Ruling party official killed in Ethiopia – report

An official of Ethiopia’s ruling Prosperity Party (PP) has been gunned down in the north-eastern Afar region, just two weeks after another official was killed in the north-western Amhara region, the private media outlet Tikvah Ethiopia has posted on its Telegram account.

The official was killed while on his way from Adama, a city in the Oromia region, to Awash town in Afar, Tikvah quoted the party as saying.

It blamed unnamed “terrorists” for the killing.

On 27 April, the PP head of Amhara, Girma Yeshitla, was killed in an ambush.

Girma was frequently targeted on social media by users who branded him a “traitor” over his close relationship with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

The authorities blamed the attack on the Fano militia and said it was in retaliation for plans to disband regional forces and integrate them into the national security services.

The exercise that began in April sparked violent protests in Amhara.

Opposition parties have called for dialogue between local leaders and the federal government to prevent armed confrontations.

Source: BBC