Ethiopian soldiers apologize for unlawful protest procedure

Ethiopian soldiers who protested on Wednesday in the capital Addis Ababa chiefly demanding pay rise have apologized to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for using “wrong procedure” in airing their grievances, state media FBC reported.

Hundreds of the soldiers with their arms marched on the presidential palace demanding to see the Prime Minister. They were only allowed in after agreeing to be disarmed.

According to his chief of staff, Fitsum Aregaa, “PM Abiy Ahmed listened to the grievances carefully, reprimanded them for the wrong procedure they followed to express those grievances, but concluded the meeting with a promise to meet properly in the near future to positively consider their demands.

“They apologized to the people and government of Ethiopia in a discussion held today with Motuma Mekassa, Minister of Ethiopian Defense Force, and General Seare Mekonnen, Chief of Staff of the Defense Force,” the report said.

It quoted Motuma as stressing that an investigation will be conducted to identify superiors whose failure to act led to the grievances that the soldiers took improperly to the PM.

After meeting with the soldiers on Wednesday part of the reprimand Abiy had for the officers was to do push-ups which he personally joined in. The action was largely praised by on social media.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed does pushups with the military after Dozens of Ethiopian soldiers marched on the prime minister’s office to demand better pay, triggering an internet blackout in Addis Ababa that was lifted Thursday.https://t.co/B8PGu44Ifi pic.twitter.com/fMbcD5VZe0

— Tigist Geme (@TigGeme) October 11, 2018