Alem Zewde Tessema (died 1974) was an Ethiopian military figure. He was a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of the Airborne Corps, Fourth Division. He was active at the beginning of the

Ethiopian Revolution The Ethiopian Revolution () was a period of civil, police and military upheaval in Ethiopia to protest against the weakened Haile Selassie government. It is generally thought to have begun on 12 January 1974 when Ethiopian soldiers began a rebel ...

, helping to create the "Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces", which originally was intended to support Prime Minister

Aklilu Habte-Wold '' Tsehafi Taezaz'' Aklilu Habte-Wold (; 12 March 1912 – 23 November 1974) was an Ethiopian politician under Emperor Haile Selassie. He was foreign minister from 1947 to 1958 and prime minister from 1961 until his overthrow and execution by th ...

but came under the control of Majors Atnafu Abate,

Sisay Hapte Sisay, also Sissay, is a male given name of Ethiopian origin. Notable people with the name include: * Sisay Bancha (born 1989), Ethiopian international footballer * Lemn Sissay (born 1967), British-Ethiopian writer {{given name Ethiopian given na ...

, and Tafara Tekleab, who turned it into the group later known as the Derg. On 22 June 1974, he lost control of his own paratrooper battalion after its defeat at

Bishoftu Bishoftu (; ) is a town in central Ethiopia. Located in the East Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region, it sits at an elevation of 1,920 metres (6,300 ft). It was formerly known as Debre Zeyit (). The town serves as the primary airbase of the ...

with radicals, and was forced to flee to

Gojjam Gojjam ( ''gōjjām'', originally ጐዛም ''gʷazzam'', later ጐዣም ''gʷažžām'', ጎዣም ''gōžžām'') is a historical provincial kingdom in northwestern Ethiopia, with its capital city at Debre Markos. During the 18th century, G ...

, where he subsequently died.Keller, ''Revolutionary Ethiopia'', p. 183

References

1974 deaths Ethiopian military personnel Year of birth missing People of the Ethiopian Civil War {{Ethiopia-mil-bio-stub