Alemayehu Atomsa

Alemayehu Atomsa (; ; 12 February 1969 – 6 March 2014) was an Ethiopian politician who served as the president of the Oromia Region, the largest of the country's regions, from 2010 until his resignation due to illness in 2014, from which he died in Bangkok, Thailand, on 6 March 2014. Alemayehu attended school close to his home district at Gubo Leyo Primary School and Siri Secondary School. During the Ethiopian Civil War, he was conscripted by the government to fight against EPLF and TPLF rebels. He, however, was captured by TPLF rebels. Soon after, his captors gave him the option of continuing to be their POW or becoming a founding member of the Oromo People's Democratic Organization (OPDO); he chose the latter.

He received a law degree from the Ethiopian Civil Service University and a Master of Public Policy degree from Peking University in Beijing, China. "Hailed [for] his strength and leadership charisma", as president, Alemayehu took a strong, public, and controversial stance against corruption, and within months of his assuming office several public officials had been arrested for bribery, nepotism, and other acts of corruption. Under his presidency, the Addis Ababa - Adama Expressway, the country's first modern motorway, was built to connect the capital city of Addis Ababa to the city of Adama, the largest city in the Oromia Region. However, within months of taking office, he fell severely ill due to food poisoning, and remained so throughout his tenure. Thus for much of his tenure, he was abroad seeking medical treatment, and by 2013 he had "virtually withdrawn from public life" as a result.

At a memorial service at Holy Trinity Cathedral, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said that Alemayehu had been "a fighter and a comrade who worked tirelessly till the end for the people of Oromia and Ethiopia." Flags around the country flew for three days at half-mast. Also expressing their condolences were President Mulatu Teshome, the House of Federation and the House of Peoples' Representatives.