Remembering unique Eritreans in contemporary history A short biographical sketch Of General Aman Andom Source: google.com Compiled and edited from cyber sources By Emnetu Tesfay Stavanger, Norway September, 20 14 List of content Early life and personal data Exceptional hero of war and peace A strong leader equipped with knowledge, principle and justice A person of amazing character combinations:  Victorious as a soldier  Principled as a person  Guided by respect of law and humanity General Aman as a family man and a churchgoer Popular across borders and a pride to nations Prominence in Andom family. Siblings prominent in their own right. End of life: Tragic but exit with pride Early life and personal data Name meaning & history The name Aman has its own meaning in Geez but many use it as a shortened version of the masculine-gender name Ammanuel. In Hebrew, as in biblical name, the meaning of the name Ammanuel is: "God is with us". This was the foretold name of the Messiah in the Old Testament. It has been used by the Christian population in Eritrea and Ethiopia though it has not been widespread. Pastor Mussa Aron in his book ‘dictionary of Eritrean names’ describes the name Aman as meaning ‘the Truth’. It gives confirmation of reality to events, situations and deeds. The name is also widely used in the Islamic world with the meaning: Protection. Fearless. Interestingly enough when I googled I found out what Soul Urge describes personalities with that name. ‘People with this name tend to be creative and excellent at expressing themselves. They are drawn to the arts, and often enjoy life immensely. They are often the centre of attention, and enjoy careers that put them in the limelight. People with this name have a deep inner desire for love and companionship, and want to work with others to achieve peace and harmony. People with this name tend to be idealistic, highly imaginative, intuitive, and spiritual. They seek after spiritual truth and often find it. They tend to be visionary and may inspire others’. Pastor Mussa Aron describes the tigrinja name Andom as meaning ‘the Pillar’. Parents give the name to a child to express their wish that the new born child will in the future be the pillar of the family. General Aman Mikael Andom was the first post-imperial acting Head of State of Ethiopia. He was an Eritrean originally from the village of Tsazega in Hamassien province of Eritrea. Born in Khartoum, the Sudan, on July 21, 1924, Aman Andom attended Comboni College and later St. George's Military School in Khartoum. After Mussolini and the Italians invaded Ethiopia in 1935, Andom joined the Sudanese forces of Haile Selassie to fight the Italians, becoming a second lieutenant. At war's end, he traveled to Ethiopia and rose rapidly in the military establishment, becoming a major general in 1962. In May 1964, Andom was assigned as military attaché to the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington, D.C. There, he received a bachelor's degree from Howard University. Upon his return to Ethiopia in July 1965, the general was named defense minister in Haile Selassie's cabinet. Map of Eritrea 3d topo map of Tseazega (source:nona.net) A special mention is warranted for the great General Aman Michael Andom, the darling of the Ethiopian Army; also known as the Desert Lion. General Aman Andom led Ethiopian forces to the Korean war. He was the recipient of the highest honor, from the UN for his accomplishments; and thereby brought honor to Ethiopia in the process. General Aman is perhaps best remembered for his heroics in Ogadien in the early sixties; General Aman was elected by the Derg regime as its Chairman in 1974, primarily because of his immense popularity within the then Third Army Division stationed in Harar. He was well known for his fair mindedness; which was why he was opposed to the proposed wholesale executions of the detained ex-Ministers and other dignitaries, belonging to Emperor Haile Selassie’s regime; fifty-nine in all. The unwarranted executions took place immediately after General Aman was killed. General Aman Andom, after a brave last stand against Mengistu’s tanks, was killed on November 23, 1974 http://www.aigaforum.com Personal data of General Aman Andom Chairman of the Derg (de facto Head of State) Origin Tseazega, Eritrea Birth place Khartoum, Sudan Date of birth July 21, 1924 Education American Evangelical mission school, Khartoum Comboni College, Asmara St. George's Military School in Khartoum Bachelor's degree from Howard University in Washingtone DC Occupations (1949-1974) Commander of the Ethiopian 3rd Division army Led Ethiopian forces to the Korean war Military attaché to the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington, D.C. Led the Ethiopian army in Ogaden Member of Ethiopian Parliament Defense minister in Haile Selassie's cabinet Family Survived by wife and 4 children Siblings 2 brothers and 2 sisters Religion Lutheran Date of death November 23, 1974 Place of death At his home in Addis Abeba after a brave last stand against Mengistu’s tanks. Exceptional hero of war and peace With Aman Mikael Andom (21 June 1924 – 23 November 1974) becoming Ethiopia’s first acting Head of State, following the revolution that toppled Emperor Haile Sellassie from his throne, the optimism among Ethiopians and Eritreans for the establishment of a democratic Ethiopia was very high. He was the most popular commander of the army in Ethiopia of all times. General Aman Andom was appointed to this position following the coup d'état that deposed Emperor Haile Selassie on 12 September 1974, and served until his death in a shootout with his former supporters. His official title was Chairman of the Provisional Military Administrative Council (better known as the Derg), and he held the position of Head of State in an acting capacity as the military regime had officially proclaimed Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen as "King-designate" (an act that would later be rescinded by the Derg, and which was never accepted by the Prince as legitimate). As commander of the Third Division, General Aman had been beating back the encroachments of the Somali army on the eastern border with a zeal and success that he was known as the "Desert Lion." However, in 1964 the Emperor dismissed General Aman Andom when he began to attack into Somalia in violation of an order from the Emperor, and Aman afterwards served in the Ethiopian Senate in a "political exile". There is some evidence that indicates he had contacts with the officers of the junta as early as February and March 1974, but by July he was appointed chief of staff to the military junta. Three days after the junta removed the Emperor from his palace to imprisonment at the headquarters of the Fourth Division, this group appointed him their chairman and president of Ethiopia. At the same time, this group of soldiers assumed the name "Provisional Military Administrative Council", better known as the Derg. From the first day of his presidency, the Ottaways note, "the general found himself at odds with a majority of the Derg's members over most major issues, including whether he was 'chairman' of the ruling military body or simply its 'spokesman.'"[2] Aman fought the majority of the Derg over three central issues:  The size of the Derg, which he felt was too large and unwieldy  The policy to be taken towards the Eritrean Liberation Fronts (ELF/EPLF)  And over the punishment of the numerous aristocrats and former government officials in the Derg's custody. Moreover, the Derg wanted the army that was in Harer to move to Eritrea and the army that was in Eritrea to move to Harer. He said, if the army from Harer move to Eritrea, they will be too brutal to the people. The Derg said the army in Eritrea will not fight because they were too integrated with the people. At the same time, the Eritrean fighters were moving very fast. For these reasons and his refusal to sanction the execution of former high officials, including two former prime ministers and several royal family members and relatives, put his relations with the majority of the Derg on an especially bitter footing. As a leader with democratic values, the General found himself in disagreement with the majority of the Derg. He wanted to negotiate a peaceful settlement while his opponents hoped to crush the liberation fronts ELF and EPLF by military force. Aman went as far as making two personal visits to Eritrea—the first 25 August to 6 September, the second in November—giving speeches stating that the end of the Imperial regime was also the end of old practices towards Eritrea, that a government dedicated to national unity and progress would restore peace and prosperity to Eritrea, and lastly that he would begin investigations concerning crimes that the army had perpetrated on Eritreans and punish the guilty. However, at the same time the Derg had begun the task of eliminating opponents within the military. The three significant units were the Imperial Bodyguard, the Air Force, and the Corp of Engineers; of the three, the most recalcitrant were the Engineers. So on 7 October soldiers loyal to the Derg stormed the Engineers' camp, killing five, wounding several and detaining the rest. As Bahru Zewde observes, "With that, the illusion that the revolution would remain bloodless was exploded."[4] General Aman responded with a personal campaign to seek support outside the Derg, amongst the rest of the army and the country where he was popular. On 15 November he sent a message to all military units that was highly critical of the Derg. During a general assembly of the Derg two days later, Mengistu Haile Mariam demanded that 5,000 men be dispatched to Eritrea and six imprisoned Imperial officials be executed; General Aman Andom refused, resigned his official posts and retired to his house where he secretly sent appeals to his supporters, especially those in the Third Division. But Mengistu managed to intercept these appeals.[5] General Aman died in a battle with troops sent to his home to arrest him. The actual cause of his death remains unclear, whether he was killed or committed suicide. That same night, the political prisoners that the Derg had marked for execution were taken from Menelik prison, where they had been held, to the Akaki Central Prison where they were executed and buried in a mass grave.[6] "It appears that the general had outlived his usefulness," Bahru Zewde concludes, "and was in fact becoming an obstacle to the Derg's exercise of power."[7] Notes 1. Marina and David Ottaway, Ethiopia: Empire in Revolution (New York: Africana, 1978), pp. 59f, and n. 29 2. Ottaway, Empire in Revolution, p. 60 3. Ottaway, Empire in Revolution, p. 155 4. Bahru Zewde, A History of Modern Ethiopia, second edition (London: James Currey, 2001), p. 238 5. Rene Lefort, Ethiopia: An Heretical Revolution? translated by A. M. Berrett (London: Zed Press, 1983), p. 73 6. Ottaway, Empire in Revolution, p. 61 7. Bahru Zewde, History, p. 238 A strong leader equipped with knowledge, principle and justice It did not take long time for the Ethiopian and Eritrean peoples to discover that General Aman Andom and the strong man of the Derg, Major Mengistu Hailemariam were worlds apart in their thoughts of how to lead the country. The military junta’s selection of General Aman to be their chairman was solely his popularity in the army in particular and the country in general. The junta’s sole interest in bringing General Aman was to exploit his popularity for their own benefit to consolidate power. With so much difference in opinion the people who were close to General Aman knew the partnership could not last long. Major Mengistu wanted to get rid of the former officials outside the court of law. Besides Major Mengistu opted to crush militarily the armed insurgency in Eritrea and his political opponents in proper Ethiopia.