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H.E. Ambassador
Imru Zelleke
1923 - 2022
A life serving his country
On behalf of the family, it is with great sadness that we announce that our father, grandfather, and uncle, His Excellency Ambassador Imru Zelleke, passed away on Friday October 21, 2022.
He left us peacefully in his sleep at the age of 99 years old.
Lij Imru Zelleke was born August 27, 1923 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His father was Bejirond Zelleke Agidew, a member of the Imperial Cabinet of H.I.M. Emperor Haile Selassie in which he served as Minister of Commerce, Finance and Agriculture, and Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary to the United Kingdom and the French Republic, and Ethiopian representative at the League of Nations. His mother was Woizero Azaletch Gobena, Head of Women Affairs at the Ethiopian Imperial Court. In 1950, he married Woizero Martha Nassibou, the daughter of Dejazmatch Nassibou Zamanuel and Woizero Atzede Babitcheff, and together they had two daughters, Adey and Saba.
A diplomat, author and passionate advocate for human rights, H.E. Ambassador Imru Zelleke has fought for democracy in Ethiopia for over three quarters of a century. He had a long and illustrious career and started very young serving in the Imperial Government of H.I.M. Emperor Haile Selassie in various capacities: first in the Ministry of Interior and then in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Later, he went on to serve as Ambassador to France, Germany, Ghana, and Scandinavia. And finally, upon returning to Ethiopia, he served as Minister of State to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry until the military coup that toppled the Imperial rule in 1974. A few years back, he wrote his memoir, A Journey, in which he recounts the riveting personal, political and historical account of a life spent in service to his country. He was a true patriot and simply loved Ethiopia; a love that never wavered, even in the darkest days.
We will always remember him for his sharp mind and wit, his great sense of humor, his kindness and wisdom which he generously shared with all of us in the family and with all who knew him. We will always love him, as he loved all of us. We are grateful for his long, generous life, for everything he taught us and for having been able to accompany him all the way.
H. E. Ambassador Imru Zelleke is survived by his two daughters, Adey Imru Makonnen and Saba Imru-Mathieu, his two grandchildren, Yokshan and Joel Dawit Makonnen, and two great-grandchildren, Ephrem and Leah. And he is fondly remembered by a wide circle of family and friends all over the world. He leaves behind an indelible legacy of service, honour and patriotism.
After a long and full life, may he now rest in peace. He will be laid to rest in his home country of Ethiopia.
Diplomat, author and passionate advocate for human rights, Imru Zelleke fought for democracy in Ethiopia for over three quarters of a century. His recent memoirs are a riveting personal, political and historical account of a life at the service of his country, Ethiopia.
Navigate this website to discover more about Imru Zelleke and his many activities as speaker, advocate and historical reference of how Ethiopia has evolved over decades of socio-economic upheavals and advancements.
Blog posts
Ambassador Imru Zelleke interviewed on Witness Histor, BBC World Service
I say let's open our minds and face our problems openly without fear of retribution by anyone, nor for personal gain.
A new generation of achievers is coming to be, let’s give them all the help they need
A message of hope to the youth of Ethiopia
You are in your twenties and thirties, you have grown up in one of the most painful eras of Ethiopian history ...this has certainly left you with some bitter view of your country ... We must build our new Ethiopia on solid bases, on our common history and common heritage ... Our people are talented and our land fertile and rich. Let’s make the Ethiopian renaissance with a national spirit and rejuvenating outlook...
Memoirs
A Journey
A fascinating insight into the modern history of Ethiopia
Former ambassador Imru Zelleke, son of a minister in Emperor Haile Selassie’s first cabinet, grandson of a founder of Addis Ababa and a warrior for Menelik at Adwa, tells the story of a life lived in the thick of history.
His wide-ranging experiences provide a noteworthy and fascinating look at Ethiopia in the twentieth century. As a young child, he was ripped away from the privileged life he’d known and sent to the notorious Danane concentration camp. Italy’s Fascists invaded the country violently, and the occupation was bloody and disastrous.
Many decades later, after traveling the world as a diplomat, Zelleke ended up in the exclusive realm of international banking. His compelling memoirs covers the many years of his life and the developments in Ethiopia that shaped history. Zelleke offers a view of history from the heart of things, an honest inside look at Emperor Haile Selassie as he attempted to modernize an unsettled nation while still maintaining an opulent court.
Zelleke’s is a life lived to the fullest, including the highs and lows that inevitably go along with that. His illuminating story is ultimately one of love for his country, a love that never wavered, even in the darkest of days.
Readers' words
Read an extract
I have had the fortune to participate in many significant historical events and have witnessed the unfolding of huge social changes both in Ethiopia and across the world. Through my memoirs I wish to share these extraordinary events with my readers and let them partake to all that has shaped, fascinated and motivated me. My memoirs are a work in progress and it is with pleasure that I am making a few extracts available on my website. It is may be too late to start a life story that spans eight decades. Memory fades, events get blurred, names are forgotten and places get hazy, softened by passing time events and things lose their edge. Neither I am writing a history, it is simply a narration about my life and of the events and conditions through which I have lived. Therefore, I plead mea culpa for what is missing, mistaken or misplaced. ________________________________________________________________________
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