A W ee k on th e

El ect ion
H Re su lts
ORN
After the retirement of
Girma Wolde-Giorgis
from the Presidency, the
country was in dire need
of a new head of state.
Two weeks before
January 1, 2009 yesterday’s elections
Prime Minister Zenawi
accepted the position and
handed over leadership of
the EPRDF to General
Jaffa Dawit. Dawit is a
well known war hero and
his popularity coupled
with the strong position of
the EPRDF led to a
massive victory in the
general election. As a
result, Dawit was
appointed Prime Minister
Som ali Mil itant s this afternoon.
Ethiopian and Transitional General Jaffa Dawit, the new Prime Minister
Government troops battled Islamist of Ethiopia

Jaff a Da wi t , a bri ef
militants a few miles west of
Mogadishu today. Two government
soldiers and nine militants were
killed and three militants were
captured. One of the captured
Biogr ap hy
admitted that his organization had
Born in 1962, Dawit’s father was from Aseb and his mother from
received funding from Eritrea after
Addis Abba. His Afar background has played a major role in his life
interrogation. Information such as
despite the fact that he grew up following his mother’s traditions and
this only fuels the fire between
is a member of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. In 1975, one year
Ethiopia and Eritrea and is yet
after the Communist takeover of Ethiopia, Dawit’s father, a grocery
another piece of evidence revealing
store owner, was killed in front of his family for refusing to turn over
Eritrea’s anti-peace stance on
his store to the state. This moment was likely one of the most
Somalia
influential in Dawit’s life as very soon after, at the age of 13, he
Zenawi Happy to joined the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (the
EPRDF is now Ethiopia’s major political party) along with large group
Switch of his paternal Afar relatives. It was in his years as a rebel that his
affinity to his Afar kinsmen developed.
While fighting with the EPRDF he met and became close friends
with Meles Zenawi. The two have been almost inseparable ever
since and in 1991 when the EPRDF overthrew the Communist
regime both men took on important governmental roles. Zenawi went
on to serve as the Prime Minister and has done so until just recently
and Dawit served as General of the Ethiopian Defence Forces. As
General, Dawit has seen a lot of action. He led the infantry division
which captured Barentu and broke the back of the Eritreans in
Zenawi has said that he is very ’98-’00 war. Though he was disappointed that the war was not
happy to have been offered the role continued so as to regain Eritrea’s Afar province, he accepted
of President and is glad for the Zenawi’s judgement. He also has played a major role in leading the
change. He says that he has much peacekeeping forces in Somalia was instrumental in defeating the
faith in his dear friend Jaffa Dawit Islamic Courts Union.
and is confident that he will do what Prime Minister will be his first civilian role in the Ethiopian
is right for the nation. As President government and only time will tell how he will do, but given his
Zenawi wishes to focus on building excellence as a General it is not irrational to have high hopes.