The attack on Saturday is believed to be linked to the assassination in Addis Ababa of army chief Seare Mekonnen, killed by his bodyguard. "In Addis Ababa alone, 56 of our members and sympathisers have been arrested while dozens other NaMA (National Amhara Movement) sympathisers and members in Oromia have also been arrested," said party spokesman Christian Tadele. An employee of the attorney general's office in Addis Ababa told AFP he had seen several of his colleagues arrested in their offices since Monday. Elias Gebru, a civil society activist based in Addis Ababa, said three of his colleagues had been arrested and appeared in court Tuesday on accusations they assisted in the coup bid. - Rise of ethno-nationalists -The National Amhara Movement was formed around a year ago as a hardline ethno-nationalist challenger to the Amhara Democratic Party (ADP) -- one of the four alliance members in the national ruling party, the EPRDF.

Source: Ethiopian News June 27, 2019 10:30 UTC