Alemayehu Atomsa ( om, Alamaayyoo Atoomsaa; am, አለማየው አቶምሳ; 12 February 1969 – 6 March 2014) was an
Ethiopian
Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...
politician who served as the president of the
Oromia Region
Oromia (Amharic: ) ( om, Oromiyaa) is a regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. The capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa.
It is bordered by the Somali Region to the east; the Amhara Region, the Afar Region and the Benish ...
, the largest of the country's regions, from 2010 until his resignation due to illness in 2014,
from which he died in
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
, on 6 March 2014.
Early life and career
Alemayehu was born on 12 February 1969 in the village of Sere in
Welega Province
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 ...
, now in
Bonaya Boshe District in the
Misraq Welega Zone
East Welega ( om, Wallagga Bahaa) is one of the zones in the central Oromia Region of Ethiopia. This administrative division acquired its name from the former province of Welega. Towns and cities in this zone include Nekemte.
East Welega is bo ...
of the Oromia Region.
Alemayehu attended school close to his home district at Gubo Leyo Primary School and Siri Secondary School.
During the
Ethiopian Civil War
The Ethiopian Civil War was a civil war in Ethiopia and present-day Eritrea, fought between the Ethiopian military junta known as the Derg and Ethiopian-Eritrean anti-government rebels from 12 September 1974 to 28 May 1991.
The Derg overthre ...
, he was conscripted by the government to fight against
EPLF
The Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF), colloquially known as Shabia, was an armed Marxist–Leninist organization that fought for the independence of Eritrea from Ethiopia. It emerged in 1970 as a far-left to left-wing nationalist group ...
and
TPLF
The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF; ti, ህዝባዊ ወያነ ሓርነት ትግራይ, lit=Popular Struggle for the Freedom of Tigray), also called the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front, is a left-wing ethnic nationalist paramilitar ...
rebels. He, however, was captured by TPLF rebels. Soon after, his captors gave him the option of continuing to be their
POW
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...
or becoming a founding member of the
Oromo People's Democratic Organization
The Oromo Democratic Party ( om, Paartii Demokraatawaa Oromoo, ODP) was a political party in Ethiopia, and part of the alliance with the Amhara National Democratic Movement, the South Ethiopian Peoples' Democratic Front and the Tigrayan People ...
(OPDO); he chose the latter.
He received a law degree from the
Ethiopian Civil Service University
The Ethiopian Civil Service University (ECSU) is a public university in Ethiopia. Its purpose is capacity building in the public sector. It is located in the capital city of Addis Ababa and was founded in 1993.
Notable alumni
* Alemayehu Atomsa ...
and a
Master of Public Policy
The Master of Public Policy (MPP), is one of several public policy degrees. An MPP is a master's-level professional degree that provides training in policy analysis and program evaluation at public policy schools. The MPP program places a focus o ...
degree from
Peking University
Peking University (PKU; ) is a public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education.
Peking University was established as the Imperial University of Peking in 1898 when it received its royal charter ...
in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
, China.
Alemayehu started his career as a teacher. He rose to become the Director of the Information Agency of the Oromia Region, and then managing director of the
Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency.
Alemayehu joined the armed struggle against the military junta of
President Mengistu Hailemariam in 1989. He had been part of the leadership of OPDO and
EPRDF
The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF; am, የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝቦች አብዮታዊ ዲሞክራሲያዊ ግንባር, translit=Ye’Ītiyop’iya Ḥizibochi Ābiyotawī Dīmokirasīyawī Ginibari) was an eth ...
since the ousting of the military junta in 1991; among others, as head of Oromia's eastern Wolega zone and head of Oromia's western Wolega zone. Alemayehu served as Oromia's chief of security, as head of OPDO's political department and as head of OPDO's headquarters from 1996 to 2002. He was head of Oromia's Communications Bureau, then Director General of Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency from 2006 to 2010. In 2012, Alemayehu became Chairperson of OPDO and President of Oromia region.
He was the father of two daughters and two sons.
Presidency of the Oromia Region
Alemayehu, an "obscure figure with little connection to the OPDO’s rank and file" became president of the Oromia Region on 6 September 2010, succeeding former General
Abadula Gemeda
Abadula Gemeda ( om, Abbaa Duulaa Gammadaa; am, አባዱላ ገመዳ; born 5 July 1958) is an Ethiopian politician who became the former Speaker of the House of Peoples' Representatives, the lower chamber of the Ethiopian Parliament, from 20 ...
