In this country, some aristocratic families automatically categorize persons with dark skin, thick lips, and kinky hair as "Barias" [<nowiki/>Amharic… - Mengistu Haile Mariam

[Haile Selassie] died a natural death, as far as I know. I can't deny that there were many of my men who would have been glad to kill him with their bare hands to avenge the fathers and brothers they had lost due to him. The doctor looking after him told me nothing about any deterioration in his health, so there was no way I could personally ascertain what happened.

I'm a military man, I did what I did only because my country had to be saved from tribalism and feudalism. If I failed, it was only because I was betrayed. The so-called genocide was nothing more than just a war in defence of the revolution and a system from which all have benefited.

[<nowiki/>Haile Selassie] was 80 years old and a very weak man. We tried our best to save him but we could not keep him.