Ethiopian security forces have arrested 47 individuals suspected of attempting to overthrow the federal government led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The Ethiopian Joint Security and Intelligence Task Force stated that the suspects were “terrorists” who had allegedly been collaborating with external forces to take control of the regional government and overthrow the federal government by assassinating senior Amhara officials.
The arrests follow the assassination of Girma Yeshitila, head of the ruling Prosperity Party in the northern Amhara region, along with four others last week. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed blamed “violent extremists” for the killing of the senior government official.
The joint task force claimed that the extremist forces had been working together both locally and abroad to carry out assaults targeting senior government officials and instigate “violence and chaos” across the country.
The suspects were found in possession of weapons, bombs and satellite communications equipment. The task force further accused them of “creating false rumors and spreading terrorist propaganda” to incite ethnic and religious conflict.
The Ethiopian government is also reportedly working with international police agency Interpol and foreign security institutions to locate and extradite at least 10 exiled individuals, including politicians and journalists, to face justice in Ethiopia.
