Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party
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Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party
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| Founded | April 1972 |
| Headquarters | Washington DC, United States |
| Radio | Voice of EPRP |
| Ideology |
Ethnic federalism (1984–present)
Communism (1972–84) Marxism–Leninism (1972–84) |
| Political position | Left-wing |
| Colors | Red & Yellow |
The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party (Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝባዊ አብዮታዊ ፓርቲ?: Yethiopia Hizbawi Abyotawi Party), also referred to as Ihapa or the EPRP, is the first modern political party in Ethiopia, established in April 1972 (the founding congress was held from April 2 – April 9). Its first political program called for the overthrow of the monarchy, the removal of the feudal system, and the creation of a democratic republic. The party was forced into clandestinity because the monarchy, headed by Emperor Haile Selassie, did not allow political parties or legal dissent.
Both EPRP and the All-Ethiopia Socialist Movement (MEISON) were enthusiastic communist supporters of the Ethiopian Revolution that toppled Emperor Haile Selassie and abolished the monarchy in 1974. However, following the rise of Mengistu Haile Mariam to power as chairman of the ruling Derg, the military junta that had taken control of Ethiopia, ideological conflict developed between the various groups.
The military government declared open war against the EPRP in 1976, and the party resolved to resort to self-defense acts in the urban areas. In the rural areas, at the time in the Tigray and Gondar regions, the guerrilla force of the party, known as the EPRA (Ethiopian People's revolutionary Army), was becoming active. The spiraling violence in the urban areas also led to the declaration of the infamous Red Terror campaign by the military regime against the EPRP. (For vivid details of the Red Terror campaign read To Kill a Generation). This bloody campaign caused the deaths of some 250,000 Ethiopians until it ended in 1978. The urban armed defense was pursued to an extent and dimension which harmed the party by forcing it to work in circumstances of unfavorable balance of forces.
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