Ethiopia honours assassinated army chief ahead of burial in Tigray region

Ethiopian president Sahle-Work Zewde and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed were present on Tuesday a ceremony honouring assassinated army chief of staff, Seare Mekonnen.

Mekonnen and a retired Major General Gezai Abera were shot at and killed by his personal bodyguard in Addis Ababa last Saturday. They two were reportedly working towards thwarting an alleged coup in the northern Amhara regional state.

The ceremony was held at the Millenium Hall in the capital Addis Ababa and is being carried by state media. The bodies of the two will later be flown to capital of the Tigary regional state, Mekelle for burial tomorrow.

“A national committee has been formed to organize military honours for General Seare Mekonnen and retired Major General Gezai Abera. The committee will update and provide information as needed,” Abiy’s office said last Sunday.

The independently-run Addis Standard news portal said the burial will take place at the St. Gabriel Church and top government officials are expected to be in attendance.

The incident in Amhara region also claimed the lives of the region’s president, his senior advisor and the attorney general.

The official believed to have orchestrated the attack in Bahir Dar, Asaminew Tsige, has since been killed in a shootout with federal forces in the city. Internet access remains cut in the country since Saturday.

Update: A farewell ceremony taking place at the Millennium Hall in #AddisAbeba before sending off the bodies of army chief,Gen. Seare, & Maj-Gen Gezai (rtd) to #Mekelle,#Tigray, where they will be laid to rest tomorrow at St. Gabriel Church.High level gov. officials in attendance pic.twitter.com/anwONduUit

— Addis Standard (@addisstandard) June 25, 2019