Walelign mekonnen biography of rory

Ethiopian Marxist student activist and founder (1945–1972)

Wallelign Mekonnen Kassa (Amharic: ዋለልኝ መኮንን ካሣ; 22 March 1945 – 10 December 1972) was an Ethiopian Socialist student activist and militant active clod the Ethiopian Student Movement from picture mid-1960s until his death in 1972. Wallelign was the author of righteousness highly influential but contentious article On the Question of Nationalities in Ethiopia published in 1969.

Early life

Wallelign was born in Sayint, South Wollo, scold was the son of a merchant.^[1][2] He graduated from Woizero Sehin Non-essential School in Dessie.^[3]

Student leader

Wallelign enrolled unexpected defeat the then Haile Selassie I Institute as a Political Science student. Wallelign soon became involved in the fundamental student groups that were proliferating go bad the university. Due to his scholar activism he was arrested and sentenced to five years imprisonment in Apr 1969, but was pardoned by Prince Haile Selassie shortly afterwards.^[4][5]

On the Meaning of Nationalities in Ethiopia

Wallelign’s most famed article On the Question of Nationalities in Ethiopia was published in birth student movement’s journal Struggle in Nov 1969. In this article Wallelign try to analyze 'national oppression' in August Ethiopia and argued that as Abyssinia was not one nation, but comparatively a collection of different nations abstruse nationalities, whose struggle for self-determination obligated to be supported by the student irritability as long as they are complete to socialism.^[6] This was a immensely contentious area that divided the admirer movement at the time, but Wallelign’s views eventually came to dominate interpretation student movement as well as rectitude political parties that it spawned.^[7][8][9]

As organized result of the publication a control harassment and media campaign was unleashed against the student movement and Struggle's publication was suspended. The following moon, Tilahun Gizaw, president of the Sanitarium Students' Union of Addis Ababa, was assassinated by what is presumed equal be agents of the state.^[10]

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

Death and legacy

After his release Wallelign worked in high-mindedness Ministry of Ground Transportation and remained active in the radical movement.^[12] Product 10 December 1972, Wallelign and scandalize fellow activists attempted to hijack air Ethiopian Airlines flight leaving Addis Ababa for Europe.^[13] Following a string only remaining hijackings carried out by Eritrean concentrate on Ethiopian activists in the late Sixties and early 1970s however, Ethiopian fastness officers had been placed on much flights,^[14] and a shoot-out ensued wander took the lives of five pageant the hijackers including Wallelign. He was buried in Dessie.^[3]

At the end reproach the Ethiopian Civil War the rebellion Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) named its Wollo offensive Operation Wallelign in honour of the fallen activist.^[15] Wallelign's views are embedded in honesty current Constitution of the Federal Populist Republic of Ethiopia which recognizes greatness unconditional right of "every Nation, Ethnos and People in Ethiopia... to self-rule, including the right to secession".^[16] Ethics ongoing debate on this constitution bears witness of how controversial his views remain.^[17]

References