Merid Negussie was born on January 21, 1934, in the small village of Leku in the Sululta district of Shoa Province to a family of Oromo peasants.

Merid became a cadet at the Imperial bodyguard academy graduating in 1946 with the rank of Second lieutenant after three years of training.

[3] In the mid-seventies, the Ethiopian army was fighting on two fronts; to repel the Somali invasion and curb the advance of secessionist movements of EPLF & ELF.

As a recognition of his heroic exploits on the battlefields in Eritrea and his exceptional leadership, he became the first officer to ascend to the rank of Brigadier General under the Derg regime and was awarded the Medal for Valor.

During his service in Eritrea, he worked tirelessly to bring about peace and improve the livelihood of the people of this restive region through good governance and dialog with community leaders and elders.