Ethiopia detains 47 people suspected of attempted coup

KIGALI, Rwanda 

Ethiopian authorities have arrested at least 47 people alleged to have attempted to topple Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government, according to local media reports. 

The 47 individuals are suspected “terrorists” who have allegedly been working with external forces, the Addis Standard reported Tuesday, citing a statement by the Joint Security and Intelligence Task Force.

“The suspects worked together locally and in foreign countries with the aim of taking control of the regional government in order to overthrow the federal government by assassinating senior Amhara officials,” the report said.

The mass arrests came weeks after the assassination of the ruling Prosperity Party (PP) leader in the Amhara region, Girma Yeshitila.

Yeshitila was killed along with four others in an attack last week.

His murder was carried out by these “extremist forces,” the report said.

The suspects were allegedly found in possession of weapons, bombs and satellite communications equipment.

According to the joint task force, the activities of the extremist forces targeted senior government officials.

Yeshitila was a member of the executive committee of the PP.

He had recently been a target on social media by Amhara nationalists who labeled him a “traitor” over his closeness to Prime Minister Ahmed.

The Amhara regional government has said that “irregular forces” attacked the vehicles carrying Yeshitila, his bodyguards and others on April 27 on their way to Debre Birhan city.

Prime Minister Ahmed in a Facebook post blamed the “shameful and horrible” killing of the official on “violent extremists.”

The joint task force said the extremist forces wanted to topple the state and federal government by instigating violence and chaos across the country.

It also accused the group of propagating falsehoods and spreading terrorist propaganda aimed at sowing ethnic and religious conflict in the country.

Meanwhile, more than 6,000 people have entered Ethiopia fleeing fighting in neighboring Sudan, according to the West Gondar zone communication office in the Amhara region. The refugees are from 42 countries including 941 Ethiopian nationals who were living in Sudan, it said.

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