'' Lij'' Abiye Abebe ( am, አብይ አበበ; born 1918 – 23 November 1974) was an Ethiopian politician and son-in-law of Emperor

Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...

Biography

Son of '' Liqa Mequas'' Abebe Atnaf Seggad, Abiye was born 1918 in

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...

as a '' Lij''. He attended the Holeta Military Academy. In the 1940s and 1950s he was

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from coun ...

, and later served as

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...

and

Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

. He chaired the High National Security Commission during the

Ethiopian Revolution The Derg (also spelled Dergue; , ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, then including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when the military leadership formally " c ...

until his arrest by the

Derg The Derg (also spelled Dergue; , ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, then including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when the military leadership formally " c ...

on 16 July 1974. Lt. General Abiye was serving as Chief of the General Staff when he was arrested. According to John Spencer, when Prime Minister

Aklilu Habte-Wold '' Tsehafi Taezaz'' Aklilu Habte-Wold ( am, አክሊሉ ሀብተ ወልድ; 12 March 1912 – 23 November 1974) was an Ethiopian politician under Emperor Haile Selassie. He was foreign minister of Ethiopia from 1947 to 1958 and Prime Minister f ...

sought to resign his post in 1973, he suggested to the Emperor that he be replaced by General Abiye. Other sources indicate that Aklilu Habte-Wold's rival Prince

Asrate Kassa ''Leul'' ''Ras'' Aserate Kassa (born Aserate-Medhin Kassa; 30 April 1922 – 23 November 1974) was a Viceroy of Eritrea and a member of the nobility of the Ethiopian Empire. He was the fourth son of ''Ras'' Kassa Haile Darge, and his wife Princ ...

was the person who put General Abiye forward as a fellow aristocrat. However Abiye consented to becoming Prime Minister only if his nomination, and those of his cabinet, were approved by the Ethiopian parliament, a condition Emperor Haile Selassie found unacceptable. As a result, Haile Selassie decided to appoint

Endelkachew Makonnen '' Lij'' Endelkachew Makonnen (27 September 1927 – 23 November 1974) was an Ethiopian politician. Born in Addis Ababa, his father, Ras Betwoded Makonnen Endelkachew, served as Prime Minister of Ethiopia in the 1950s. Endelkachew Makonnen ...

Prime Minister instead. Abiye was one of 60 former government officials executed the night of 22–23 November at

Akaki Central Prison Alem Bekagn ( am, አለም በቃኝ, "Farewell to the World"), or 'Kerchele Prison', was a central prison in Ethiopia until 2004. Located in Addis Ababa, the prison possibly existed as early as 1923, under the reign of Empress Zewditu, but beca ...

by the Derg.Marina and David Ottaway, ''Ethiopia: Empire in Revolution'' (New York: Africana, 1978), p. 61 General Abiye was married three times. At

, on 26 April 1942, he married Princess Tsehai of Ethiopia who died in childbirth a year later. After this marriage, Lt. General Abiye Abebe was accorded the dignities and protocol rank of the Emperor's son-in-law, even after he remarried. In 1946, married '' Woizero'' Amarech Nasibu, and then later to Woizero Tsige, his widow.

Career history

* Brigadier-General (24 April 1942) * Governor-General of

Wollega Welega (also spelled Wollega; ; am, ወለጋ) was a province in western Ethiopia, with its capital city at Nekemte. It was named for the Wollega Oromo, who are the majority of the population within its boundaries. Welega was bordered on the w ...

province (1942–1943) * Minister for War 1949–1955; Acting (1943–1947) * Minister of Justice (1958–1961) * Minister of Interior (1961–1964) * Ambassador to France (1955–1958) * Viceroy of Eritrea (1959–1964) * President of the

Ethiopian Senate The Imperial Parliament of Ethiopia () was the bicameral legislature of the Ethiopian Empire from 1931 to 1974. It consisted of the lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, and the upper house, Senate. The legislature was established in the 1931 C ...

(1964–1974) * Minister for Defence and Chief of Staff (28 February 1974 – 22 July 1974)

Honours

National

ETH Order of Menelik II - Grand Cross BAR

Grand Cross of the

Order of Menelik II The Imperial Order of Emperor Menelik II is an Ethiopian order established in 1924 by then-Regent Tafari Makonnen, during the reign of Empress Zewditu I, in order to honor the memory of Emperor Menelik II. The Imperial Order was often referred to ...

Military Medal of Merit of the Order of St George * ETH multiribbon

Haile Selassie I Gold Medal * PatriotMedalEtiopia

Patriot Medal & three torches (1944) * RefugeePatriotMedalEtiopia

Refugee Medal (1944) * Jubilee Medal 1955 (Ethiopia)

Jubilee Medal (1955) * ETH Emperor Haile Selassie I Jubilee Medal

Jubilee Medal (1966)

Foreign

Knight Gran Cross of the

Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav I ...

(Kingdom of Norway, January 1956) * Legion Honneur GC ribbon

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Legion of Honour (French Republic) * Royal Order of Sahametrei (Cambodia) - ribbon bar

Knight Grand Cross of the

Royal Order of Sahametrei The Royal Order of Sahametrei ( km, គ្រឿងឥស្សរិយយសលំដាប់សហមេត្រី) is a chivalric order conferred by the government of the Kingdom of Cambodia. The Royal Order of Sahametrei was instituted in ...

(Kingdom of Cambodia, 4 January 1968) * 39-45 Star BAR

British Star (United Kingdom, 1939–1945) * Ribbon - Africa Star

Africa Star The Africa Star is a military campaign medal, instituted by the United Kingdom on 8 July 1943 for award to British and Commonwealth forces who served in North Africa between 10 June 1940 and 12 May 1943 during the Second World War. Three clasp ...

(United Kingdom, 1940–1943) * War Medal 39-45 BAR

British War Medal The British War Medal is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom which was awarded to officers and men of British and Imperial forces for service in the First World War. Two versions of the medal were produced. About 6.5 million were struck in si ...

(United Kingdom, 1939–1945) *

National Order of Merit (France) An order of merit is conferred by a state, government or royal family on an individual in recognition of military or civil merit. Order of merit may also refer to: * FIFA Order of Merit, for significant contribution to association football * PDC O ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abiye Abebe 1918 births 1974 deaths Ethiopian generals Defence ministers of Ethiopia Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur Grand Crosses of the Royal Order of Sahametrei Executed Ethiopian people 20th-century Ethiopian politicians