Fisseha Desta ( ti, ፍስሃ ደስታ; 21 April 1941 – 7 May 2022) was an Ethiopian military officer and politician who was the first

vice president of Ethiopia Vice president of Ethiopia was a political position in Ethiopia during the era of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The new constitution which established the presidency and vice presidency came to effect on 10 Sept 1987. Both the Pre ...

from 1987 to 1991.

Early life

Fisseha Desta was born into a family of

Tigrayan Tigrayans ( ti, ተጋሩ) are a Semitic-speaking ethnic group indigenous to the Tigray Region of northern Ethiopia. They speak the Tigrinya language, an Afroasiatic language belonging to the Ethiopian Semitic branch. The daily life of Tigra ...

nobility in Adwa. His family then moved to

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 ...

in 1947. He joined the Ethiopian Army at the age of 20 and graduated from the Harar Military Academy. Three years later, he joined the

Kebur Zabagna Kebur Zabagna or Zebenya ( am, ክቡር ዘበኛ, kəbur zãbãňňya, lit=honorable guard) was the Ethiopian imperial guard. Also known as the First Division, this unit served the dual purposes of providing security for the Emperor of Ethiopi ...

(Imperial Bodyguard) and was specifically assigned to the Emperor's Palace. He later received advanced military training in the United States.

Career

When the Derg came to power in 1974 Fisseha became a senior member of the military committee and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was in command of the Third Division and had served in Eritrea. In 1979 Fisseha became a member of the Central Committee of COPWE. In 1980 Fisseha traveled to several Arab nations in order to convince them to cease their support to the Eritrean rebels. He met with

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolutio ...

who believed that Muslims were being persecuted in Eritrea, Fisseha used the case of

Kurds ug:كۇردلار Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Ira ...

to explain the Eritrean cause which is when

recommended federation for Eritrea. After the formation of the

Workers' Party of Ethiopia The Workers' Party of Ethiopia ( am, የኢትዮጵያ ሠራተኞች ፓርቲ, Ye'Ityopia Serategnoch Parti, WPE) was a Marxist–Leninist communist party in Ethiopia from 1984 to 1991 led by General Secretary Mengistu Haile Mariam. The Wo ...

in 1984, Fisseha was appointed the deputy leader of the WPE and was the head of its administration and justice department. In 1987 after the establishment of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Fisseha was appointed vice president, a position he held until 1991.

Later life

In the 1990s Fisseha was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the military dictatorship. He was then released in 2011 on parole.

Death

Fisseha died at midnight on 7 May 2022 in the capital

. His funeral was held on 8 May 2022, at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fisseha Desta 1941 births 2022 deaths Vice presidents of Ethiopia Ethiopian military personnel Workers' Party of Ethiopia politicians People from Adwa