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Mesob
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Posts: 3020
Joined: 23 Dec 2013, 21:03

Mengistu Haile Mariam's own top commanders of killing squads

Post by Mesob » 22 Apr 2026, 21:32

Col Mengistu Hailemariam was the Ethiopian Dergue's blood thirsty tyrant who directly ordered the killing of hundreds of thousands of innocent Ethiopians and Eritreans. Who were the top killers and the commanders of Mengistu Hailemariam's killing squads? How did Mengistu Haile Mariam select his top killers?
The most evil blood thirsty of Mengistu's top killers in his early stage of power were many, some of the main ones include:
Col Daniel Asfaw
Shaleqa Berhanu ????
Shambel Mengustu Gemechu
Commander Teka Tullu
Shaleqa Debela Dinsa
Col Tesfaye Wolde Selassie
Col Zenebe Asfaw (in Eritrea)...
Add to the list



Mesob
Member
Posts: 3020
Joined: 23 Dec 2013, 21:03

Re: Mengistu Haile Mariam's own top commanders of killing squads

Post by Mesob » 23 Apr 2026, 19:40

Under the regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam, several security officers played pivotal roles in orchestrating the state-sponsored violence known as the "Red Terror." The individuals you mentioned were key members of the Derg (the military junta) and its security apparatus.
Key Security Figures

Daniel Asfaw: A Lieutenant Colonel and the head of security for the Derg. He was one of Mengistu's closest and most loyal henchmen. Daniel Asfaw is often cited for personally leading the security unit that directed campaigns against the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party (EPRP). He was killed in February 1977 during the same violent palace shootout that saw Mengistu eliminate his rival, General Tafari Benti.
Teka Tulu: A high-ranking military officer and a long-standing member of the Derg's Security Committee. He was a central figure in the regime's internal surveillance and security operations. Historical accounts and local records indicate that after the fall of the Derg, he was imprisoned and died while in custody.
Zenebe Asfaw: A member of the Derg who served in various security capacities. While he is often listed alongside other top officers responsible for the regime's actions, specific details of his individual executions are less prominently documented in common English-language historical summaries compared to figures like Daniel Asfaw. He was the commander of the Ethiopian army terror killing squads in Eritrea who were using piano wires on innocent victims. He was infamous in imprisoning and disappearing husbands and kidnapping their wives for his own sadistic pleasure.

Other High-Profile Security and Execution Officers
The following individuals are also widely recognized as the most brutal enforcers of Mengistu’s regime:

Melaku Tefera: Known as the "Butcher of Gondar," he was a Derg member whose reputation for brutality was notorious. He was later captured and stood trial for his crimes during the Red Terror.
Legesse Asfaw: A senior member of the Derg and one of the most powerful and feared figures in the security apparatus, often associated with the most extreme measures of the Red Terror.
Tesfaye Wolde Selassie: Served as the Minister of Internal Affairs and Security. He was a key architect of the surveillance and intelligence networks used to identify and eliminate "counter-revolutionaries."
Woubshet Dessie: A member of the Standing Committee who became the head of the PMAC’s (Provisional Military Administrative Council) Security Committee, focusing on internal surveillance within the Derg itself.

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