Mulatu Gemechu, deputy secretary of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress, spoke a day after the surprise resignation of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, who said he was leaving office to smooth reforms. Mulatu said Ethiopia needed a completely new political system after years of political unrest in the two most populous regions of the Horn of Africa country. Rights advocates have frequently criticized Ethiopia's government for mass arrests and long jail terms handed to political opponents and journalists. The Oromo Federalist Congress is one of seven parties that make up the biggest opposition coalition, MEDREK. Among them are the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), which has fought the government since 1994 and draws support from some of the country's ethnic Somali population.

Source: Ethiopian News February 16, 2018 08:26 UTC