ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia’s new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Friday pledged to address economic and governance grievances of residents of Gonder city in Ethiopia’s Amhara regional state, a protest hub to the ruling coalition since July 2016. Ahmed was sworn in as Ethiopian Prime Minister on April 2, replacing Hailemariam Desalegn amid anti-government protests and strikes in various parts of Ethiopia including Amhara regional state. The PM also pledged to fix youth unemployment and other economic needs of the population. Violent anti-government protests in Gonder city in July 2016 over a reallocation of a district to the neighboring Tigray regional state two decades ago morphed into a wider regional protest over allegations of political and economic marginalization. The protests have shaken the hold of the ruling coalition Ethiopian People Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) which has been ruling Ethiopia for close to 27 years.

Source: Ethiopian News April 20, 2018 15:56 UTC