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Ethiopia's Chief of Staff, 3 Others Killed in Amhara Coup Attempt

Reuters

   ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA - Ethiopia's chief of staff and at least three
   other senior officials were killed during a coup attempt by an army
   general in the northern state of Amhara, state television said Sunday.

   Amhara's state president Ambachew Mekonnen and his advisor were also
   killed, according to state media, which named the region's security
   head, General Asamnew Tsige, as the orchestrator of the attempted coup.

   Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government faces growing pressure from
   regional strongmen, including in Amhara, a flashpoint in growing ethnic
   violence in Ethiopia.

   The shooting occurred when federal officials were meeting the state
   president, an ally of Abiy, to discuss how to rein in the open
   recruitment of ethnic militias by Asamnew, one Addis-based official
   told Reuters.

   A week earlier, Asamnew had openly advised the Amhara people, one of
   Ethiopia's larger ethnic groups, to arm themselves, in a video spread
   on Facebook and seen by a Reuters reporter.

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