Minasse Haile

Minasse Haile (, 2 January 1930 – 11 September 2025) was an Ethiopian diplomat and politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1971 to 1974.

Life and career Minasse was born in Hararghe Province on 2 January 1930.

He started his political career in 1961 as legal adviser in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, helping draft the first civil service regulations of Ethiopia and established the first Personnel Administrative Agency. Not long thereafter, he was appointed Chief of Political Affairs of Emperor Haile Selassie's private cabinet in 1961. In 1964 he was appointed Minister of State for Information, remaining as a close political adviser to the Emperor who accompanied him on most of his overseas trips. He also helped broker the Addis Ababa Agreement which brought an end to the First Sudanese Civil War. He was considered to be pro-American and interested in Southern African problems (i.e., South Africa, South West Africa, Rhodesia, Angola, and Mozambique).

Following the overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie, he went into exile and eventually taught at Cardozo Law School. As of 2021 he was Professor Emeritus of Law.

Minasse died in New Jersey on 11 September 2025, at the age of 95.