, who was elected to the
Federal Parliamentary Assembly
The Federal Parliamentary Assembly ( am, የፌዴራል ፓርላማ ምክር ቤት, Ye-Fēdēralawī Parilama Mikir Bēt) is Ethiopia's federal legislature. It consists of two chambers:
*The House of Federation (upper chamber)
*The House ...
and became the Speaker of the
House of Peoples' Representatives
The House of Peoples' Representatives is the lower house of the Ethiopia, Ethiopian Federal Parliamentary Assembly. Located in the capital Addis Ababa, the House has 547 members. All are elected in theory for five-year term in single-seat constit ...
.
"Hailed
orhis strength and leadership charisma", as president, Alemayehu took a strong, public, and controversial stance against corruption, and within months of his assuming office several public officials had been arrested for bribery, nepotism, and other acts of corruption. Under his presidency, the
Addis Ababa - Adama Expressway, the country's first modern
motorway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...
, was built to connect the capital city of
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 ...
to the city of
Adama
Adama ( Oromo: ' or ', Amharic: አዳማ), formerly Nazreth ( am, ናዝሬት), is a city in the central Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Located in the East Shewa Zone southeast of the capital, Addis Ababa, the city sits between the base of an e ...
, the largest city in the Oromia Region.
However, within months of taking office, he fell severely ill due to food poisoning, and remained so throughout his tenure.
Thus for much of his tenure, he was abroad seeking medical treatment, and by 2013 he had "virtually withdrawn from public life" as a result.
In 2012, he tendered his resignation to then-
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Meles Zenawi
Meles Zenawi Asres (Tigrinya and ; , born Legesse Zenawi Asres; 9 May 1955 – 20 August 2012) was an Ethiopian soldier and politician who served as President of Ethiopia from 1991 to 1995 and then Prime Minister of Ethiopia from 1995 until his ...
, but it was rejected, as were several other requests, before his resignation was finally accepted on 17 February 2014.
Illness and death
Alemayehu died of food poisoning on 6 March 2014 at the
Bumrungrad International Hospital
Bumrungrad International Hospital ( th, โรงพยาบาลบำรุงราษฎร์, , ; ) is a private hospital founded in 1980 in Bangkok, Thailand. More frequently referred to as Bumrungrad Hospital or simply Bumrungrad, its n ...
in Bangkok, at 1AM, having received treatment for the five weeks prior.
Some opposition sources have suggested that
foul play was at hand in his death, as his anti-corruption campaign threatened existing political figures.
At a memorial service at
Holy Trinity Cathedral, Prime Minister
Hailemariam Desalegn
Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe ( amh, ኃይለማሪያም ደሳለኝ ቦሼ; born 19 July 1965) is an Ethiopian politician who served as prime minister of Ethiopia from 2012 to 2018. He also previously served as deputy prime minister and Minister ...
said that Alemayehu had been "a fighter and a comrade who worked tirelessly till the end for the people of Oromia and Ethiopia." Flags around the country flew for three days at half-mast.
Also expressing their condolences were President
Mulatu Teshome
Mulatu Teshome Wirtu ( om, Mulaatuu Tashoome Wirtuu; ; born 1957) is an Ethiopian politician who was the president of Ethiopia from 2013 to 2018.
Biography
Mulatu was born in the town of Arjo in Welega Province. He was educated in China, rece ...
, the
House of Federation
The House of Federation () is the upper house of the bicameral Federal Parliamentary Assembly, the parliament of Ethiopia. It has 112 members.
Each Nation, Nationality and People shall be represented in the House of the Federation by at least o ...
and the House of Peoples' Representatives.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atomsa, Alemayehu
1969 births
2014 deaths
Speakers of the House of Peoples' Representatives (Ethiopia)
Presidents of Oromia Region
Ethiopian Oriental Orthodox Christians
Deaths from typhoid fever
Ethiopian Orthodox Christians
Infectious disease deaths in Thailand
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front politicians
Oromo Democratic Party politicians
Peking University alumni
People from Oromia Region
Deaths from food poisoning
21st-century Ethiopian politicians