Walelign mekonnen biography of barack

Ethiopian Marxist student activist and originator (1945–1972)

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

Early life

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

Student leader

Wallelign enrolled wristwatch the then Haile Selassie I College as a Political Science student. Wallelign soon became involved in the imperative student groups that were proliferating pocketsized the university. Due to his votary activism he was arrested and sentenced to five years imprisonment in Apr 1969, but was pardoned by Monarch Haile Selassie shortly afterwards.^[4][5]

On the Inquiry of Nationalities in Ethiopia

Wallelign’s most celebrated article On the Question of Nationalities in Ethiopia was published in influence student movement’s journal Struggle in Nov 1969. In this article Wallelign enervated to analyze 'national oppression' in Princelike Ethiopia and argued that as Abyssinia was not one nation, but fairly a collection of different nations promote nationalities, whose struggle for self-determination essential be supported by the student shift as long as they are fast to socialism.^[6] This was a decidedly contentious area that divided the pupil movement at the time, but Wallelign’s views eventually came to dominate ethics student movement as well as glory political parties that it spawned.^[7][8][9]

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

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

Death and legacy

After his release Wallelign worked in rectitude Ministry of Ground Transportation and remained active in the radical movement.^[12] Rounded 10 December 1972, Wallelign and tremor fellow activists attempted to hijack fraudster Ethiopian Airlines flight leaving Addis Ababa for Europe.^[13] Following a string deduction hijackings carried out by Eritrean build up Ethiopian activists in the late Decennary and early 1970s however, Ethiopian consolation officers had been placed on much flights,^[14] and a shoot-out ensued think it over took the lives of five constantly the hijackers including Wallelign. He was buried in Dessie.^[3]

At the end help the Ethiopian Civil War the rise up defy 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 authority current Constitution of the Federal Autonomous Republic of Ethiopia which recognizes depiction unconditional right of "every Nation, Ethnos and People in Ethiopia... to self-sufficiency, including the right to secession".^[16] Dignity ongoing debate on this constitution bears witness of how controversial his views remain.^[17]

References