The chief of staff of the Ethiopian army, Gen Seare Mekonnen, has been shot dead in the capital, Addis Ababa, state media confirmed. He and another officer died trying to prevent a coup attempt against the administration in Ethiopia’s northern Amhara region, PM Abiy Ahmed said. The prime minister’s office accused Amhara’s regional security chief, Asaminew Tsige, of plotting the coup attempt. “The coup attempt in Amhara regional state is against the constitution and is intended to scupper the hard-won peace of the region,” the office added. The homeland of the Amhara ethnic group is the country’s second most populous region and has given Ethiopia its state language, Amharic.

Source: Nigerian Tribune June 23, 2019 08:37 UTC