The Imperial Guard takeover of Addis Ababa collapsed in mid-December 1960 as the regular army and the Imperial Air Force refused to join and instead moved against the rebels. After heavy fighting in the capital, loyalists regained control of Addis Ababa by December 17, 1960, ending the short-lived government the Council of the Revolution had proclaimed under Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen, and Emperor Haile Selassie returned from abroad to reassert his authority to a large public welcome. Police commissioner Tsige Dibu was killed in the fighting and security chief Werqneh Gebeyehu killed himself.
Official figures record at least 300 dead, many of them civilians caught in street fighting, figures scholars consider likely underestimates. Mengistu and Germame Neway fled the capital and were surrounded by the army near Mojo on December 24; Germame killed himself while Mengistu surrendered, was tried, and was hanged on March 30, 1961. A US intelligence estimate described a bloody three day coup attempt after which the emperor reestablished his personal authority.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Target identified in Coup Atlas research: The rebel Council of the Revolution government proclaimed under Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen was ousted. Emperor Haile Selassie was restored and was not physically harmed.
RESEARCHED NAME
Key figures
Haile Selassie (emperor, restored to power)
Mengistu Neway (rebel leader, captured and hanged March 30, 1961)
Germame Neway (rebel ideologue, suicide near Mojo)
Tsige Dibu (rebel police commissioner, killed in the fighting)
Werqneh Gebeyehu (rebel security chief, suicide)
Asfaw Wossen (crown prince, figurehead of the collapsed rebel government)
Sources
After its initial success, the majority of the military and populace quickly aligned against the coup, and by 17 December loyalists had regained control of Addis Ababa following a violent confrontation with the imperial army and air force.
General Tsege was killed in the fighting and Colonel Warqenah committed suicide; Mengistu and Germame evaded capture until 24 December 1960 when they were surrounded by the army near Mojo, where Germame committed suicide and Mengistu surrendered, and official casualty figures state at least 300 people were killed, figures Christopher Clapham considers likely underestimates.
A US Special National Intelligence Estimate recorded that Emperor Haile Selassie reestablished his personal authority after a bloody three day coup attempt initiated by the Imperial Body Guard, with fighting between the Body Guard and the army, the principal military components on which he had depended for power.
SOURCE REVIEWEDForeign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963, Volume XXI, Africa, Document 271open source ↗
Editorial Note
This December 17 record and the December 14 record (id 53012141960) are two halves of one historical episode, the failed Imperial Guard coup of December 13 to 17, 1960, which the dataset codes as two Successful events: the rebel seizure and the loyalist countermove that ousted the rebel government. Sources date the loyalist counteroffensive across December 15 to 17, with December 17 as the date loyalists fully regained the capital and the emperor returned.
Cross-Reference
Only one dataset carries it. One of the three reference datasets we check against carries this event; the others do not list it. That is not a contradiction — the datasets cover different periods and use different thresholds — but it means the record has had less outside corroboration.
Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: The rebel Council of the Revolution government proclaimed under Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen was ousted. Emperor Haile Selassie was restored and was not physically harmed..
Baseline coding: Incumbent executive removed from power. Recorded leader fate: deposed; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.
Baseline Dataset Citation
Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset, v2.2.2
Peyton, Buddy, Joseph Bajjalieh, Michael Martin, and Andrea Gerald. 2026. Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset. Cline Center for Advanced Social Research. V.2.2.2. February 17. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. doi: 10.13012/B2IDB-9651987_V10
“Sudden Ethiopia Coup Puzzling: Independence Is Ancient Protege Turns Younger Son Favored Receives Much Aid,” December 16, 1960
New York Times
“SELASSIE SHOWS MERCY TO REBELS: Ethiopian Emperor Forgives All Involved in Attempted Coup Except Leaders,” December 22, 1960
New York Herald Tribune
“Ethiopia Coup a ‘Tragic Folly’,” December 25, 1960
This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →