Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has appointed Ethiopia’s intelligence chief as the new head of the army after Gen. Seare Mekonnen was assassinated in Addis Ababa during the 22 June weekend attacks. The move filled the country’s top military post while funerals and a national mourning period were still under way.
Associated Press reporting carried by VOA placed the appointment beside a state ceremony for the slain army chief at Millennium Hall in Addis Ababa on 25 June. Officials had vowed to restore stability after what the government called a foiled coup in the Amhara region, where regional president Ambachew Mekonnen was also killed.
Authorities blamed Amhara security chief Brig. Gen. Asaminew Tsige for leading the Bahir Dar assault and said he had been recruiting fighters for ethnic militias. Asaminew was later killed by security forces. The intelligence-to-army transfer signalled how tightly Abiy’s government wanted to bind the security services after the shock.
For a reform administration already managing ethnic tension and millions of displaced people, placing a trusted intelligence figure over the defence forces was meant to steady command. It also underlined how far the crisis had reached into the heart of the national military.
Sources: VOA News