was supported by the Soviet Union and at one point there were even Cuban troops in the country. At the same time Western governments kept the aid flowing…
“Reporter Peter Worthington visited an overrun Ethiopian army barracks in Eritrea where he found Western food aid was feeding Mengistu’s army. “ I went to the Ethiopian army kitchen and found, stacked against the wall, a number of 50-kilogram sacks of flour, marked CIDA (Canadian International Development Association), gift of Canada. When I expressed surprise, the Eritreans shrugged and said it was normal for food aid to refugees to be used for the Ethiopian army.” (P.46)
May 27th (Ginbot 20 in the Ethiopian calendar) is a national holiday to celebrate the downfall of the Derg and I happened to be in Addis Ababa en route to a workshop. It was also a celebration of 20 years in power by the EPRDF, the party that emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union eventually crippled the regime, already weakened by years of opposition. There was an air of optimism as people massed in Meskel Square using this opportunity to carry banners and flags in support of the current government campaign to build a dam on the Nile (Abay) river.
Woldia billboard showing Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in front of a drawing of the proposed dam which they say will be one of the 10 largest in the world.
We had been warned by VSO to avoid such large gatherings, so I was following orders and not planning to go near the Meskel Square site.
Fortunately though, I had a bird’s eye view of the parade from my hotel balcony so I could watch from a safe distance. Early Saturday morning busload after busload of excited and happy people spilled out onto the street below me and joined the surge toward Meskel Square, blending in with other cheering and singing groups to form a fluttering rainbow of red, yellow and green – the colours of the Ethiopian flag.
Turning on the TV I watched the crowds build in the square and an impressive military helicopter fly over, dangling flags from all the regions of the country.
After a rousing, flag-waving song and dance number by schoolchildren, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi gave a 6-minute speech to much applause. The Ethiopian national anthem was sung with gusto. I am not good at estimating crowds but one newspaper report said they expected a million people to show up for this very special 20th anniversary.
Huge Meskel square crowd on Gimbot 20
While the mood was celebratory last week, if one asks, many sad and horrific memories of the dark days surface. After all, anyone over 25 will likely have been affected one way or the other.
Ato Gubena, a pedagogy teacher in my class talked to me of the dangers of being in a youth movement to oppose the Derg. An 18-year-old friend, also in the resistance, was killed by the Derg forces, which relied on a vast network of informers.
Ato Abera , a chemistry teacher in my class, told me of his experience, spending most of his time as a young boy hiding from the soldiers. “The soldiers didn’t catch me, I was lucky. My brother was caught up in the church by the soldiers (he was in training to become a priest) and they took him for national service and still now I don’t know if he is alive – the probability is almost zero.”
Ato Tegene, who works for Save the Children UK, said he was a schoolboy in Addis when he saw 3 dead bodies lying in the street. “I was so shocked, I had never seen a dead body. I couldn’t eat for 3 days and I have never forgotten that sight.”
The Museum has been able to search out many photos of the people who were killed because …“Under Mengistu the secret police had Soviet and East German advisers, and they encouraged meticulous record-keeping.” (P 127)
Reports say that every night bodies were dumped on the streets of Addis Abeba with notes painted on them saying things like “This is an enemy of the people”. Relatives who wanted to claim the bodies for burial were made to pay for the bullets used to kill their loved ones. It was also “not uncommon to see students, suspected government critics or rebel sympathizers hanging from lampposts each morning.” (P.139)
Ato Abate, an administrative officer at our college, told me he was in grade 7, living in a very remote rural area, when Haile Salassie was overthrown and witnessed the “Land for tillers” movement that saw land taken from owners and given to peasants. He said that while religion was not banned outright, it was discouraged. In the rural areas, landless peasants who received land were happy to get it, while the disowned landlords joined in the opposition to the Derg.
Religion (Ethiopian Christian Orthodox and Islam) pervades all life here in Ethiopia and I asked history teacher Nejashi about what happened to religion during the communist Derg. “While they did not ban it outright, the Derg did not allow anyone who practised religion to become a member. They would hold meetings on Wednesdays and Fridays when the Christians were fasting and serve meat which was forbidden to Christians on those days.”
Every time I take the bus to or from Dessie, just north of the town, I see a stark reminder of the Derg – two large rusted old Soviet tanks appear dramatically atop the hill perched beside the road. I asked Ato Kebede, one of the pedagogy teachers in my class, about his experience of the Derg days and he overwhelmed me with an outpouring of information. As a boy of about 17 he and many friends were thrown in jail in Dessie, accused of being counterrevolutionaries. Of the seventeen close friends jailed with him, ten died.
“I still suffer from the torture from four years in jail – dirty rags stuffed in my mouth, toenails pulled out, sitting on an electrified chair. I suffer still from having my side kicked in, my wrists squeezed with tightening metal bands until I bled through my fingers; for 8 months after my left hand was dead. Tuesdays and Thursdays were the killing days and they killed between 60-70 a day, slitting their throats with knives. Children between 5-12 even were accused of being in the resistance and thrown in jail, 70 were buried in a mass grave. There are so many stories I could tell…” Eventually, as the Derg powers began to wane, a judge ordered his release and he went back to school, completing a Bachelors and Masters degree.
Mengistu was convicted in absentia of genocide and sentenced to death in December 2006. He remains in Zimbabawe, reputed to be living a life of luxury, supported by the Mugabe government, who steadfastly refuse the extradite him to Ethiopia to face his sentence.
