ETHIOPIA
Some about Ethiopia
Ethiopia (ኢትዮጵያ ), officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (የኢትዮጵያ ፌዴራላዊ ዲሞክራሲያዊ ሪፐብሊክ), is a sovereign state located in the Horn of Africa. It shares a border with Eritrea to the north and northeast, Djibouti and Somalia to the east, Sudan and South Sudan to the west, and Kenya to the south. With nearly 100 million inhabitants,[2] Ethiopia is the most populous landlocked country in the world, as well as the second-most populous nation on the African continent after Nigeria. It occupies a total area of 1,100,000 square kilometres (420,000 sq mi), and its capital and largest city is Addis Ababa.
Some of the oldest evidence for anatomically modern humans has been found in Ethiopia,[8] which is widely considered the region from which modern humans first set out for the Middle East and places beyond.[9][10][11] According to linguists, the first Afroasiatic-speaking populations settled in the Horn region during the ensuing Neolithic era.[12] Tracing its roots to the 2nd millennium BC, Ethiopia was a monarchy for most of its history. During the first centuries AD, the Kingdom of Aksum maintained a unified civilization in the region,[13][14][15][16] followed by the Ethiopian Empire circa 1137.
Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF)
The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) is the military of Ethiopia. Civil direction of the military is carried out through the Ministry of Defense, which oversees the ground forces, air force, as well as the Defense Industry Sector. The current defense minister is Siraj Fergessa.Ethiopia derived prestige with its uniquely successful military resistance during the late 19th-century Scramble for Africa, becoming the only African country to defeat a European colonial power and retain its sovereignty. Subsequently, many African nations adopted the colors of Ethiopia's flag following their independence. It was the first independent African member of the 20th-century League of Nations and the United Nations.[17] In 1974, at the end of Haile Selassie's reign, power fell to a communist military dictatorship known as the Derg, backed by the Soviet Union, until it was defeated by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, which has ruled since about the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Ethiopia is one of the founding members of the UN, the Group of 24 (G-24), the Non-Aligned Movement, G-77 and the Organisation of African Unity. Ethiopia's capital city Addis Ababa serves as the headquarters of the African Union, the Pan African Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, African Aviation Training HQ, the African Standby Force, and much of the global NGOs focused on Africa. In the 70's and 80's, Ethiopia suffered from civil wars and communist purges which devastated its economy. The country has begun to recover recently however, and now has the largest economy (by GDP) in East Africa and Central Africa.[22][23][24] According to Global Fire Power, Ethiopia has the 42nd most powerful military in the world, and the third most powerful in Africa
Ethiopia's contribution to Korea's success indelible:
Sixty years ago, Ethiopia was at war. Not in Africa, but thousands of miles away in Korea. This is the story of one Ethiopian officer who won a US gallantry award.
In 1951, the Ethiopian Emperor, Haile Selassie, decided to send thousands of troops to fight as part of the American-led UN force supporting South Korea against the communist North and its ally, China.
They were called the Kagnew battalions and were drawn from Haile Selassie's Imperial Bodyguard - Ethiopia's elite troops.
Capt Mamo Habtewold, now 81 years old, was then a young lieutenant in the 3rd Kagnew Battalion. He clearly remembers a send-off from the Emperor himself, as he was about to leave for the other side of the world.
"Always when a battalion went to Korea, he came himself and made a speech and he gave each battalion a flag - and he ordered us to bring that flag back from Korea," Mamo recalls.
When Ethiopia had been invaded by Italy in 1935 Haile Selassie had condemned the League of Nations for its failure to act. Now, as a staunch ally of the US, he was eager to practise what he had preached.
"As you know our King, Haile Selassie, was a great man for collective security. And when the UN asked him for troops for Korea, he accepted without any question," Mamo says.
Mamo was himself keen to go, especially after the first Ethiopian battalion sent to Korea returned in 1953.
"Everyone was boasting when they came back from Korea, so everybody wanted to fight," he says.
The Ethiopians fought as part of the US 7th Division. At the time, the American army had only just started to become racially de-segregated. But for Mamo discrimination was not an issue.
"You know Ethiopia has a 3,000-year history as an independent country. We Ethiopians were proud and boasting that we were Ethiopians. We don't care about any colour. The Americans didn't call us 'Negro' as we would be angry," he says.
And Mamo is proud of their record in Korea.
"We were the best fighters. The three Ethiopian battalions fought 253 battles, and no Ethiopian soldier was taken prisoner in the Korean War," he says.
"That was our Ethiopian motto: 'Never be captured on the war field.'"
That motto was put to severe test.
In 1953, while peace talks dragged on, the two sides hoped to strengthen their negotiating position by battling for control of the barren, rocky hills and ridges which lay in front of the main UN front line.
Some of the hills had nicknames: Old Baldy, T-bone and, most famously, Pork Chop Hill. Defence of this area was assigned to the US 7th Division, which included the Ethiopian Kagnew battalion.
One night in May 1953, Mamo led a small patrol down from his hilltop outpost to scout out the land below. What he didn't know was that his patrol was about to be enveloped in a major Chinese army assault.
"We were 14 Ethiopians and one American in our patrol. It was written later that we were fighting 300 Chinese soldiers - one man against 20," he remembers.
Four members of the patrol were killed, including the American corporal. Everyone else was wounded.
The visiting Korean President Park Geun-hye laid wreath yesterday at the Ethiopia Korean War Veterans Memorial Park in connection with 65th anniversary celebration of the marching to Korean War.
The President expressed her gratitude for the Ethiopian soldiers who fought and laid for the peace and freedom of Koreans.
The President attributed the bravely sacrifice of Ethiopian solider to the current economic success of Korea.
The President said her government will never forget the role and contribution of Ethiopia for current achievements of Korean. She said: "We value for what Ethiopia has done to Korea and give back with various engagement."
The President said: "On behave of the people and government of Korea I express deep gratitude to the families of the Ethiopian Korean war veterans."
On the occasion, President Dr. Mulatu Teshome said the friendship that tied with blood has been elevated with times. More friendship and sound cooperation is anticipated.
The President said Ethiopia has remained committed to world peace since the first mission in Korea and has built reputation in Africa for its peace keeping missions in Liberia, Rwanda, Burundi , Somalia and Darfur Sudan, etc.
He said the bravely accomplishment of the Korean war veteran is the beacon for the current generation. As these noble citizens have great lesson for the generation the government of Ethiopia will extend support for Ethiopians war veteran family.
The President lauded the efforts of Ethiopia Korean War Veterans Association for its effort to instill the spirit of the forefathers and their gallantly accomplishment.
Ethiopia Korean War Veterans President Colonel Meles Tessema on his part expressed gratitude for the Korean government for its due consideration of the sacrifice of Ethiopians.
Some captioned pictures of Ethiopian fighters in Korea
