Mulugeta Buli (1917–1960), 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 ...

military general and politician.

Biography

After completing mission school Buli attended the Tafari Makonnen School and the Holeta Military Academy, and was the only Oromo officer cadet in the latter institution. He was an opponent of Italian fascism, and fled to Kenya and Djibouti during the Italian occupation of Ethiopia. He fought in the

Battle of Maychew The Battle of Maychew ( it, Mai Ceu) was the last major battle fought on the northern front during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. The battle consisted of a failed counterattack by the Ethiopian forces under Emperor Haile Selassie making front ...

as an officer in

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 (' ...

's elite Guard contingent which was better trained and equipped than most other Ethiopian units. As commander of the Imperial Body Guard from 1941 until 1955, he established the

Kagnew Battalion The Kagnew Battalions ( am, ቃኘው) were a number of military units from the Imperial Ethiopian Army which fought as part of United Nations Command in the Korean War (1950–53). The battalions rotated yearly, with the First Kagnew Battalion ...

s and the Ethiopian Public Security Department. He served as chief of staff of the armed forces, chief of staff of the emperor, and as a member of the Ethiopian government, in which capacity he created a private security cabinet for Emperor Selassie. Organizers of the

1960 Ethiopian coup attempt Year 196 ( CXCVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Dexter and Messalla (or, less frequently, year 949 ''Ab urbe condit ...

wanted Buli to become Chief of Staff because of his popularity among members of the armed forces. After refusing he was taken hostage (along with 20 other government officials) by the rebels. When it became apparent that the take-over was doomed to fail General Buli was killed with 14 others on 17 December 1960 by forces under Brigadier-General

Mengistu Neway Mengistu Neway (1919 – 30 March 1961) was an Ethiopian commander of the Imperial Guard during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie. He is noted for being one of the early dissidents of the Emperor's regime and for organizing the 1960 coup atte ...

, a leader of the coup - and a fellow veteran of the battle of Maychew. Ivo Strecker of

Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz The Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (german: Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz) is a public research university in Mainz, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany, named after the printer Johannes Gutenberg since 1946. With approximately 32,000 stud ...

called Buli "one of the most charismatic figures among the young Ethiopian elite" of his era. Author Bahru Zewde suggests that Buli was rumoured to be engineering a coup of his own to depose Selassie in the early 1950s, but had never substantiated these rumours. There is now a technical college 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 ...

named in honour of Buli.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buli, Mulugeta Ethiopian generals 1917 births 1960 deaths