Wondering what a young person today would make of this history, I asked Henok, our 18-year old Amharic tutor, who is about to write his grade 12 final examinations next week, what he made of it.
“It is a difficult question. They were very cruel, the Red Terror, killing without any reason. They killed so many people who would have made our country more developed,especially high school and university students.”
I would encourage anyone who travels to Addis Ababa to visit the Red Terror Martyr’s Memorial Museum. It is just off Meskel Square, free of charge and the people working there are very willing to answer questions.They also have a library on the upper level for people to use for research.
I came across your blog after you posted about my cousin Medin’s wedding. I have since read all of your posts and absolutely loved them! Thank you for your detailed accounts and for the work that you are doing. I look forward to following your journey.
Hello Miss Maria:
My name is Michael Zelalem; although I am not from Woldiya, I enjoy reading blogs like this from Western expats as they give me a new perspective on my country. Your blog is by far the best in quality so I try to follow now and then.
TPLF (the current regime) formed a rebel movement ~ ’74, that is a few years before the Red Terror. So TPLF was not some type of movement against the Red Terror.
The main actors in the Red Terror campaign were the Derg (killer) and the EPRP (student movement, the prosecuted). In the two camps there were other actors, on the Derg side there were movements like Meison (socialist movement) and the TPLF, and on the EPRP side there was EDU.
The Derg, being unstable and very afraid of EPRP, was supplying TPLF (current regime) with tons of weapons to kill the EPRP with. TPLF was part and parcel of the Derg and was involved in the killing of many students in Tigray. Infact, if you get a chance to read their writings from that period, they were clearly proud of their achievement in destroying EPRP and they attribute this success to their organization as ethno nationalist unlike the EPRP which was organized along class differences.
So TPLF’s role in the red terror is much more different than what their museums and recent books suggest. The people of Ethiopia are not out of the dark. The people you saw in addis ababa, bused to the demonstration site were largely forced to get there through their employers. Here is one of the tricks they used
Thank you Michael for adding another dimension to what is known about this history…
wow…..awful….thank you for informing me….Rosemary
Is there no time in history or place on the earth where people have lived together peacefully and with love of their neighbours?
Witness the riot in downtown Vancouver last night following the hockey game loss. I was so pleased to see some people stand up to the troublemakers and try to stop the senseless violence, firers, and looting. Many paid the price with beatings and stabbings. What has happened that so many young men (and a few young women) see this as fun? Nothing on the scale of what you have reported but disturbing none the less.
Carol
Hi Marian:
Thank you for another extremely interesting post – I am so engrossed in each of your posts.
I hope you had an enjoyable birthday – many happy returns!
Yes, we had a huge and deeply disturbing riot after the last hockey game of the finals, but I
don”t think it can be blamed on the loss. These idiots came prepared with hoods and face masks and accelerant and I think they would have rioted no matter the outcome.
I was downtown last night on my way to a volunteer stint at the VAG and I took some time
to look at The Bay. Virtually every window was smashed on all three sides and has now
turned in to a type of walls of shame, all the plywood covers completely covered with
messages and strings of other messages on pieces of fabric strung up as well. It is a
very emotional sight. My heart feels so very heavy and sore whenever I think of what
happened.
Take care, Elizabeth
Hello Elizabeth
When I read about the hockey riot in my home town I felt both sick and angry. Imagine how much it will cost for this senseless damage. Sitting here I think about how many schools and libraries could be built in Ethiopia with the money that now will be used to repair what should never have been broken.
Marian
Hi Marian: You can count me amongst the few hundred more who have now heard about the Red Terror in Ethiopia, something I did not know anything about before. It’s hard knowing history keeps repeating itself in such awful ways. I also hate hearing about well intentioned refugee aid ending up helping in unintended ways. Thanks to your blog we also know lots that is good is happening as well. Best from Lydia
Hi Marian, As usual you supply thought-provoking information, and the additional post from Michael reminds me once again about the precarious nature of government-provided facts, generally slanted in the favour of the provider. Regardless, it gives us a clearer picture than we had, and we all must remember to read critically, regardless of the source. I found it particularly interesting, since I worked extensively with an Ethiopean refugee family that came to my school just prior to my retirement in 2004. Knowing that the family lived in a camp for about 5 years before they were able to get to Canada, places them in Ethiopea just at the end of the Derg rule, and gives me another picture. The father was very much in danger when they were helped to escape, and worked in a university somewhere in Ethiopia. With the additional information I now have, I would love to be able to speak to him once more. He must have been either part of the Derg or the student movement. Thinking back at the gentle nature of the whole family, and the pacifist nature of their belief system, it is hard to reconcile their history with that of the Derg, and since he was at a university as far as I remember, I wonder if he became involved with the student movement that Michael speaks of. The family lived so simply here, and yet were filled with gratitude for everything they had, and I remember how that struck me, since I assumed at the time that their life in Ethiopia must have been much more grand. Now, thanks to you Marian, I know of course that the lifestyle in Ethiopea is often simple and without many of the little luxuries many of us here in Canada are able to enjoy.
Thank you for helping us to understand more deeply, yet again, Marian. This was very interesting.
Ulla
Hi Marian,
As always a very informative blog. I didn’t know all those details about Haile Salassie and his subsequent downfall, nor the revolutionary movements that followed.
It’s great that Ethiopians are following your blog and that people like Michael are giving us more information from an insider’s point of view.
I am hoping one day to hold a published copy of all your blogs with their wonderful stories and photos. Here I am, just as the hardcopy printed word is disappearing, longing for a real book of your experiences.
Looking forward to the next blog!