Ethiopian Marxist–Leninist Revolutionary Organization
Malerid (Amharic acronym for 'Marxist-Leninist Revolutionary Organization') was a communist organization in Ethiopia active between 1974 and 1978.[1][2] According to Bahru Zewde, the organization was formed through the merger of a domestic faction and an exiled splinter-group of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party.[3] According to Christopher Clapham, Malerid was formed by EPRP members who wished to cooperate with the Derg.[4] Andargachew Tiruneh, on the other hand, states that Malerid could have emerged as an off-shoot of the All-Ethiopian Socialist Movement (Meison) Youth League.[5]
Politically, Malerid was close to Meison.[5] Malerid gave support to the Derg military junta, and the group was represented in the Provisional Office for Mass Organizational Affairs (POMOA).[6] Malerid supported the entry of Seded (the new political organization formed by Derg militaries schooled in Marxism-Leninism) into POMOA.[7] When the National Democratic Revolutionary Programme of Ethiopia was declared in April 1976, Malerid expressed its support to it and its willingness to join a common front with other groups supporting the revolution.[8] By late 1976, Malerid published its own programme.[5]
In 1977, Malerid took part in forming the Union of Ethiopian Marxist-Leninist Organizations together with four other groups (Meison, Seded, Echat and Woz Ader).[9] Malerid was the smallest of these five parties.[4] After the split between the Derg and Meison, the Derg dissolved the alliance and began crushing the smaller leftist groups like Malerid.[10] Malerid was eliminated from POMOA.[11]
References
- ^ Milkias, Paulos. Ethiopia. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2011. p. 429
- ^ Ethiopian Opposition Political Parties and Rebel Fronts: Past and Present
- ^ Bahru Zewde. A History of Modern Ethiopia: 1855 - 1991. Oxford: Currey [u.a.], 2002. p. 245
- ^ a b Clapham Christopher. Transformation and Continuity in Revolutionary Ethiopia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988. p. 54
- ^ a b c Tiruneh, Andargachew. The Ethiopian Revolution 1974-1987 : a Transformation from an Aristocratic to a Totalitarian. Cambridge: University of Cambridge, 1995. p. 132
- ^ Wubneh, Mulatu, and Yohannis Abate. Ethiopia: Transition and Development in the Horn of Africa. Boulder, Colo: Westview Press, 1988. p. 57
- ^ Clapham Christopher. Transformation and Continuity in Revolutionary Ethiopia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988. p. 67
- ^ Tiruneh, Andargachew. The Ethiopian Revolution 1974-1987 : a Transformation from an Aristocratic to a Totalitarian. Cambridge: University of Cambridge, 1995. p. 178
- ^ Harjinder Singh. Agricultural Problems in Ethiopia. Delhi, India: Gian Pub. House, 1987. p. 187
- ^ Milkias, Paulos. Haile Selassie, Western Education, and Political Revolution in Ethiopia. Youngstown, N.Y.: Cambria Press, 2006. p. 266
- ^ Lefort, René. Ethiopia, an Heretical Revolution? London: Zed, 1983. p. 253