Ethiopia: Confirmation regarding the attempted coup in mid-May and the position of Colonel Tsegaye Wodeneh as one of the leaders
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 April 1990 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ETH5113 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ethiopia: Confirmation regarding the attempted coup in mid-May and the position of Colonel Tsegaye Wodeneh as one of the leaders, 1 April 1990, ETH5113, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6acf64c.html [accessed 6 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
On 16 May 1989 mutinous troops surrounded the presidential palace and some government ministries. [
FootnoteS:
"Ethiopia"s Coup: Mengistu's tottering empire", The Economist, 29 May 1989. Attached.] By evening "the coup's apparent leaders, the much-decorated heads of the air force and army,... were killed". [ ibid.] There were reports of more fighting the next day in the capital and of a mutiny in Asmara. [ibid.] The Ethiopian government reported that 180 top army officers were being held in connection with the foiled coup attempt in which twenty seven senior military officers were killed. ["Ethiopians give details of coup bid", Globe and Mail, 07 June 1989. Attached.]
According to the attached article in The New York Times of 21 May 1989 between 300 and 400 officers are reported to be under arrest and widespread retribution within the military were expected. [ "Ethiopia's Leader Regaining Control", The New York Times, 21 May 1989.] Amnesty International reports that the names of people arrested in connection with the coup attempt have not been disclosed officially by the Ethiopian government. [ "Human Rights Violations Continue in Ethiopia", Amnesty International, London: 25 June 1989.] It was on 26 December 1989 that the Ethiopian government was reported to have charged fourteen military officers with mutiny and attempting to overthrow the Mengistu regime. [ "14 Ethiopian officers charged with mutiny", Globe and Mail, 27 December 1989. Attached.] Information specifically regarding a Colonel Tsegaye Wodeneh is currently unavailable to the IRBDC.
The attached IRBDC H-Q Weekly Press Summary for 2-8 June 1989 and the Amnesty International publications of 9 and 16 June 1989, 25 July 1989 and 4 August 1989 which address the issue of the abortive coup attempt in Ethiopia on 16 May 1989, may prove helpful.
