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Eugene

(61,595 posts)
Sun Jun 23, 2019, 08:46 AM Jun 2019

Ethiopia's army chief, 3 other officials killed in renegade general's coup attempt, government says

Source: Washington Post

By Paul Schemm June 23 at 7:40 AM

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — A coup attempt by a renegade general in one of Ethiopia’s largest regional states resulted in the death of four officials, including the national army’s chief of staff and the president of the region, the government announced Sunday.

On Saturday evening, gunmen attacked an executive meeting of the Amhara regional state in the city of Bahir Dar killing its president Ambachew Mekonnen and his top adviser and grievously injuring the regional attorney general. Hours later, in the capital Addis, the bodyguard of army chief of staff Gen. Seare Mekonnen opened fire on him, killing him and an associate.

Government spokeswoman Bilene Seyoum blamed the attack on a recently amnestied brigadier general who had been imprisoned for his political views by the previous government several years before.

“The coup attempt and attack was orchestrated by Brig. Gen. Asaminew Tsige, the Amhara peace and security head with other agents,” she told journalists. “He and his colleagues were given amnesty over the last year by the new administration amid efforts to integrate them back to regular life.”

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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/ethiopias-government-says-it-thwarted-renegade-generals-coup-attempt/2019/06/23/e18e8be6-9592-11e9-830a-21b9b36b64ad_story.html

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