Mereja Forum

[MINILIK SALSAWI]

Briefing local journalists this afternoon, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that a cellular record of the main suspect held in connection with the fatal shooting of army chief of staff, Gen. Seare Mekonnen & Maj-Gen. Gezai Abera (rtd) on June 22 showed the suspect has received a phone call from a third person in which he was informed of the killings of Amhara regional state president Ambachew Mekonnen and two others in Bahir Dar on the same night.

Although the government initially made the allegation on the link between the killing in Bahir Dar and that of Addis Abeba, it later on backtracked when on June 27 a statement by the task-force established to investigate the killings said investigations were underway to determine on whether or not the two killings were linked. The Prime Minister’s statement today imply a connection between the two.

PM Abiy also said that intelligence reports show more people, including army generals, were targeted for killings in what the government still maintains was a “failed coup attempt.” PM Abiy’s statement coroborate a news report by Wazema Radio, a reliable independent podcast. Citing its anonymous sources with knowledge to the matter Wazema reported on June 27 that the attacks were more coordinated than were anticipated and that military institutions in the capital Addis Abeba were targeted.

Without getting into details PM Abiy said that the suspect who was held in connection with the killing in Addis Abeba was currently undergoing medical treatment for injuries he sustained around his neck. The third person, unnamed by the PM, and who was on the phone conversation allegedly informing the main suspect of the killings in Bahir Dar, is also in police custody, PM Abiy said, adding that although the entire plot has been handled in a short period of time, it should not be seen lightly; it was also an attempt to force the government to revert back to its authoritarian instinct.

On June 27, a statement issued by a “Security and Justice Task-force”, a task force formed in the wake of the assassinations, has named the suspect Private Mesafint Tigabu, one of Gen Seare’s security details. The statement said at the time that the suspect was “injured by federal security forces and is under arrest.”

Some 350 people were arrested in connection with the killing, PM Abiy said. On Saturday July 27, Amhara regional state police said that 57 more suspects who were held in connection with the killings were released, bringing the number of suspects released to 160 out of 218 held in the regional state. Among those who are still in police custody is Bir-Gen Tefera Mamo, head of the region’s special force until his arrest.

Several arrests were also made in Addis Abeba and elsewhere in the country. Suspects include members of National Movement of Amhara (NaMA), which said more than 100 of its members were detained including Christian Tadele and Belete Kassa, NaMA public relations officer and secretariat respectively. Christian was arrested on July 11 whereas Belete was arrested on July 26 in Addis Abeba. On July 30, 26 of those held in Addis Abeba were released on bail ranging from 2000 to 3000 birr.

Others remain in custody with the police saying they seek to bring terrorism charges. Responding to questions on allegations of rights abuses of the detainees while in police custody, PM Abiy dismissed the allegations as unsubstantiated. AS

https://addisstandard.com/news-pm-abiy- ... bahir-dar/

[sun]

Briefing local journalists this afternoon, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that a cellular record of the main suspect held in connection with the fatal shooting of army chief of staff, Gen. Seare Mekonnen & Maj-Gen. Gezai Abera (rtd) on June 22 showed the suspect has received a phone call from a third person in which he was informed of the killings of Amhara regional state president Ambachew Mekonnen and two others in Bahir Dar on the same night.

Although the government initially made the allegation on the link between the killing in Bahir Dar and that of Addis Abeba, it later on backtracked when on June 27 a statement by the task-force established to investigate the killings said investigations were underway to determine on whether or not the two killings were linked. The Prime Minister’s statement today imply a connection between the two.

PM Abiy also said that intelligence reports show more people, including army generals, were targeted for killings in what the government still maintains was a “failed coup attempt.” PM Abiy’s statement coroborate a news report by Wazema Radio, a reliable independent podcast. Citing its anonymous sources with knowledge to the matter Wazema reported on June 27 that the attacks were more coordinated than were anticipated and that military institutions in the capital Addis Abeba were targeted.

Without getting into details PM Abiy said that the suspect who was held in connection with the killing in Addis Abeba was currently undergoing medical treatment for injuries he sustained around his neck. The third person, unnamed by the PM, and who was on the phone conversation allegedly informing the main suspect of the killings in Bahir Dar, is also in police custody, PM Abiy said, adding that although the entire plot has been handled in a short period of time, it should not be seen lightly; it was also an attempt to force the government to revert back to its authoritarian instinct.

On June 27, a statement issued by a “Security and Justice Task-force”, a task force formed in the wake of the assassinations, has named the suspect Private Mesafint Tigabu, one of Gen Seare’s security details. The statement said at the time that the suspect was “injured by federal security forces and is under arrest.”

Some 350 people were arrested in connection with the killing, PM Abiy said. On Saturday July 27, Amhara regional state police said that 57 more suspects who were held in connection with the killings were released, bringing the number of suspects released to 160 out of 218 held in the regional state. Among those who are still in police custody is Bir-Gen Tefera Mamo, head of the region’s special force until his arrest.

Several arrests were also made in Addis Abeba and elsewhere in the country. Suspects include members of National Movement of Amhara (NaMA), which said more than 100 of its members were detained including Christian Tadele and Belete Kassa, NaMA public relations officer and secretariat respectively. Christian was arrested on July 11 whereas Belete was arrested on July 26 in Addis Abeba. On July 30, 26 of those held in Addis Abeba were released on bail ranging from 2000 to 3000 birr.

Others remain in custody with the police saying they seek to bring terrorism charges. Responding to questions on allegations of rights abuses of the detainees while in police custody, PM Abiy dismissed the allegations as unsubstantiated. AS

https://addisstandard.com/news-pm-abiy- ... bahir-dar/

Hmm..

Absolutely! The news is very logical and expected beyond any doubt.

[Halafi Mengedi]

This is purely failure to audit randomly all guards of high profile people. In any country all security guards for high profiles their guards are being monitored with whom they interacts and what do they talk. A spy is being spied by the same department he or she works to make sure that spy is not double agent and passing their sensitive information. For the two generals Debretsion should take some responsibility since he failed to say no when they assigned strangers than his own. I never liked Seare, I see him like Menelik the biggest traitor of Tigrayan but I supported him as Tigrayan and he was killed because he was Tigrayan despite Seare was the Amhara Ethiopia Amlak worshiper.

[Sam Ebalalehu]

That there ought to have been a connection between the Bahirdar and Addis killings could not be in dispute. In Ethiopian political history there were no military and civilian officials who were murdered suddenly in any city let alone in two cities at the same night within a few hours difference. That was no a coincidence. There was a plan there -- a mentally unstable person or persons plan. Had they accomplished what they set out to do, the consequences that their actions might have entaild would be hard to quantify. The Ethiopian army of today is not the Ethiopian army of any other time. From the coporals to the generals they were sensitized with tribal politics for three decades. In the time of coup, every soldier side with a group he or she feels comfortable. That group takes a form of a tribe. Yes, we hear from the prime minister and other government officials talking about the military's committment to Ethiopia more than any other. I do not doubt that statment of the prime minister. I am sure however Abiy had taken in to account of a coup when he said that.

[Sam Ebalalehu]

The last sentence meant to say Abiy had not ...