When the
Derg came to power in 1974 Fisseha became a senior member of the military committee and rose to the rank of
lieutenant colonel. He was in command of the Third Division and had served in
Eritrea. In 1979 Fisseha became a member of the
Central Committee of
COPWE. In 1980 Fisseha traveled to several Arab nations in order to convince them to cease their support to the Eritrean rebels. He met with
Saddam Hussein who believed that Muslims were being persecuted in Eritrea, Fisseha used the case of
Kurds to explain the Eritrean cause which is when
Saddam Hussein recommended federation for Eritrea. After the formation of the
Workers' Party of Ethiopia in 1984, Fisseha was appointed the deputy leader of the WPE and was the head of its administration and justice department. In 1987 after the establishment of the
People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Fisseha was appointed vice president, a position he held until 1991. ==Later life==