Dissident Spotlight: Eskinder Nega
Eskinder Nega was imprisoned on terrorism charges for criticizing Ethiopia's ruling party. Today, he leads a militia against government forces.

Ethiopia’s previous dictator, Meles Zenawi, oversaw an explosion of economic activity in his country. He reversed the Communist policies that preceded him and allied with the United States in combatting Islamic terrorism in the mid-2000s.
These feats helped him avoid international condemnation for his human rights crackdowns, particularly the number of journalists he imprisoned.
One of those journalists was Eskinder Nega, who was arrested after reporting on the Arab Spring democracy protests in North Africa and warning that a similar uprising could happen in his own authoritarian country. Nega was detained, found guilty of terrorism, and sentenced to 18 years in prison.
In 2018, Ethiopia’s prime minister pardoned political dissidents to “foster reconciliation,” but Nega was initially told he would only go free if he signed a false confession to supporting terrorism. He refused, and he was freed in 2018.
Nega launched a newspaper that he operated for several years, but his role as a dissident would soon evolve into leadership in an armed struggle against the government.
From Writing to Fighting
Ethiopia’s crackdown on opposition parties and journalists hadn’t abated.
Shortly after his 2018 release, Nega was re-arrested but only held for 12 days. He founded a new political party in 2019, then was arrested again in April 2020 and June 2020. After he was released in January 2022, he was arrested again in April 2022.
In 2023, Nega became militant. He led a faction of the Fano insurgency, a series of fights against Ethiopia’s government. It includes many youth movements composed of young people disillusioned with their government. The armed conflict is also part of an ongoing civil war.
As of January 2025, both sides are trapped in a stalemate. Nega is one of several leaders in the decentralized Fano insurgency, and no leader has emerged to give the fighters a direction beyond opposing the government.
Nega’s path from a writer to a militia leader is a reminder of how little a country’s leaders know about the backlash their acts may inspire. Today’s imprisoned journalist could not only be tomorrow’s military threat but also one with popular support.