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ETHIOPIA-POLITICS-UNREST-ARMY
Ethiopia holds funeral service for murdered army chief
ADDIS ABABA, June 25, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Ethiopia on Tuesday held a funeral
service for its army chief who was assassinated by his bodyguard over the
weekend, an incident believed linked to an alleged coup bid in northern
Amhara state.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed wept and mourners wailed as the coffin of Seare
Mekonnen, draped in the Ethiopian flag, was carried to the front of a room
filled with soldiers in military fatigues, in footage carried by state media.
Ethiopia has been left reeling after this weekend’s violence, a massive
blow to Abiy who has embarked on an ambitious project of economic and
political reforms in the nation.
However, his efforts have unleashed ethnic violence and turmoil as
different groups jockey for resources and power.
On Saturday, what the government described as a “hit squad” entered a
meeting of top Amhara officials and opened fire, killing regional president
Ambachew Mekonnen, his top adviser and the state’s attorney general.
A few hours later in Addis Ababa, some 500 kilometres (310 miles) away,
army chief Seare was shot dead by his bodyguard. A retired general visiting
him was also killed.
The government said he was coordinating the response to the “attempted
coup” at the time.
Abiy’s office also said it appeared to be a “coordinated attack” without
giving more details.
Ethiopian authorities have pinned the blame on Amhara’s security chief
Asaminew Tsige, who was gunned down by police while on the run on Monday.
Asaminew was only released last year from almost a decade in prison over a
2009 coup plot, under a mass prisoner amnesty that began under former prime
minister Hailemariam Desalegn and continued under his reformist successor
Abiy.
Analysts describe him as a hardline Amhara nationalist who was likely
facing removal from his job over efforts to form a militia and rhetoric
pushing for territory in neighbouring Tigray to be reclaimed.
The motives of Seare’s assassin meanwhile, are completely unknown.
Internet services were down Tuesday across Ethiopia for a fourth
consecutive day.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1631 hrs