Ethiopia: Return to Normalcy

As the country begins to recover from war, President Meles explains his unorthodox approach to governing

Looking backward, life seems to shine with new promise. The civil war that ravaged Ethiopia for 30 years is over. In the five months since Mengistu Haile Mariam, the country's hard-line Marxist dictator for 14 years, was driven from power, the competing guerrilla bands have achieved a relative peace and joined in a transitional government. The death toll has fallen from 10,000 people a , month to a few hundred. Where torture and disappearances once silenced opposition voices, Ethiopians now feel free to voice their demands and even shout insults at President Meles Zenawi, a democratic exercise he withstands calmly. "That's...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!