Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front

During the Ethiopian Civil War, the EPRDF was a rebel group battling the Derg, a military regime led by Mengistu Haile Mariam that was effectively in power from 1974 until it was replaced by the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in 1987. During this period, the Derg was responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of opponents without trial in the Qey Shibir and the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia resulting in 400,000 deaths.[6]

The EPRDF was formed by the union of the TPLF and the Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement (EPDM) in early-1989. They were later joined by the OPDO (the Oromo members of the TPLF, EPLF, and EPDM) and the Ethiopian Democratic Officers' Revolutionary Movement (a small body of Derg officers captured by TPLF, most notably at Shire in February 1989, which was later disbanded after the establishment of the Transitional Government of Ethiopia).[4]

Following the collapse of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in the early 1990s, the EPRDF gained support from the United States. Michael Johns, an Africa expert with The Heritage Foundation, wrote in 1991 that "there are some modestly encouraging signs that the front intends to abandon Mengistu's autocratic practices".[7]

The EPRDF was an alliance of four political parties:

• Oromo Democratic Party (ODP), which is based in the Oromia Region (formerly known as OPDO)
• Amhara Democratic Party (ADP) based in the Amhara Region (formerly known as ANDM)
• Southern Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement (SEPDM) based in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region
• Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) based in the Tigray Region

The EPRDF was led by a Council as well as an Executive Committee, whose members were selected every three years by a congress of the party. The four member parties had the same organizational structure. Government and party structures were closely intertwined.[8]

The other five regions of Ethiopia were governed by parties which were either created or heavily influenced by the EPRDF.[9] One of the earliest was the Afar People's Democratic Organization in the Afar Region, which subsequently merged with other Afar political groups to create the Afar National Democratic Party (ANDP).[10] These were the five regional parties:[11]

• Afar National Democratic Party (ANDP) in Afar Region
• Argoba People's Democratic Organization (APDO) for the Argobba people
• Hareri National League (HNL) in Harari Region
• Gambela People's Democratic Movement (GPDM) in Gambela Region
• Ethiopian Somali People's Democratic Party (ESPDP) in Somali Region
• Benishangul-Gumuz People's Democratic Unity Front (BGPDUF) in Benishangul-Gumuz Region