22/09/2025
Abiy Ahmed’s Fascism is Worse than Italian Fascism
September 21, 2025
News
The Habesha News Desk
September 2025
When Ethiopians remember fascism, their minds often return to the brutal years of the Italian occupation under Benito Mussolini from 1936–1941. That period brought unspeakable atrocities: the Yekatit 12 massacre in Addis Ababa, where thousands were slaughtered in a matter of days; the use of mustard gas against civilians; the burning of monasteries; and systematic attempts to dismantle Ethiopia’s sovereignty and identity. Italian fascism was violent, foreign, and colonial in its intent. Yet today, a new form of fascism has taken root within Ethiopia itself—one that many argue is even more insidious and destructive, led not by a foreign invader, but by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Italian Fascism: A Colonial Wound
Mussolini’s Italy invaded Ethiopia with the ambition of empire, bringing mechanized warfare, aerial bombings, and chemical weapons against largely unarmed civilians. Fascism in this context was the imposition of an external will—an attempt to erase Ethiopia’s independence, which had stood as a beacon of African resistance against colonial domination. The brutality was horrific, but it was at least clear who the enemy was: a foreign occupier armed with tanks, bombs, and poison gas.
Abiy Ahmed’s Fascism: Killing His Own People
What makes Abiy Ahmed’s rule so deeply painful for Ethiopians is that his authoritarianism and violence come not from an invader, but from one of their own. Abiy rose to power in 2018 hailed as a reformer, even winning the Nobel Peace Prize for his rhetoric of reconciliation. But only a few years later, his government stands accused of mass atrocities: massacres in Amhara, Tigray, Oromia, Benishangul-Gumuz, and elsewhere; deliberate starvation campaigns; the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war; and the systematic silencing of media. Unlike Mussolini’s troops, who were outsiders, Abiy commands Ethiopian institutions—the army, the police, the intelligence services—against Ethiopia’s own citizens. His fascism is not foreign occupation, but betrayal from within.
The Machinery of Silence
Under Mussolini, censorship was external and imposed by an occupier. Under Abiy, censorship is internal, systematic, and relentless. Independent media outlets are blocked, journalists imprisoned, and dissenting voices branded as traitors. Internet blackouts have been weaponized during military offensives, cutting off millions of Ethiopians from the world as massacres unfold. This form of fascism is more insidious because it denies Ethiopians even the right to witness or remember their own suffering.
Ethnic Division as a Weapon
Where Mussolini tried to impose Italian identity on Ethiopia, Abiy’s government has weaponized Ethiopia’s internal diversity. By inflaming ethnic divisions, favoring some groups while demonizing others, his regime has pushed Ethiopia toward unprecedented levels of distrust and fear. Fascism in Ethiopia today thrives not on external conquest, but on the fragmentation of its own social fabric, ensuring that ordinary Ethiopians are divided and weakened in the face of state repression.
Pretending Peace, Waging War
Perhaps the cruelest element of Abiy Ahmed’s rule is its duplicity. Mussolini openly proclaimed his imperial ambitions, but Abiy projects the image of a peace-builder. He sheds tears in public, speaks of unity, and performs reconciliation ceremonies—while simultaneously unleashing war, starvation, and repression on a massive scale. This hypocrisy deepens the sense of betrayal and leaves citizens disillusioned, unable to trust even the words of their own leader.
Why It Feels Worse
Italian fascism was horrific, but it was resisted, and ultimately, it was foreign. Ethiopians could take pride in fighting back against an invader. Abiy Ahmed’s fascism, however, corrodes Ethiopia from the inside, turning the state against its own people. It is worse not in the scale of external destruction, but in the scale of betrayal. It forces Ethiopians to ask: if our own leaders can become more dangerous than Mussolini’s soldiers, then what hope remains for justice, democracy, and unity?
Conclusion: A Call for Accountability
To compare Abiy Ahmed to Mussolini is not exaggeration—it is recognition that fascism takes many forms. While Mussolini’s fascism sought to erase Ethiopia’s sovereignty, Abiy Ahmed’s seeks to hollow out Ethiopia from within, killing its people, dividing its communities, and silencing its press. This is why many believe it is worse. The fight against fascism today is not against a foreign occupier, but against the betrayal of Ethiopia’s own government. Just as Ethiopia resisted Mussolini, so too must it resist the authoritarianism that threatens to consume it now.
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