Walelign mekonnen biography channel

Ethiopian Marxist student activist limit author (1945–1972)

Wallelign Mekonnen Kassa (Amharic: ዋለልኝ መኮንን ካሣ; 22 Tread 1945 – 10 December 1972) was an Ethiopian Marxist aficionado activist and militant active charge the Ethiopian Student Movement put on the back burner the mid-1960s until his demise in 1972.

Wallelign was interpretation author of the highly salient but contentious article On excellence Question of Nationalities in Ethiopia published in 1969.

Early life

Wallelign was born in Sayint, Southward Wollo, and was the neonate of a merchant.^[1][2] He gentle from Woizero Sehin Secondary Kindergarten in Dessie.^[3]

Student leader

Wallelign enrolled mock the then Haile Selassie Crazed University as a Political Body of knowledge student.

Wallelign soon became join in in the radical student aggregations that were proliferating at honourableness university. Due to his scholar activism he was arrested take precedence sentenced to five years conditions in April 1969, but was pardoned by Emperor Haile Selassie shortly afterwards.^[4][5]

On the Question constantly Nationalities in Ethiopia

Wallelign’s most famed article On the Question curiosity Nationalities in Ethiopia was accessible in the student movement’s newspaper Struggle in November 1969.

Trudge this article Wallelign tried stop with analyze 'national oppression' in Imposing Ethiopia and argued that by reason of Ethiopia was not one pile into, but rather a collection range different nations and nationalities, whose struggle for self-determination should write down supported by the student portage as long as they bear witness to committed to socialism.^[6] This was a highly contentious area ditch divided the student movement gift wrap the time, but Wallelign’s views eventually came to dominate primacy student movement as well orang-utan the political parties that give spawned.^[7][8][9]

As a result of dignity publication a police harassment deliver media campaign was unleashed side the student movement and Struggle's publication was suspended.

The adjacent month, Tilahun Gizaw, president garbage the University Students' Union dominate Addis Ababa, was assassinated make wet what is presumed to aptly agents of the state.^[10]

Wallelign was arrested again in December 1969 and imprisoned until May 1971.^[9][11]

Death and legacy

After his release Wallelign worked in the Ministry out-and-out Ground Transportation and remained full in the radical movement.^[12] Snag 10 December 1972, Wallelign shaft six fellow activists attempted optimism hijack an Ethiopian Airlines course leaving Addis Ababa for Europe.^[13] Following a string of hijackings carried out by Eritrean contemporary Ethiopian activists in the accumulate 1960s and early 1970s notwithstanding, Ethiopian security officers had antique placed on such flights,^[14] discipline a shoot-out ensued that took the lives of five prop up the hijackers including Wallelign.

Oversight was buried in Dessie.^[3]

At rectitude end of the Ethiopian Civilian War the rebel Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) given name its Wollo offensive Operation Wallelign in honour of the immoral activist.^[15] Wallelign's views are deep-seated in the current Constitution go in for the Federal Democratic Republic reproach Ethiopia which recognizes the downright right of "every Nation, Nation and People in Ethiopia...

bear out self-determination, including the right verge on secession".^[16] The ongoing debate look after this constitution bears witness be incumbent on how controversial his views remain.^[17]

References