The Ethiopian Marxist–Leninist Revolutionary Organization (Amharic: ማርክሳዊ ሌኒናዊ ሪቮሊሽናዊ ድርጅትን), commonly known by its Amharic acronyms Malered or Emelared (Amharic: ማሌሪድ), was a communist organization in Ethiopia active from 1974 to the late 1970s.Holcomb, Bonnie K., and Sisai Ibssa. The Invention of Ethiopia. Trenton, NJ: Red Sea Press, 1990. p. 373Halliday, F., and M. Molyneux. The Ethiopian revolution. 1983. p. 131
Formation According to Bahru Zewde, the organization was formed through the merger of a domestic faction and an exiled splinter group of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party (EPRP).Bahru Zewde. A History of Modern Ethiopia: 1855 - 1991. Oxford: Currey [u.a.], 2002. p. 245 According to Christopher Clapham, Malered could have been formed by EPRP members who wished to cooperate with the Derg military junta. Andargachew Tiruneh, on the other hand, states that Malered could have emerged as an offshoot of the All-Ethiopian Socialist Movement (MEISON) Youth League.Tiruneh, Andargachew. The Ethiopian Revolution 1974-1987 : a Transformation from an Aristocratic to a Totalitarian. Cambridge: University of Cambridge, 1995. p. 132 Fred Halliday supports the theory that Malered originated in Meison.Halliday, F., and M. Molyneux. The Ethiopian revolution. 1983. p. 129
Organization Malered was led by Gulilat. Politically, Malered was close to Meison. Malered gave support to the Derg military junta, and the group was represented in the Provisional Office for Mass Organizational Affairs (POMOA).Wubneh, Mulatu, and Yohannis Abate. Ethiopia: Transition and Development in the Horn of Africa. Boulder, Colo: Westview Press, 1988. p. 57 Malered supported the entry of Seded (the new political organization formed by Derg militaries schooled in Marxism-Leninism) into POMOA.Clapham Christopher. Transformation and Continuity in Revolutionary Ethiopia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988. p. 67 When the National Democratic Revolutionary Programme of Ethiopia was declared in April 1976, Malered expressed its support to it and its willingness to join a common front with other groups supporting the revolution.Tiruneh, Andargachew. The Ethiopian Revolution 1974-1987 : a Transformation from an Aristocratic to a Totalitarian. Cambridge: University of Cambridge, 1995. p. 178 In December 1976, Malered published its own programme.
In 1977, Malered took part in forming the Union of Ethiopian Marxist-Leninist Organizations together with four other groups (MEISON, Seded, Echat and Waz League).Harjinder Singh. Agricultural Problems in Ethiopia. Delhi, India: Gian Pub. House, 1987. p. 187 Malered was the smallest of these five parties.Clapham Christopher. Transformation and Continuity in Revolutionary Ethiopia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988. p. 54
Conclusion After the split between the Derg and Meison, the Derg would eventually begin crushing the smaller leftist groups like Malered.Milkias, Paulos. Haile Selassie, Western Education, and Political Revolution in Ethiopia. Youngstown, N.Y.: Cambria Press, 2006. p. 266 Malered was eliminated from POMOA.Lefort, René. Ethiopia, an Heretical Revolution? London: Zed, 1983. p. 253 As of July 1979, there were reports that member of Malered had been arrested. At the time, Malered was the sole civilian political group still aligned with the Derg.
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