Some leaders or dictators believe that they not only rule a specific country but also contribute greatly to humanity. They believe they have a unique political philosophy and new knowledge, just like a scientific discovery of great value that might have earned them a Nobel Prize in politics. Examples include #Ethiopia’s PM Abiy Ahmed’s ‘Medemer’ and the late #Libyan leader Gaddafi’s ‘Green Book’. In reality, none of them is new. One could also mention #Tanzania’s former president Nyerere’s ‘African Socialism’, known as Ujamaa—Swahili for “familyhood.” Hitler’s Mein Kampf is an extreme outlier.
Abiy Ahmed’s Medemer—roughly meaning “coming together” or “synergy”—outlines his vision of overcoming Ethiopia’s divisions through cooperation, national unity, and shared prosperity. It promotes combining the strengths of different communities and ideas and serves as the ideological framework for his political project. Perhaps it misses an important point, not mentioned, which is disregard for human lives and the extensive use of drones against civilians.
All those terms are familiar to us, but nothing new. During his recent trip to Moscow to attend the Russia-Africa Summit 2026, he inaugurated the Russian translation of the book and gave a copy to Russian President Putin. Any sound scientific experiment published must be repeated to reach the same conclusion. I am not sure how one could reach the same results by combining those general concepts in ‘Medemer.’
Gaddafi’s Green Book set out his political, economic and social philosophy, known as the ‘Third Universal Theory.’ It rejected parliamentary democracy, political parties and capitalism, advocating direct rule through popular congresses and an economy supposedly controlled by workers. It contained nothing new, and in practice, it served as the ideological justification for his authoritarian rule in Libya. It was also translated into several languages.
Gaddafi visited Eritrea in February (7-9) 2003, landing in Massawa and being driven to Asmara, where thousands of Eritreans lined the road to greet him, much to his liking. The Green Book was translated into Tigrinya in 2006 and exhibited in the presence of the Libyan ambassador (probably to get money from Gaddafi), then quickly shelved so no one could read it.
Following that visit, Eritrean asylum seekers using Libya as transit to Europe came under increasing pressure and mistreatment, with the Eritrean embassy having direct access to them. Some 76 Eritreans were forcibly returned to Eritrea in August the same year. Four of the deportees were able to hijack the plane and land in Khartoum.
Other leaders have claimed to treat diseases like Aids. Gambia’s former president, Yahya Jammeh, announced in 2007 that he could cure HIV/AIDS using a herbal remedy, claiming divine guidance. He established the Presidential Alternative Treatment Programme. He claimed that his treatment could eliminate HIV within three days, without providing credible scientific evidence.
Dr Mohamed Khier Omer
