Ten Tons of Red Terror

Chinese companies had taken over the infrastructure development in Ethiopia, as in most African countries. The Chinese traced roads and constructed bridges, laid rails and power lines, built airports, train stations and utilities. It was a booming business. Huge government contracts were directly allotted to Chinese corporate companies and considerable, untraceable personal benefits wandered into the pockets of a handful of people on both sides. Corruption functions the same way all over the world. 

The Chinese companies brought their own highly paid management personnel, leaving mostly the heavy manual labor to Ethiopians. While job opportunities for local technicians and engineers remained scarce, the demand for workers rose. A much sought after job was that of a truck driver. The companies needed hundreds and hundreds of drivers for their bright red, Chinese brand,10 ton construction trucks and did not scrutinize too thoroughly whether the applicants had experience in driving a heavy truck or possessed a legal truck driver license. A couple of hours of instruction together with some expert advise from an ‘old hand’ in the branch, a recommendation from a higher up level and a new truck driver was born.

The many new Chinese tarmac roads were built in a hurry, with hardly any technical and engineering knowledge of the geological and geographical conditions of the Ethiopian highlands, deficient materials and sloppy execution. Most of them were nearly or totally destroyed within a year or two. Instead of counting with better road conditions, they became worse and turned driving into an even higher risk. But worst of all were the inexperienced and reckless drivers of the Chinese red 10 ton trucks .

Truckers and drivers rapidly dubbed them ‘Red Terrorists’, alluding to the Stalin like terror regime of the Communist party which held Ethiopians in fear for their lives for over 20 years and was responsible for the deaths of over 750,000 people.

The ‘Red Terrorists’ had earned their reputation freehand. They drove at high speed and took pronounced curves invading without consideration the opposite lane of the roads. Maintenance was an issue unheard of. Stop lights seemed to be a luxury as well as working head and rear lights. Nobody ever bothered to signal a left or righthand turn. The result of careless handling of load often lead to rocks tumbling from the top of the lorry or wet earth and soil seeping from the back of the loading platform, leaving a slippery trail. But the most dreaded nightmare of every driver was to come in the way of a ‘Red Terrorist’ rushing downhill without brakes, desperately trying to maintain control of the truck. That, on the steep mountainous Ethiopian roads with badly traced inclines and no warning signs, signals and side protections, not to mention the ever present people and livestock on the road, was sheer hell.