Ethiopia risks becoming Middle East type military dictatorship – ex-US envoy

A former ambassador of the United States has expressed worry at political and security ongoings in Ethiopia.

“In Ethiopia, instead of an all-parties reconciliation conference, I fear a Middle East type military dictatorship takeover and a zero sum game bloody outcome. USG, do not let it happen,” he said in a tweet on Friday evening.

Herman Cohen who is a former Assistant Secretary of State also entreated the U.S. government to ensure that Ethiopia does not implode.

The government imposed a state of emergency according to the state EBC to curb unrest across the country. Details of the measure are yet to be explained reportedly on Saturday morning.

In January 2018, outgoing Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn announced wide ranging political reform which has seen thousands of prisoners released especially in the Oromia region.

Desalegn has since submitted his resignation and the ruling Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) is set to name a successor to him at its next Congress.