Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Merid Negussie (1934–1989) was an Ethiopian army commander and member of 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 ...
who was the commander of Ethiopian forces in
Eritrea
Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
during the
Eritrean War of Independence
The Eritrean War of Independence was a war for independence which Eritrean independence fighters waged against successive Ethiopian governments from 1 September 1961 to 24 May 1991.
Eritrea was an Italian colony from the 1880s until the d ...
. He was one of the leaders of the failed
1989 Ethiopian coup d'état attempt
The 1989 Ethiopian coup d'état attempt took place on 16 May 1989, when President of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (PDRE) Mengistu Haile Mariam was out of the country for a four-day state visit to East Germany.
The coup attempt ...
.
Early life
Merid Negussie was born on January 21, 1934 in the small village of Leku in the Sululta district of Shoa province to a family of
Oromo peasants. Merid attended elementary school in
Waliso
Waliso ( om, Walisoo) is a town in Southwest Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region in Ethiopia, 114 km southwest of Addis Ababa, it has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 2063 meters above sea level. Waliso is the administrative cent ...
town and at Beyene Merid elementary in Addis Ababa. He continued his secondary school education in the capital where he attended Kokebe Tsibah Haile Selassie I school. Merid became a cadet at the Imperial bodyguard academy graduating in 1946 with the rank of Second lieutenant after three years of training. Upon graduation, the young officer married Woizero Aselefech Hailemariam.
Career
At the beginning of his military career, he served as a platoon commander in the imperial bodyguard. As part of the Ethiopian contingent of United Nations Operation in the Congo, he served as a deputy operation officer. After the
1960 Ethiopian coup d'état attempt
The 1960 Ethiopian coup d'etat attempt ( Amharic: የታህሳሱ ግርግር) was an attempted coup d'etat and a series of shootouts in the Ethiopian Empire on 13 December 1960 against Emperor Haile Selassie. The Council of the Revolution, fo ...
, he was sent to serve in
Eritrea
Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
. Following his service at Eritrea, he became training officer of the Fourth division of the army in Addis Ababa. Subsequently, he served as Operation Officer of the command post in
Bale province
Bale ( Amharic: ባሌ), also known as Bali, is the name of two former polities located in the southeastern part of modern Ethiopia.
History of Bale
Bale was a Muslim kingdom part of the Zaila confederate states under Sultanate of Showa howeve ...
and Commander of the 28th infantry Battalion in
Negele Borana
:
Negele Borana or Neghelle, is a town and separate woreda in southern Ethiopia. Located in the Guji Zone of the Oromia Region on the road connecting Addis Ababa to Dolo Odo, it is the largest town in the Guji Zone, traditionally inhabited by ...
where he played a prominent role in coordinating and leading the 1974 Ethiopian coup d'état.
In the mid-seventies, the Ethiopian army was fighting on two fronts; to repel the Somali invasion and curb the advance of secessionist movements of EPLF & ELF. To reinforce the fighting force, the then- Colonel Merid rapidly trained the Seventh division of the army and led the battle-ready division on its campaign in Eritrea. He was then promoted to the position of commander of the forces in Eritrea. As a recognition of his heroic exploits on the battlefields in Eritrea and his exceptional leadership, he became the first officer to ascend to the rank of Brigadier General under 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 ...
regime and was awarded the Medal for Valor. He later rose to the position of Chief of the General Staff of Ethiopian Armed Forces, in which capacity, he led "Operation Lash" that swept remnants of the invading Somali army from Ethiopian soil.
He then served as administrator of
Hararghe
Hararghe ( am, ሐረርጌ ''Harärge''; Harari language, Harari: ሀረርጌይ ''Harärgeyi'', Oromo language, Oromo: Harargee, so, Xararge) was a provinces of Ethiopia, province of eastern Ethiopia with its capital in Harar.
History
Hararg ...
and Eritrea administrative regions consecutively. His service as administrator of Eritrea was notable in many ways. In addition to being the chief executive of the region, he was assigned as commander of the Second Revolutionary Army. During his service in Eritrea, he worked tirelessly to bring about peace and improve the livelihood of the people of this restive region through good governance and dialog with community leaders and elders. However, his efforts were frustrated by the persistent objection of officials in highest ranks of the military government.
Death
After a total of over four years of service in Eritrea, General Merid returned 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 ...
and assumed his former position of Chief of the General staff of the Armed Forces. Gravely concerned about the misguided policies Colonel Mengistu espoused and the precipice that it has led the country to, General Merid, and other leaders of the armed forces started planning the removal of Mengistu from power. He was then killed by forces loyal to Mengistu during the
1989 Ethiopian coup d'état attempt
The 1989 Ethiopian coup d'état attempt took place on 16 May 1989, when President of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (PDRE) Mengistu Haile Mariam was out of the country for a four-day state visit to East Germany.
The coup attempt ...
.
References
{{reflist
Ethiopian generals