The Africa Report wrote in April 2019 that Abiy Ahmed’s drive to purge corrupt officials and clean public institutions was in full swing, with arrests of government figures making headlines.
Anti-corruption campaigns can be justice or selective politics. Ethiopians had watched previous rounds that settled scores more than they rebuilt procurement and courts. The new wave asked the same question with new branding.
Supporters said rotten networks from the late EPRDF years needed breaking. Critics watched who got cuffed and who stayed protected inside the coalition rearranging itself into what became Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party project.
As governance reference, the 2019 arrests belong in the ledger of reform symbolism. Lasting clean-up needs independent prosecutors and transparent asset trails, not only televised detainee lists.
Sources: The Africa Report
