Addis Ababa - Ethiopia's army chief of
staff was shot while trying to thwart an attempted coup on
Saturday in a federal state north of the capital Addis Ababa,
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said.
Speaking on state television late on Saturday, Abiy said
General Seare Mekonnen was one of several casualties. But his
press secretary, Billene Seyoum, told Reuters later that it was
unclear whether General Seare had been killed or wounded.
"He was shot by people who are close to him," Abiy said.
The prime minister said the general had been trying to
prevent plotters carrying out a coup in Amhara state, one of
Ethiopia's nine federal states.
Since coming to power last year, Abiy has tried to spearhead
political reforms, to open up the once isolated,
security-obsessed country of 100 million people on the Horn of
Africa.
Abiy has released political prisoners, removed bans on
political parties and prosecuted officials accused of gross
human rights abuses, but his government is battling mounting
violence.
Ethnic bloodshed - long held in check by the state's iron
grip - has flared up in many areas, including Amhara, where the
regional government was led by Ambachew Mekonnen.
According to Abiy, regional government officials were in a
meeting when a coup attempt occurred.
"There are a few people who were killed while others were
injured," Abiy said.
A regional television broadcaster affiliated with the
Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a member of Abiy's
coalition, reported Seare had been killed, alongside another
senior military official, Gize Abera.
The US Embassy said on Saturday that it was aware of
reports of gunfire in Addis Ababa, though Reuters could not
confirm those reports.
"Chief of Mission personnel are advised to shelter in
place," the Embassy said on its website.
Early on Sunday, Brigadier General Tefera Mamo, the head of
special forces in Amhara, told state television that "most of
the people who attempted the coup have been arrested, although
there are a few still at large."
Residents in Amhara's capital Bahir Dar said late on
Saturday there was gunfire in some neighbourhoods and some roads
had been closed off.
Ethiopia is due to hold a national parliamentary election
next year. Several opposition groups have called for the polls
to be held on time despite the unrest and
displacement.