Ethiopia coup attempt [The Morning Call]

An air of uncertainty is reigning over Ethiopia after the assassination of five senior officials in last Saturday’s coup attempt in the Amhara region.

Army chief of staff General Seare Mekonnen was also victim of the foiled coup by a rogue state militia.

The militia was a recently formed unit of the region’s security services. The fact that the militia were state forces rather than independent raises the stakes for the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who has rolled out a package of economic and political reforms since taking office in April last year.

Tears flowed freely during the memorial of the fallen Chief of staff on Tuesday even on Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. It should be noted that the Prime Minister survived a grenade attack at a rally in his honour in June last year. But what does this coup attempt say about the country’s political situation?