Addis Ababa: Ethiopia’s army chief and the president of a key region have been shot dead in a wave of violence highlighting the political instability in the country even as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed tries to push through reforms.
The latest unrest in the ‘Horn of Africa’ nation flared Saturday afternoon in Amhara, one of nine autonomous regions, when a ‘hit squad’ attacked a meeting of top officials, Abiy’s office said Sunday.
Spokeswoman Billene Seyoum told journalists the attack was led by Amhara’s security chief Asaminew Tsige, and resulted in regional president Ambachew Mekonnen and another top official being shot.
The men were ‘gravely injured in the attack and later died of their wounds’, said Seyoum.
“Several hours later in what seems like a co-ordinated attack, the chief of the staff of the national security forces Seare Mekonnen was killed in his home by his bodyguard, in the capital here,” she added. Also shot dead was a retired general who had been visiting Mekonnen,” Billene added.
The bodyguard has been apprehended while Asaminew is still on the loose, sources said. The link between the two attacks was not immediately clear. The internet has been cut nationwide since Saturday evening, after being severed for much of the previous week.
An analyst said Saturday’s incident showed the seriousness of the political crisis in Ethiopia, where efforts by Abiy to loosen the iron-fisted grip of his predecessors and push through reforms has unleashed a wave of unrest.
“These tragic incidents unfortunately demonstrate the depth of Ethiopia’s political crisis,” said ‘International Crisis Group’ analyst William Davison.
“It is now critical that actors across the country do not worsen the instability by reacting violently or trying to exploit this unfolding situation for their own political ends,” the expert stated.
Abiy took power in April 2018 and has been lauded for a string of efforts to reform a nation which has known only the authoritarian rule of emperors and strongmen. He has embarked on economic reforms, allowed dissident groups back into the country, sought to crack down on rights abuses and arrested dozens of top military and intelligence officials He also sealed a peace deal with neighbouring Eritrea, a longtime foe.
AFP