Abyotawit Seded (, 'Revolutionary Flame', 'Seded' for short) was a communist organization in Ethiopia, formed in 1976 by a group of officers of the Derg military junta who had attended political trainings in the Soviet Union from 1975 and onwards. History Seded was set up in August 1976 by Mengistu Haile Mariam and 15 other Derg members. Mengistu was the titular chairman of Seded. The key organizer of the group was, however, Legasse Asfew (a former sergeant). The political programme of the group was elaborated at the time of its founding.Tiruneh, Andargachew. The Ethiopian Revolution 1974-1987 : a Transformation from an Aristocratic to a Totalitarian. Cambridge: University of Cambridge, 1995. p. 133 Through the launching of Seded, Mengistu hoped to be able to challenge the influence of the All-Ethiopian Socialist Movement (MEISON) in the urban dwellers' associations (kebeles).Shinn, David H., and Thomas P. Ofcansky. Historical Dictionary of Ethiopia. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2004. p. 344Clapham, Christopher, and George D. E. Philip. The Political Dilemmas of Military Regimes. London: Croom Helm, 1985. p. 272
Seded was a clandestine group, known by the name of its publication.Tadesse, Kiflu. Ethiopia Transformation and Conflict. Silver Spring, Md: K & S Distributors [u.a.], 1998. p. 109 The existence of Seded was never publicly acknowledged.Ottaway, Marina, and David Ottaway. Ethiopia: Empire in Revolution. New York: Africana Pub. Co, 1978. p. 187
Regarding the national question Seded recognized the right to national self-determination in principle, but saw practical constraints for its implementation.Clapham Christopher. Transformation and Continuity in Revolutionary Ethiopia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988. pp. 198-199
The Derg was suspicious of MEISON influence in different sectors (such as education), and Seded sought to displace MEISON as the chief political adviser to Derg.Keller, Edmond J. Revolutionary Ethiopia: From Empire to People's Republic. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1988. p. 199 Seded would function as the key instrument of the Derg to gain control over the Provisional Office for Mass Organizational Affairs (POMOA). However, the admission of Seded into POMOA caused dissent in the coalition. MEISON and Ichat saw the entry of Seded as a threat to their own control over the structure. Malerid and Waz League, on the other hand, supported the entry of Seded as a counterweight to MEISON and Ichat. Seded obtained 4 of the 15 seats in the POMOA Central Committee.Mammo, Tirfe. The Paradox of Africa's Poverty: The Role of Indigenous Knowledge, Traditional Practices and Local Institutions: the Case of Ethiopia. Lawrenceville, NJ [u.a.]: Red Sea Press, 1999. p. 137
By 1977, thousands of Ethiopian military personnel had passed through training courses in the Soviet Union, East Germany, Bulgaria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia. The graduates of these courses formed the bulks of the followers of Seded.Clapham Christopher. Transformation and Continuity in Revolutionary Ethiopia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988. p. 224Clapham, Christopher, and George D. E. Philip. The Political Dilemmas of Military Regimes. London: Croom Helm, 1985. p. 272 But Seded also won support amongst high-level civil servants, who either felt threatened by the influence of MEISON, supported the intervention of the army into politics or had links to Derg officials.Ottaway, Marina, and David Ottaway. Ethiopia: Empire in Revolution. New York: Africana Pub. Co, 1978. p. 188
On February 26, 1977 Seded, MEISON and three other organizations (Ichat, Malerid and Waz League) founded the Union of Ethiopian Marxist-Leninist Organizations.Harjinder Singh. Agricultural Problems in Ethiopia. Delhi, India: Gian Pub. House, 1987. p. 187Uhlig, Siegbert. Encyclopaedia Aethiopica 3 He - N. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2007. 668Eide, Øyvind M. Revolution and Religion in Ethiopia: A Study of Church and Politics with Special Reference to the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus 1974-1985. Uppsala: [Svenska institutet för missionsforskning], Univ, 1996. p. 180 These were the same organizations that were members of POMOA.Haile-Selassie, Teferra. The Ethiopian Revolution, 1974-1991: From a Monarchical Autocracy to a Military Oligarchy. London [u.a.]: Kegan Paul Internat, 1997. pp. 230-231
After the split between MEISON and the Derg in August 1977 a series of MEISON leaders were assassinated. Seded members were suspected of being behind these killings. Seded cadres were placed in the leadership of institutions such as the Yekatit '66 Political School, which had been under the control of MEISON. But whereas the top leaders of MEISON were killed, many second-rank cadres of MEISON joined Seded and obtained prominent government positions.Marcus, Harold G. A History of Ethiopia. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1994. p. 200
After the elimination of MEISON and Ichat, Seded was the largest political organization in the pro-Derg coalition.Connell, Dan. Taking on the Superpowers: Collected Articles on the Eritrean Revolution, 1976-1982. Trenton, NJ: Red Sea Press, 2003. p. 250 A Seded cadre, Lt. Desta Tadesse, was named as the general secretary of POMOA.
In the second half of 1978, suspicions were raised that the Waz League had infiltrated Seded and come to occupy leading posts in Seded, leading to a break with the Waz League as well. It was, however, unlikely that the Waz League would have been able to penetrate the inner circle of military leaders of Seded.Clapham Christopher. Transformation and Continuity in Revolutionary Ethiopia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988. pp. 67-69 In 1979, Seded was legally disbanded.Milkias, Paulos. Haile Selassie, Western Education, and Political Revolution in Ethiopia. Youngstown, N.Y.: Cambria Press, 2006. p. 266
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