Riad al-Asaad vs Tesfaye Gebre Kidan

On July 29, 2011, Riad al-Asaad, a former Syrian Air Force colonel, announced the formation of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in a video statement. This marked the creation of an armed opposition force against the government of Bashar al-Assad, drawing defectors from the Syrian military and initiating organized armed resistance in the Syrian Civil War.

In March 2013, a car bomb targeted Riad al-Asaad in Deir ez-Zor, Syria. The explosion killed several of his bodyguards and severely wounded al-Asaad, leaving him with permanent injuries. The attack was attributed to Islamist extremist groups within the Syrian opposition, highlighting internal divisions among anti-government forces.

Following the assassination attempt, Riad al-Asaad moved to Turkey for medical treatment and safety. While in exile, his influence over the Free Syrian Army diminished as more powerful Islamist factions and rival commanders took operational control of FSA units inside Syria, reducing his role to a symbolic figurehead.

Tesfaye Gebre Kidan surrendered the Derg government to the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) in May 1991, ending the Ethiopian Civil War. He was later arrested and imprisoned.

After Mengistu Haile Mariam fled Ethiopia in May 1991, Tesfaye Gebre Kidan was appointed acting president of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. He held the position for only a few days as rebel forces advanced on Addis Ababa.