Ethiopian security forces said Sunday they had arrested 47 suspects after the murder of a leader of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's ruling party, accusing him of plotting to overthrow the regime. Girma Yeshitila, leader of the Welfare Party in the recently troubled northern region of Amhara, was killed with four others in an attack on Thursday. The 47 people arrested are suspected terrorists and were found in possession of weapons, bombs and satellite communications equipment, security forces said in a statement carried by public broadcaster EBC. The murder of Mr Girma was carried out by these "extremist forces", the statement added, without specifying the date of the arrests. A member of the executive committee of the 45-member Prosperity Party, Mr Girma was frequently targeted on social networks by Amhara nationalists, who called him a "traitor" because of his proximity to Mr Abiy.

Source: Ethiopian News May 01, 2023 09:36 UTC