Former Ethiopian President Colonel Mengistu Hailemariam’s Unforgettable Speech

As a young man Mengistu joined the army and served as a private before attending Ethiopia’s Holeta Military Academy. He graduated in 1966 with the rank of second lieutenant and was assigned to the logistical and ordnance section of the Ethiopian army’s Third Division in Harar, a strategically important southwestern market town. X

As a young man Mengistu joined the army and served as a private before attending Ethiopia’s Holeta Military Academy. He graduated in 1966 with the rank of second lieutenant and was assigned to the logistical and ordnance section of the Ethiopian army’s Third Division in Harar, a strategically important southwestern market town. By 1974 Mengistu had risen to the rank of major and had developed effective leadership skills which made him popular among his fellow junior officers and the rank and file of the Third Division. These talents proved important in his rise to the top of Ethiopia’s military government in the political vacuum during the revolution.

Mengistu enlisted in the army as a young man and served as a soldier before enrolling in Ethiopia’s Holeta Military Academy. He received his commission as a second lieutenant in 1966 and was posted to the Third Division’s logistical and ordnance unit in Harar, a vital market city in the southwest of Ethiopia. By 1974, Mengistu had attained the rank of major and had honed his leadership abilities to a point where he was well-liked by both his fellow junior officers and the Third Division’s rank and file. His ascent to the top of Ethiopia’s military government during the political void caused by the revolution was largely a result of these skills.