Atnafu Abate [SEP] date of death
Atnafu Abate
Lieutenant Colonel Atnafu Abate (Amharic: አጥናፉ አባተ; late 1930s – November 12, 1977) was an Ethiopian military officer and a leading member of the Derg, the military junta which deposed Emperor Haile Selassie and ruled the country for several years.
The Ottaways point out that Lt. Col. Atnafu was seen as "A symbol of the rebellion of a conservative, nationalistic, and religious peasantry against the corruption and abuses of the aristocracy. ... He early projected the image of the officer devoted to the
You cannot build socialism without Red Terror." Although two rivals to Mengistu were still alive—Colonel Berhanu Bayeh and Lt. Colonel Atnafu Abate—Col. Berhanu had sided with Mengistu, and Lt. Colonel Atnafu quickly sided with the victor of the bloodbath, leaving Mengistu as the undisputed head of the Derg, and ruler of Ethiopia. A few days later, Mengistu turned his attention to his rivals outside of the Derg, foremost being the EPRP.
Attacks on the EPRP.
Mengistu officially began his campaign