@addisstandardeng · Post #21511 · 24.02.2026, 10.33
#Commentary: From #Derg to #EPRDF to Present: #Ethiopia’s unfinished nation-state-building journey In this commentary, Merera Gudina traces Ethiopia’s persistent instability to failed state-building across the imperial, Derg, and EPRDF eras. He argues each collapse stemmed from rulers prioritizing personal power over the "equality of Ethiopian peoples" and their "thirst for development." Merera recounts how Emperor Haile Selassie’s 60-year reign ended ignominiously, even as hundreds of thousands perished in #Wollo, while the Derg, despite abolishing feudal landholding, succumbed to an "extreme lust for power," enforcing Stalinist "#Red_Terror" and destroying movements. The EPRDF era, meant to resolve the "nationalities question," became a 27-year "crude joke." Today, Ethiopia faces a "final frontier," requiring an end to "political theater" and "sham elections" for genuine unity. https://addisstandard.com/?p=55338