Ethiopian security forces detained hundreds of people in the days after the 22 June attacks in Bahir Dar and Addis Ababa, and the National Movement of Amhara said many of those holds were unfair. State television and other outlets put the arrest tally near 250 as the government pursued people it linked to the foiled Amhara assault.
Africanews reported the party’s complaint that the crackdown was sweeping up Amhara political figures alongside genuine suspects. Separate local reports said the party’s own spokesperson was among those taken into custody, deepening the quarrel between Amhara nationalist organisers and federal authorities.
The government insisted the sweep was needed to stop a plot that had already killed the Amhara regional president, other regional officials, and army chief Gen. Seare Mekonnen. Amhara activists answered that mourning the dead did not justify collective punishment of a political movement.
The dispute showed how quickly a security emergency could turn into a contest over who speaks for Amhara politics, and how far Abiy Ahmed’s government would stretch detention powers while it rebuilt the army’s leadership.
Sources: Africanews