Ethiopia's army chief Gen Seare Mekonnen was killed while trying to foil the coup, the government said. Gen Seare and Amhara governor Ambachew Mekonnen, who was also killed on Saturday, were seen as close allies of the prime minister. "The coup attempt in Amhara regional state is against the constitution and is intended to scupper the hard-won peace of the region," it added. The homeland of the Amhara ethnic group is the country's second most populous region and has given Ethiopia its state language, Amharic. Violence between the Amhara and Gumuz ethnic groups left dozens of people dead last month in Amhara and its neighbouring region, Benishangul Gumuz.

Source: Ethiopian News June 24, 2019 08:29 UTC