Date: July 29, 2025
By The Habesha News Desk
Introduction
Ethiopia’s modern history is marked by cycles of hope and heartbreak, of revolutionary dreams crushed by authoritarian regimes. Among the leaders who have most shaped this tumultuous legacy are Mengistu Haile Mariam, who ruled Ethiopia during the Cold War era, and Abiy Ahmed Ali, the current Prime Minister whose tenure has rapidly transformed from a reformist promise into what many now describe as dictatorial horror.
Despite ruling in different times and under vastly different ideological banners—one as a Marxist revolutionary, the other as a Nobel Peace Prize-winning democrat—the two men share unsettling parallels. Both have centralized power, suppressed dissent, weaponized ethnicity, and presided over periods of mass suffering and alleged crimes against humanity.
This article compares the rise, rule, and legacies of Mengistu and Abiy to shed light on Ethiopia’s persistent struggle with authoritarianism, ethnic division, and the tragic human cost of unchecked state power.
1. Historical Context and Rise to Power
Mengistu Haile Mariam
Mengistu rose to prominence amid the collapse of Ethiopia’s monarchy in the early 1970s. As a young officer in the military, he became a key figure in the Derg, a Marxist-Leninist military junta that deposed Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974. Initially seen as a people’s champion, Mengistu promised land reform, class equality, and an end to imperial oppression. However, his rise was steeped in purges, internal rivalries, and the brutal elimination of opponents—hallmarks that would define his reign.
Abiy Ahmed Ali
Abiy’s ascent in 2018 came not through revolution but reform. A former intelligence officer and member of the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), Abiy was selected as Prime Minister in response to years of mass protests, particularly among Amhara and Oromo population. He quickly gained international acclaim by releasing political prisoners, liberalizing the media, and making peace with Eritrea—earning him the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. However, much like Mengistu, Abiy’s early promise gave way to autocracy and war.
2. Governance and Ideological Transformation
Mengistu’s Authoritarian Marxism
Mengistu ruled Ethiopia with an iron fist from 1977 to 1991. Under the banner of Marxism-Leninism, he declared class war on “reactionaries” and enforced strict state control over the economy and society. His regime abolished the monarchy, nationalized land and industries, and waged war on separatist movements in Eritrea and Tigray. The Red Terror (1977–78)—a systematic purge of perceived enemies—resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, often carried out in public executions.
Mengistu’s ideology justified brutality as necessary for revolution. He treated opposition not as political rivals but as existential threats to the revolution.
Abiy’s Turn from Reformer to Strongman
Abiy began his rule with bold liberalizing steps, including legalizing banned opposition groups and appointing women to top cabinet posts. Yet by 2020, amid growing unrest and challenges to his authority, Abiy had shifted sharply. His creation of the Prosperity Party dissolved the ethnic coalition that had ruled Ethiopia for decades, centralizing power under his leadership.
As resistance mounted, especially from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), Abiy resorted to military force. The war in Tigray (2020–2022+) spiraled into one of the most devastating conflicts in modern African history, with credible reports of war crimes, famine, ethnic cleansing, and mass displacement.
3. Use of Violence and Repression
Both Mengistu and Abiy have relied heavily on state violence to crush dissent and enforce their agendas.
Mengistu’s Red Terror and Famine as a Weapon
The Red Terror campaign was designed to annihilate political opposition, especially leftist rivals such as the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party (EPRP). Victims were often executed without trial; families had to pay for the bullets used. Mengistu also used famine strategically, withholding aid from restive regions like Tigray and Wollo during the catastrophic 1983–1985 famine, which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.
Abiy’s War and Ethnic Repression
Abiy’s government has been accused of similar tactics in Tigray and other regions. Airstrikes, drone warfare, and coordinated assaults by the ENDF (Ethiopian National Defense Force), Eritrean troops, and Amhara militias have devastated civilian populations. Sexual violence has been widely used as a weapon of war. Humanitarian aid has been blocked or delayed for political reasons, creating conditions of deliberate starvation. In Oromia and Amhara, military operations have also escalated into mass detentions, village burnings, and extrajudicial killings.
4. Ethnic Politics and National Unity
Mengistu: Anti-Ethnic but Repressive
Mengistu’s regime officially rejected ethnic politics, advocating instead for a centralized, class-based unity. However, in practice, his rule was deeply repressive toward ethnic regions demanding autonomy. His war against Eritrean and Tigrayan rebels was framed as a fight against separatism but was marked by indiscriminate violence against civilians.
Abiy: Nationalism Cloaked in Ethnic Suppression
Abiy presents himself as a unifier who wants to move past ethnic federalism, but critics argue that his policies disproportionately marginalize groups that resist centralization—especially theAmhara, Tigrayans and Oromos. His government has detained tens of thousands based on ethnic profiling. Ethnic cleansing, forced displacement, and demographic engineering have been alleged in contested regions such as Western Tigray.
5. International Relations and Isolation
Mengistu: Soviet Ally, Cold War Pawn
Mengistu aligned Ethiopia with the Soviet Union and Cuba, receiving massive military and economic support. His regime became a key Cold War battleground in Africa. When the Soviet Union collapsed, so did Mengistu’s backing, leading to his fall in 1991. He fled to Zimbabwe, where he remains in exile, sentenced to death in absentia by an Ethiopian court for genocide.
Abiy: From Global Darling to Pariah
Abiy initially courted the West, but his war tactics and human rights abuses quickly tarnished his reputation. The U.S. and EU have expressed grave concern but stopped short of decisive action. Meanwhile, Abiy has turned to Turkey, Iran, UAE, and China for military and economic support. The international community’s failure to hold him accountable has enabled further escalation.
6. Media, Propaganda, and Information Control
Both regimes have waged war not just on people, but on truth.
Mengistu banned independent press and relied entirely on state-run media to spread revolutionary propaganda.
Abiy has implemented internet shutdowns, arrested journalists, expelled foreign media, and arrested opposition party members. Social media is flooded with coordinated disinformation campaigns supporting the regime.
Access to reliable information from conflict zones remains severely restricted under both leaders.
7. Legacy and Historical Judgment
Mengistu’s Legacy
Mengistu is widely condemned as one of Africa’s bloodiest dictators. His regime is remembered for famine, war, and terror. Though some still view him as a nationalist who tried to modernize Ethiopia, the overwhelming legacy is one of horror and loss. His image evokes images of mass graves and child soldiers.
Abiy’s Unfolding Legacy
Abiy’s legacy is still being written. He was once hailed as a symbol of African leadership and reconciliation; now, he is increasingly seen as an architect of mass suffering. The scale of civilian casualties, starvation, and displacement under his watch could eclipse even Mengistu’s in severity. Human rights groups, activists, and victims’ families are calling for accountability, with mounting pressure for an ICC investigation into war crimes and genocide.
Conclusion: Two Faces, One Pattern
Mengistu and Abiy represent two sides of the same authoritarian coin—different in ideology, but similar in their use of power, suppression of dissent, and disregard for human life. Each came to power in moments of national crisis, promised transformation, and ended up unleashing mass violence on their own people.
Their stories are cautionary tales about the dangers of unchecked power, the fragility of democratic hopes, and the cyclical nature of political violence in Ethiopia. More importantly, they are a call to action: to break the pattern of silence, denial, and impunity that has allowed such tragedies to recur.
History remembers tyrants not by their speeches, but by their victims. Both Mengistu and Abiy have left deep scars on Ethiopia’s soul. The question now is whether the world will continue to look away—or finally say, “Enough.”
“Enough is “Enoug.”
The Habesha