Source: National Archives & Historic Records of Ethiopian Empire
Military • Historical Archive • 🇪🇹 Ethiopia • 0 views

Mengistu Neway 🇪🇹

Mengistu Neway (Known as "General Mengistu")
Brigadier General, Commander of the Imperial Bodyguard, Leader of the 1960 Coup
Born Jan 01, 1916 🇪🇹 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Passed Away Mar 30, 1961 Tekle Haymanot Square, Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Empire
Lifespan 45 years old
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Notice / Correction
"I did not act out of hatred, but out of immense sorrow for the hunger of my people. The seed we planted will grow."

Archival Overview

Commander of the elite Imperial Bodyguard who alongside his brother Girmame launched the December 1960 coup attempt to overthrow feudalism, walking to the gallows with serene dignity.

Biographical Record

Mengistu Neway was born in Addis Ababa in 1916 into a noble family. Graduating from the Holeta Military Academy, he served as a patriot officer and fought in the UN peacekeeping contingent during the Korean War, rising to Brigadier General and Commander of the Imperial Bodyguard.

Disillusioned by the poverty and feudal inertia of the empire, Mengistu joined his reformist brother Girmame Neway to launch the historic coup of December 13, 1960, proclaiming Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen head of state and demanding constitutional land reform. Defeated by loyalist forces, he was sentenced to death and hanged publicly on March 30, 1961, declaring he had sown a seed that would one day bloom.

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial
Saint Peter and Paul Cemetery
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
GPS: 9.0250, 38.7400
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