Sixty years after Nelson Mandela received guerilla warfare training in Ethiopia, a former military officer who served as his bodyguard said there had been an attempt during the training to assassinate the South African anti-apartheid hero.
Capt. Guta Dinka, 89, one of four paratroopers who acted as Mandela’s security guards, described the scheme of the assassination and how he prevented it to Anadolu Agency on the eve of International Nelson Mandela Day, which is marked on Monday.
“An old army friend who goes by the name of Abraham introduced me to a white man and an African guy, and they wanted me to kill Mandela by rope. They gave me £2,000 ($2,371) and a camera to take photos of Mandela. I would kill and they promised me a comfortable life in England,” he said.
The soldier handed the money and camera to Gen. Tadesse Birru and told him about the scheme. The camp was under Birru’s management.
“The plot was foiled with the arrest of Abraham. The white man and African were immediately deported to Kenya,” he said.
Experts say that Ethiopia, a rocky, landlocked nation in the Horn of Africa, is continuing to highlight its contributions to the continent’s anti-colonialism struggle by building on its history of hosting and supporting Mandela during his struggle.
Dinka recalled his time spent working with Mandela and claimed that both the training’s objective and the trainee’s identity were kept under wraps.
“Due to this training, we were happy with the trainee whom they often referred to as the high-profile guest of Emperor Haile Selassie,” he said.
From 1994 to 1999, Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid hero and universally revered symbol of peace and forgiveness, served as South Africa’s first Black president. After a protracted illness, he passed away in December 2013.
To coincide with his birthday, the UN General Assembly proclaimed July 18 as a day to honor Nelson Mandela and his fight against colonialism and apartheid.
In Ethiopia in 1962, Mandela began his career as a leader and freedom fighter.