Byย Abdi Latif Dahir
Young, popular and preaching peace, prime minister Abiy Ahmed has accelerated reform across all sectors in Ethiopia since coming to power in April. But hisย radical and transformative agendaย has faced oppositionโmore so from within the countryโs establishment.
On Monday (Nov. 12), attorney general Berhanu Tsegaye said evidence indicated senior members of the countryโs security branches orchestrated an attack against Abiy at a rally in June,ย according to Reuters. Two people were killed and scores injured after aย grenade went offย at a political rally in the capital Addis Ababa that Abiy attended.
The government issued arrests for 36 officials from branches of the security forces including the national security agency, the federal and Addis Ababa police forces.
โThe evidence we gathered shows that the senior leadership of the national security agency instructed Oromos to carry out the attack because it would mean that the prime ministerโan Oromoโwas killed by Oromos,โ the attorney general said. โIt would (also) give the impression that he is not endorsed by the Oromo population.โ
As many as 26 officials from the military-run Metals and Engineering Corporation also appeared in court where they were denied bail. METEC was once responsible for constructing the $4 billionย dam project on the River Nile, expected to be Africaโs biggest hydroelectric project, butย was oustedย from the contract in August.
The arrests and arraignments showcase that Abiyโs efforts to transform Ethiopia after decades of authoritarian rule will be easier said than done. Since ascending to the head of the ruling Ethiopian Peopleโs Revolutionary Democratic Front coalition, the 42-year-old has ended an internet blackout, dismissed charges against diaspora-based media outlets, released prisoners and government critics, engaged exiled opposition groups, appointed aย unprecedented 50% female cabinet, andย mended relationsย with the countryโs long-time neighboring foe Eritrea.
But those reforms have also been dogged by domestic challenges. These includeย ethnic clashesย in the eastern Somali region,ย deadly flag protests, andย unrest in the capitalย and its surrounding that led to dozens of killings, mass arrests, and an internet shutdown.
The current predicament also demonstrates the fragility surrounding the swift political reforms, and questions if and how the 100-million people nation canย sidestep ethnic divisionsย to attain a united future. This isย especially trueย of the Tigrayan Peopleโs Liberation Front, an ethnic minority party that was once theย dominant forceย in the countryโs politics until Abiy ascended to power.
Abiy has preached a message of โmedemer,โ or togetherness, as opposed to ethnic compartmentalizationโbut the arrests yesterday showcase that heโs now ready to get tough to save his own legacy.
