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The History Hour: The fall of Addis Ababa

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The fall of Addis Ababa

05/12/2020 GMT

BBC World Service - The History Hour, The fall of Addis Ababa

How rebels toppled Colonel Mengistu of Ethiopia; France's headscarf ban; WW2's V1 bombs

How rebels toppled Colonel Mengistu of Ethiopia; France's headscarf ban; World War Two's terrifying V1 bombs

In May 1991, the brutal Ethiopian dictator, Colonel Mengistu and his military regime were on the verge of collapse after years of civil war. The end came when a Tigrayan-led rebel movement advanced on the capital Addis Ababa and took power. We get a first-hand account from an American diplomat and hear how the events of 1991 contributed to the current crisis in Ethiopia. Plus, the controversy in France over banning headscarves and other religious symbols from schools, the Nazis' terrifying V1 bombing campaign in World War Two and the story of the Haitian slave leader, Toussaint Louverture.

 Photo: EPRDF rebels in Addis Ababa, 28 May, 1991 (BBC)

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