By: Costantinos

Costantinos — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 09:34:06 +0000

Please accept my most profound condolences on the passing of your mother, Hirut Befikadu. Your tribute beautifully captured not only the warmth of a deeply loved matriarch but the monumental impact of a woman who helped construct the institutional architecture of modern Africa right here in Addis Ababa. To you, Samuel, Daniel, and your extended family, my thoughts are with you during this time of immense loss.
I have known Hirut for a long time, Hirut’s life was, by every measure, a masterclass in diplomacy, structural resilience, and progressive vision. Her contributions will remain a permanent fixture in our continental history.
Across her thirty-four years at the OAU, including a seventeen-year tenure heading the Information Division, she possessed the discipline to translate complex continental policy and the ambitions of a newly united Africa into a coherent, persuasive global narrative. She moved beyond advocacy into concrete institution-building.
By establishing the Women’s Division and coordinating the ‘African Platform for Action,’ she successfully orchestrated the mobilization of nearly 10,000 African delegates for the 1995 Beijing Conference—an unprecedented feat of strategic, high-level continental coordination.
Entrusted by Kofi Annan to serve as policy adviser and spokesperson for UNAMSIL in Sierra Leone, I was a witness to how she demonstrated profound composure under extreme pressure. Her steadying voice and rigorous discipline of fact during the 75-day UN peacekeeper hostage crisis exemplified leadership in one of the continent’s most volatile operational theatres.
From bridging the historic Ethiopian legacies to her enthusiastic late-life embrace of electric mobility and a cleaner future, she maintained a relentless, lifelong dedication to progress and sustainable advancement.
May her exceptional legacy of service, rigour, and grace offer you comfort in the days ahead. May she rest in power.

By: Abraham Fisseha

Abraham Fisseha — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 09:11:51 +0000

She was a woman of integrity, wisdom and with GOD given humility and unforgettable smile to any one no matter who he is – open hearted and always there to support/help with anything at her disposal. I was fortunate to know her in my journalists career I learn humility, respect, empathy, and how to handle people without losing your dignity and integrity. To me she was a friend, sister and mother like. May she rest in peace. GOD Bless her soul. My condolences to her family and friends.

Comments on: Hirut Befikadu: The Woman Who Gave Africa Its Voice

By: Costantinos

By: Abraham Fisseha