Abebe Aregai

Prime Minister of Ethiopia

18 August 1903 Woira Amba-Jirru, Shewa, Ethiopian Empire

17 December 1960(1960-12-17) (57) Guenete Leul Palace, Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Empire

27 November 1957 – 17 December 1960

Prime Minister of Ethiopia from 1957 to 1960 Ras Abebe Aregai (18 August 1903 – 17 December 1960) was an Ethiopian military commander who, during the Italian occupation, led a group of resistance fighters (collectively known as the Arbegnoch or "Patriots") that operated in Menz and Shewa. The British IWM labeled Abebe “one of the bravest men in the modern world.” He later served as Prime Minister of Ethiopia from 27 November 1957 until his death. He was a victim of the unsuccessful 1960 Ethiopian coup. Abebe was the grandchild of the famous Oromo chief Ras Gobena Dache, whose 1880s military expeditions led to the expansion of Ethiopia’s modern borders.