One of the main opponents of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopian political figure Bekele Gerba, has applied for political asylum in the United States, he told AFP on Monday, denouncing the deteriorating political situation in Ethiopia and saying he feared for his life. "I emailed my letter of resignation to the president of the OFC, Dr Merera Gudina, this (Monday) morning", Mr Bekele told AFP by telephone in the United States. In the United States, where he has been since June 2022, "I realised that the political situation in Ethiopia was constantly deteriorating" with "intimidation, mass murders and arrests", he explained. He was released in January 2022 under an amnesty, along with several Ethiopian opposition figures. Another Oromo opposition figure released at the same time as Mr Bekele was Jawar Mohamed, a former ally of the Ethiopian government.

Source: Ethiopian News August 29, 2023 11:30 UTC