At a rally organized in Addis Ababa support of the reformist new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia, a bomb explosion has wounded over a hundred people and at least killed one. The explosion occurred around the state and within minutes after Prime Minister Abiy made a speech to the gathering. Relating to the spot ad timing of the explosion, some attendants of the rally meanwhile suggest that the bomb attack was meant to kill the prime minister.
“…The aim is clear,” said, one participant of the rally who was close to the incident, “it is to stop the reform so that they [those lost power] sustain their ethic politics, corruption and robbing the country in such chaos declaring their obvious state of emergency.”
But so far it was not officialy announced by offcials if the intention was to assassinate the popular, fast reformist and unifier prime minister. Out of the wounded 15 are heavily wounded, according the Addis Ababa police reports.
Meanwhile in his message after the incident Prime Minister Abiy stated that the incident planned and executed by ‘professionals’. Expressing his condolence to the victims’ families and the survivors, the premier advised those who are conspiring against the reform to once gain refrain from their evil deeds.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has come to power about 80 days ago after bitter struggle was made within the ruling coalition party – the Ethiopia Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). The EPRDF was forced to elect a new prime minister after the decision of the former Prime Minister HailemariamDesalegn, who is from Southern Peoples’ Nations Nationalities party (one of the four members of the ruling coalitions).
In his statement about his resignation Hailemariam stated that he decided to resign to be part of the solution for the political crisis the country has been for the past few years as a result of anti-government demonstrations in different parts of the country.
Since EPRDF declared a 100% national election victory in May 2015, Ethiopia has been witnessing dozens of conflicts and anti-government demonstrations especially in Oromia and Amhara regions, which together represent about two third of the total population of the country.
As a result of the anti-government protests, the military and security forces have reportedly killed dozens of people while arresting in thousands.
After coming to power Prime Minister Abiy has been advancing major reforms in the military, intelligence and federal police and appointed new heads for these institutions. He also released thousands of political prisoners within Ethiopia and from other countries including from Sudan, Djibouti, Kenya Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
EPRDF, which has been on power since the May 1991 overthrow of MengistuHailemariam’s Marxist Regime through arms struggle, has been dominated by the Tigray Peoples’ Liberation Front (TPLF).
The TPLF, which spearheaded the arms struggle concluded in victory in 1991, in recent years has been associated with chronic corruption and tribal favoritism, along with cracking on independent voices and opposition politicians.
The recent protests have led division among the member parties of the EPRDF. Abiy Ahmed (PhD), which is from the Oromo Peoples Democratic Organization (one of the four member party of the ruling coalition), has come out as the leader of EPRDF a few months ago and became Prime Minister.
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