1972–1975 Wollo famine

The 1972–1975 Wollo famine was a major famine in the Ethiopian Empire during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie. The famine widely ravaged two provinces as well as converging areas such as the Afar-inhabited arid region by early 1972. During 1972 and 1973, the famine killed between 40,000 and 80,000 people. In response, the government initiated the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC), a department that aimed to reduce the famine severity and coordinate international assistance. The famine led to mobilisation of pastoralists and nomads in general, while allowing feudal landlords to force tenants to pay high rents while escorting their retinue of armed guards.

The Wollo famine is regarded as one of the main root causes of Haile Selassie's government collapse. It has been estimated that the death toll reached 250,000 people in 1975. This causes a peasant rebellion in Ethiopia, which continued through the successive Derg regime. There was also the rebellion of Dejazmach Berhane Meskel, who assaulted former landlords and government security forces, while also attacking the Derg government for multiple years.