The Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front celebrates 28 years in power on Tuesday. Now is the time to confront its brutal past
Most nations erect grandiose monuments to their historical triumphs. Eritrea put up a pair of sandals. The sculpted black metal shoes in Asmara’s Shida (Sandal) Square, recalling the footwear of Eritrea’s rebels, were a symbol of its remarkable 30-year independence war against its giant neighbour, Ethiopia, which ended with secession in 1991.
Ethiopia’s Supreme Court sentenced former dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam to death in his absence on Monday, along with 17 senior officials of his regime, overturning a previous life term on appeal. The court followed the request of the prosecution to toughen the sentence imposed in January 2007 on Mengistu.