Àdàkọ:Contains Ethiopic text Mengistu Haile Mariam (መንግስቱ ኃይለ ማርያም, pronounced Àdàkọ:IPA-am; born 21 May 1937) is a an Ethiopian politician who was the most prominent officer of the Derg, the Communist military junta that governed Ethiopia from 1974 to 1987, and President of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia from 1987 to 1991. "Profile: Mengistu Haile Mariam". BBC News Online. 12 December 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6171927.stm. Retrieved 2006-12-13. . Other accounts state 21 May 1941 [1], 27 May 1941